There is a concept in corporate and employment law called good will. It refers to the idea that a company’s reputation is important, and that a positive reputation and good relationships will lead to repeat business with existing customers and…
Category: Court News
Federal District Court and the Dreaded Six Month List – It’s More and Less Than It Seems
Every six months, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts publishes the dreaded Six Month List. The Six Month List describes itself as a “semiannual report showing, by U.S. district judge and U.S. magistrate judge, all motions pending more than…
Let’s Take Palace Intrigue Where We Can Get It – R.I. Supreme Court Justices Dissent From A Miscellaneous Order!
Along with merits-based written opinions in contested cases, the Rhode Island Supreme Court issues a large volume of administrative, executive and miscellaneous orders each year. They’re mostly supervisory or perfunctory orders to ensure that the judicial branch keeps humming, covering…
Let’s Confer About Conferring and Then Confer: Latest Proposed Change to Federal Rules Is Further Evidence Judges Don’t Like Discovery Disputes
On August 15, 2018, the federal Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure released its latest proposed change to the federal rules of civil procedure to require opposing parties to confer in good faith when serving deposition notices to organizations under…
Federal Criminal Jury Trial Begins Today in Courtroom 3 at 9 a.m.
In 2017, juries decided only three federal criminal cases in the United States District Court in Rhode Island. The federal courthouse is full of courtrooms, but rarely are those courtrooms full with juries. Today, Wednesday, August 8, a federal criminal…
R.I. Supreme Court ’17-’18 Term in Review: Who Wrote What, and How Criminal Defendants and Pro Se Litigants Fared
It’s the end of July and the Rhode Island Supreme Court has not published an opinion since July 3. The hiatus likely means the Court is done for term 2017-2018 and will not issue another published opinion until the 2018-2019…
The Map Room of Janus: Thoughts on the Thinking of the U.S. Supreme Court and What Comes Next
The map room scene is one of the best moments in the original Raiders of the Lost Ark movie. Indiana Jones drops into the ancient map room of Tanis to locate the Lost Ark. Someone has already been there but…
What is the Practice of Law, Anyway? The Rhode Island Supreme Court Will Soon Tell Us.
Under long-standing rules, only lawyers can practice law by representing other people in legal matters. The only general exception to this rule is that non-lawyer natural persons can represent themselves. Representing yourself in a legal matter is called acting “pro…
Highlights from the Last Federal Bench/Bar Committee Meeting of the Year
One of the most interesting and effective committees of the Rhode Island Bar Association is the Federal Bench/Bar Committee, which meets at the federal courthouse three or four times a year. Chaired by the always prepared Pat Rocha, the meeting is…
Only 36 People Passed the Rhode Island Bar Exam in February. Is Rhody the New California?
The bar exam is a perennial discussion topic between licensed attorneys and law students. Most law students dread not passing the bar exam, and California strikes extra fear in the tender hearts of aspiring lawyers. The list of people who…