Interesting legal post by Andrew Wolfson in the Courier Journal today addressing 10 legal situations tht non-lawyers (and maybe some lawyers, too) might find interesting from alienaton of affections to personal injury liability claims:

"The Courts & You: Rulings can affect some fairly unusual events

Do you have the right to swear at a police officer who stops you for speeding?

Are you liable if you wave another driver into a road and he or she gets hit?

Can you sue a person who steals away your spouse?

The Kentucky Supreme Court and Court of Appeals in Frankfort may seem far removed from our lives. But it has addressed those and other issues that affect us every day — on the highway, in the bedroom and in our most intimate relationships. ..."

Click link headline for the rest of the post.

Received the following email which I am sharing with you:

Save the Date
 
for the Legal Aid Society's Ninth Annual
 
Brush, Bottle and Barrel of the Bluegrass
 
Friday, April 27, 2012
5:30 to 8:30 PM
Louisville Collegiate School
Mary Rodes Lannert Athletic Center
 
Tickets are $75 per person.  Free valet parking.
 
Brush, Bottle and Barrel is a preview party for the Cherokee Triangle Art Fair.  The event also features tastings of Kentucky wines, bourbons, and beers, a silent auction, and great food.
 
All proceeds benefit the Legal Aid Society.
 _____________________________________________________________________________________
 
Quick links
 
Buy your Brush, Bottle and Barrel tickets
 
 Learn about sponsoring the Brush, Bottle and Barrel

 Become a fan of Legal Aid on Facebook

One juror recently sent me the following commentary on her thoughts of the jury system from the perspective of the juror.  Read, and reach your own conclusions:

I appeared to the courts this morning with not a penny in my pocket. I appeared because your court system summonsed me to be there. In the front of this letter it states "Failure to Appear will result in fines and jail time" That is a pretty serious charge for a single mother that fights to provide for herself and child. I am one of the few that has had NO help. Including help from the judicial system that summoned her to appear.

I was first summoned to be there in August 2011 the week I was graduating, I wrote a letter explaining that the date impeded my graduation party in MI- where I am originally from and the only place I have friends. I ended up being released but not prior to being forced to cancel my graduation party due to the conflict in dates. A party I had worked 10 years for. To date, I have not been allowed to have that celebration for myself. That was the very last weekend I could have the party and not interfere with my sons school and football schedule. It feels like a giant slap in the face.

When I received the second summons, I again needed to write a letter asking to be released from duty. Still a single parent struggling, now however more so then ever due to my son having major surgery. We are uninsured, I am only barely working both because of the surgery and the changes in my degree. I do not yet have established cliental. It takes forever and a day to be approved for payment through insurance for the services that I can provide. I am truly struggling without any support. So I send the letter asking to be released -yet This time I did not get a letter back in the mail as I did prior. I appeared this morning as requested believing that I would serve jail time if i did not appear as your summons states. I honestly did not have two cents on me, my gas tank was less then a quarter tank. Its pouring rain and unsafe to drive in this city. I show up -missing work only to be told that I am released from service. I am treated poorly by your staff. Then try to leave and the AWFUL attendant refuses to let me leave the parking garage that I was told to park in based on your summons because I had not been there 4 hours. I explained that I was summoned to be there I have no money. He screams at me to call someone. I have no one to call for food let alone money for a parking garage after being summoned by the court. This treatment is completely unfair, unjust. I already suffer from PTS from when I was not protected as a child, which continues in my adult years since victims have no rights, from being raped and I do not deserve being yelled at for not having money when I summoned to appear or face jail time by your attendant. Anyone with a letter showing a summons should not be treated in that way. I cried all the way home and still as I type. I have no money, no food in my house, no gas in my car and I have not yet paid rent for December, I have not yet started to pay my student loans- I can not afford them, I also have not been able to pay any of the bills from my sons surgery. To date I have only paid for his meds. I could not afford the $2.00 for parking in a garage in which the court told me to park in. I had no way of knowing I would be released. The gas I wasted could have been used to get to work the rest of the week. I am completely ashamed to be part of this community after being treated the way that I was. The attendant called the police as per my request as I felt trapped and he was screaming at me for $2.00. He then yelled at me that I would get something in the mail. This is HIGHLY unfair. I did what you asked me to do and now I am being punished for it. This should never happen. I expect for you to take care of this issue. First anyone writing a letter to the court system being asked to be released should be sent a letter regardless and second anyone with a summons letter should be allowed to park for free as they have given the court a service just by driving down.

I hope this issue is corrected for me and for any others like me.

Here's  your board (for the Kentucky Bar Association) for 2012.  I said board, not bored, so quit  your yawing.  Maybe this will be the year that the samo-samo ways of the past, give way to the ways of the new with a focus on the individual members of the bar and not just the folks known as "big law".

Well, one can dream.  Here they are:

"JOHNSON, KERRICK ELECTED DURING RECENT KBA ELECTION

William E. “Bill” Johnson of Frankfort has been elected to the KBA Office of Vice-President and Thomas N. Kerrick of Bowling Green has been elected KBA Bar Governor, 2nd Supreme Court District (SCD), following a recent tabulation of votes certified by a canvassing board at the Ky. Bar Center in Frankfort. A swearing-in ceremony will be held during the Annual Banquet scheduled in conjunction with the KBA’s Annual Convention on Thursday, June 7, at the Galt House in Louisville. The following officers and bar governors will take office effective July 1; the officers will serve a one-year term ending June 30, 2013. The bar governors listed below will serve a two-year term ending on June 30, 2014:

Officers
President W. Douglas Myers, Hopkinsville
President-Elect Thomas L. Rouse, Erlanger
Vice President William E. Johnson, Frankfort
Immediate Past President Margaret E. Keane, Louisville
Young Lawyers Section Chair Jacqueline Sue Wright, Maysville

Bar Governors
1st SCD
Jonathan Freed, Paducah
2nd SCD
Thomas N. Kerrick, Bowling Green
3rd SCD
M. Gail Wilson, Jamestown
4th SCD
Douglas C. Ballantine, Louisville
5th SCD
Anita M. Britton, Lexington
6th SCD
David V. Kramer, Crestview Hills
7th SCD
Bobby Rowe, Prestonsburg

Other Kentucky Bar Governors currently serving terms ending June 30, 2013, are: Serieta G. Jaggers, Princeton, 1st District; R. Michael Sullivan, Owensboro, 2nd District; Richard W. Hay, Somerset, 3rd District; Douglass Farnsley, Louisville, 4th District; William R. Garmer, Lexington, 5th District; J. Stephen Smith, Fort Mitchell, 6th District; and Earl M. “Mickey” McGuire of Prestonsburg, 7th District. "

From the KBA - Kentucky Bar Association:  Hey you Kentucky lawyers - solos, big law, trial lawyers, accident insurance lawyers, and yes, even those insurance defense lawyers, mark your calendars and show up for the Derby City festivities!

"Mark your calendars now to join the Kentucky Bar Association for its 2012 Annual Convention at The Galt House Hotel in historic downtown Louisville, Wednesday, June 6 through Friday, June 8. Under our convention theme of "Honoring our Past: Preparing For Our Future,” we'll offer a wide variety of CLE programming of interest to practitioners across the Commonwealth. More details are coming soon, but please make plans now to attend! "

Time flies when you are in front of the monitor.

I have now been writing this particular blog for seven years.  Wow.  Who would have believed it.  And, still the best deal on the net.  Free, Free, and still Free.

Here are some numbers.  Just shy of 1.2 MILLION page views which means nearly 1 MILLION visitors.

Totals & Averages   -

1,170,515 Lifetime Page views

474.08 Pageviews/Day

6000+ Total Posts

650 Total Comments

Assuming an average of 10 minutes spent per post, or 60,000 minutes, or 6000 hours, or . . . .  Now that is a lot of writing. 

Of course, we won't break it down to how many of the posts actually made sense!

From the AAJ - American Association of Justice.  Seriously, in the midst of all this toil and turmoil, Congress is pondering the tort reford/deform non-issue again?  You got to be kidding. 

Although tort reform/deform is a bogus solution for a non-existent problem, some might think a few other issues are more important, such as:  balancing the budget, health, jobs, rebuilding the nation's infrastructure rather than bending to the whims of the Chamber of Commerce, corporate America, and the insurance companies.  You know those folks.... the one's who brought you the great recession AND then asked for the great bailout.  And once they had all that government money, did you see any loans to stimulate small business whom the Republicans claim to be protecting as the backbone of American business?  Nope.

Well, those who protect the little guy are warning you again.... Listen up.

"Did you have a chance to watch or read this year’s State of the Union Address? What a difference a year makes! We were in the House gallery listening to the President, and we were delighted with the speech.

Last year at this time we were shocked and dismayed after the President used the term “frivolous lawsuits” in his State of the Union Address. This year, however, the President mentioned needing “smart regulations” to prevent harm caused by faulty medical devices and foreign products.

Since last year, AAJ has reached out to the Obama Administration—and so many of you have helped by talking to your members of Congress—to repeatedly reinforce the message that a strong civil justice system keeps all Americans safe. Thank you for what you have done. We are seeing the results.

While President Obama said there would be “no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts,” in the Congress, Republican leadership in the House is preparing to bring a sweeping medical malpractice, medical products, and nursing homes bill to the Floor. This is H.R. 5—the one legislative priority of Speaker Boehner that never went anywhere in the first session of the 112th Congress. The bill is a phenomenal bailout for the medical industry.

We are hearing very credible information that medical malpractice tort reform will be added to the House highway bill (a big transportation bill that funds our nation’s highways). Yes, added to a highway bill!

You may remember the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated $54 billion in savings over 10 years from medical malpractice tort reform. House leadership thinks this is the right way to pay for our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

What’s coming up in Congress is a perfect reminder that this will be an important year and we need to maintain our advocacy with Congress. Election 2012 is nine months away. We must maintain a civil-justice majority in the Senate. We must be vigilant.

We will continue to communicate with you as we have more news about presidential contenders and other election and legislative issues."

From the AOC Press Release.  Building program continues, with head shed getting a new place and a new landlord.... the AOC itself!  Ownership does have its privileges:

"Administrative Office of the Courts signs lease-to-purchase contract on Home Depot property in Frankfort
– Move will reduce cost to house Judicial Branch’s administrative offices –
 
FRANKFORT, Ky., Jan. 30, 2012 – The Administrative Office of the Courts will move its facilities to a new location in Frankfort under a lease-to-purchase contract signed this week with Home Depot. The agreement will allow the AOC to purchase the vacant 14-acre Home Depot property at 1001 Vandalay Drive in Frankfort and consolidate its facilities into one building from seven.
 
The Judicial Branch currently pays $1.3 million a year in rent and utilities to house the AOC in 139,000 square feet throughout seven buildings at 100 Millcreek Park in Frankfort. The AOC has spent $15.8 million in rent and renovations on the Millcreek campus since 1987.
 
“This move will mean significant long-term savings for the Judicial Branch,” AOC Director Laurie K. Dudgeon said. “The AOC will save $200,000 a year for the length of the lease and we’ll own the building outright in seven years, with the intention of paying it off sooner to reduce the purchase price. We’ll save at least $1 million each year in rent once the purchase is complete.”
 
Dudgeon said the AOC will solicit bids to renovate the facility to meet the current and future needs of the agency. “Recent personnel reductions have left the AOC with excess space at the Millcreek location and we’ll be able to house all 240 employees in one building in the Home Depot space. We’ve been preparing for the possibility of this move for nearly two years and have earmarked one-time savings from our facilities budget and criminal record report revenue to cover the cost of the renovations.”
 
The AOC was facing significant renovation costs at the Millcreek location to consolidate buildings and reconfigure space for its smaller workforce.
 
The Kentucky Court of Justice Rules of Administrative Procedure (AP Part V) permit the AOC to enter into a lease-purchase agreement. The KCOJ rules parallel KRS 56.806, the statute concerning the lease-purchase of property by the Executive Branch. The AOC received two bids in response to a lease-to-purchase solicitation in July 2010. Home Depot was the sole bidder that met the square footage and single-building requirements set forth in the solicitation.
 
The AOC intends to reduce the maximum lease-to-purchase price of $5.9 million by paying off the property sooner than the seven years allowed under the contract. An appraisal obtained by the AOC valued the property at $10.4 million after renovations. Home Depot paid $11 million for the unimproved property in 2003.
 
“This is a win-win situation for the Judicial Branch, Frankfort and the state,” Dudgeon said. “The court system will acquire efficient office space at a reduced cost, Frankfort will benefit from the occupation of a building that has been vacant for years and the state will gain instant equity in a prime commercial property.”
 
The AOC could potentially occupy the building within a year of renovations, which could begin in the spring of 2012. The AOC will convert 62,000 square feet of the building’s 94,900 square feet into office space, with the remaining square footage to be used for its warehouse.
 
Dudgeon said the AOC decided to pursue savings in office space after several years of cost-cutting efforts in other areas due to state budget reductions. Since 2009, the AOC has absorbed a 26 percent reduction in state appropriations, reduced its workforce by 282 employees through layoffs and attrition, implemented significant operating cuts and streamlined the AOC’s organizational structure. "