OUR BLOG
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEMEANOR
Recently, Seminole County Judge Jerri Collins sentenced a woman to three days in jail on a contempt of court charge for failure to appear as a witness. The defendant was the father of her child. The witness was the victim, who according to reports was abused by the...
THE LESSON FROM VOLKSWAGEN’S FRAUD
According to The New York Times, Volkswagen began installing software devised to cheat on emissions tests in 2008 after realizing that a new diesel engine developed at great expense could not meet pollution standards in the United States and other countries. Rather...
WHAT YOGI BERRA CAN TEACH LAWYERS
In 1949, his manager, Casey Stengel, assessed him as follows: “Mr. Berra is a very strange fellow of very remarkable abilities.”[1] He was an All-Star for 15 consecutive seasons. “He was the most durable and consistently productive Yankee during the period of the...
ADMITTING OUT-OF-STATE LAWYERS
Recently, The Florida Bar heard pros and cons at a public forum regarding a controversial recommendation to let lawyers from other states to practice in Florida without taking the Florida Bar exam. As Susan Taylor Martin reported, proponents of this reciprocity say...
THE TRIAL OF HIDEKI TOJO
A recent opinion piece in the Tampa Bay Times related the story of Hideki Tojo.[1] Tojo was the Prime Minister of Japan when Pearl Harbor was attacked. When he was captured on September 11, 1945, Tojo had attempted suicide by a self inflicted gunshot wound. He was...
THE POPE REFORMS ANNULMENTS
In a change to church marriage law, Pope Francis streamlined the annulment process on September 8, 2015.[1] An annulment, which declares a previous union invalid, is required for divorced Catholics who have remarried and want to receive communion. The new process is...
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RULE OF LAW
According to his mother, U.S. District Judge David Bunning might not agree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage, but he will uphold the law.[1] Judge Bunning is now at the center of an ongoing same-sex marriage debate. This debate...
THE IMPORTANCE OF A ROLE MODEL
NBA Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley, made headlines in 1993 when recording a commercial in which he said, “I’m not a role model. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”[1] I happen to disagree with Charles Barkley. Like it or not,...
THE ASHLEY MADISON DATA BREACH
Ashley Madison is a Canadian based online dating service and social networking service marketing to people who are married or in a committed relationship. Its slogan is “Life is short. Have an affair.” The company received attention in July of 2015 after hackers...