Bench and Bar of Minnesota

January 2012

Bench & Bar — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:03:48 +0000

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Cuba’s Legal Composite: A Blend of the Familiar and the Foreign

Bench & Bar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:42:27 +0000

Ancient American cars and ubiquitous posters featuring Che Guevara—these were among many reminders of the foreign and the familiar MSBA members encountered on their visit to Cuba. The billboard reads, “We see you each day ... pure as a child or as a pure man, Che Commander, friend” Viewed through the lens of another country’s>>>

When the Grass Turns Brown: Prosecuting Marijuana Mixtures in Minnesota

Steven Bader — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:56 +0000

. “A felony?” Mary Jane Baker exclaimed. “A felony? Possession of marijuana brownies is a felony?” “Ms. Baker, please stay calm,” Minnesota Peace Officer Tom Friendly said. “I need to make a phone call to the county attorney to sort this out.” Ms. Baker stood in shock. The last thing she expected to hear this morning was>>>

Lore in the Law: A Short Case for the Colorful Brief

Adam T. Johnson — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:47 +0000

Caress the detail, the divine detail. —Vladimir Nabokov The written word is not a peculiarity of the law, but it is an obsession. Being foremost in the habit of multiplying synonyms and compounding problems by the generation of their words, lawyers unsurprisingly have amassed vast bodies of literature on the topic of legal writing. >>>

Choosing the Law

Brent Routman — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:38 +0000

In the wake of the Cook County shooting, our thoughts remain with the victims: our colleague Cook County Attorney Tim Scannell and witness Gregory Thompson, and we hope for their full, complete and speedy recovery. We recognize attorney John Lillie III for his heroic and successful efforts to help aid the victims of the shooting, and extend our>>>

Look & Learn

Martin Cole — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:27 +0000

As we are deep into the holiday season as I write this column, it’s not too soon to look back at the disciplinary results of 2011 and forward to any changes expected in 2012. The Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and the Office of the Director of Lawyers Professional Responsibility submit an annual report to the Minnesota Supreme Court>>>

Free Case Printing

Bench & Bar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:15 +0000

In 2011, legal research company Fastcase, which provides free caselaw and statutory research services to MSBA members via the MSBA website, launched a new utility that enables one-click printing of any case from any source on the web or in any Microsoft Word document. Called Fastcase Cloud Printing, the utility lets you print or save a nicely>>>

Judges Online

Bench & Bar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:40:53 +0000

According to a survey conducted by court public information officers, in 2010 40 percent of state court judges were using social media profile sites, with the majority of them on Facebook. One can only speculate how active Minnesota judges may be on social media today, but MSBA’s Civil Litigation Section offers online profiles of participating>>>

Employment Manuals

Bench & Bar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:40:40 +0000

The legal posture of employment manuals, first recognized as legally binding in Minnesota nearly 30 years ago, took a hit last year in the context of an unemployment compensation claim. The role of handbooks in providing job security or other protection to employees has been tottering ever since the Minnesota Supreme Court first recognized that>>>

December 2011

Bench & Bar — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:06:24 +0000

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