In an election year of equal opportunity hyperbole, presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments in late May and early June about U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel — suggesting that his “Mexican” heritage creates an “absolute conflict” precluding him from presiding over the Trump University class action suit — were certain to ignite strong feelings, fears and days of seemingly endless talking-head debates.
Read More »Author Archives: DOLAN MEDIA NEWSWIRES
Lessons from the Freddie Gray trials
Her initial 15 minutes of fame came with a swift indictment of six Baltimore cops after Freddie Gray died from injuries suffered in police custody.
Read More »Dissents on a civil verdict: Know the rule, but master the exceptions
One of the most momentous years in my life was 2009. That year saw me getting a law license, my first home and a dog, as well as getting married.
Read More »New OSHA reporting rule also impacts drug-testing policies
Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek recently published a special report regarding a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule that will increase employers' reporting requirements for workplace illnesses and injuries.
Read More »Making the jump from criminal to civil is more natural than you may think
I spent five years as a prosecutor in the Racine County District Attorney’s office and made the leap to civil law in January of 2014 with Habush Habush & Rottier. Since then, I’ve heard the above comment expressed with some frequency by lawyers who only practice criminal law and question how well their experience would transfer to a civil practice.
Read More »AG opinion not just about high-capacity well permits
In what industry representatives hope is a sign of more good things to come, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is streamlining its high-capacity-wells policies in response to Attorney General Brad Schimel’s May 10 formal opinion on 2011 Wis. Act 21’s limits on agency authority.
Read More »The Law Store: Coming to a Walmart near you
For many people, the decision to seek legal advice is a mysterious and daunting endeavor that is not made on the spur of the moment, if at all.
Read More »OSHA rule on injury reporting creates new obligations for employers
On May 12, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a final rule requiring certain employers to electronically submit workplace injury and illness information to OSHA and requiring all employers to adopt procedures to encourage employee reporting.
Read More »New standards for overtime pay offer greater protections to American workers
After much anticipation, the Department of Labor finalized its new overtime-compensation rule on May 18.
Read More »When the doctor’s wrong
There is a scene in the 1970’s movie classic, "Network," when the TV anchorman Howard Beale finally snaps. “I’m a human being” (expletive deleted) rants Beale, “my life has value.” Value, yes, but God help us if we get sick.
Read More »Open-record case a mixed blessing for transparency
Two weeks ago, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals released a decision concerning whether the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act requires law-enforcement agencies to black out identifying information from documents when responding to record requests.
Read More »Sign me up Schimel: Send my tax dollars to prosecutors
It is not surprising that an attorney who practices criminal defense would oppose Attorney General Brad Schimel’s recent plan to request additional funding to help bolster the ranks of prosecutors throughout the state.
Read More »The biggest legal risk you’ve never heard of
An intelligent, careful lawyer will know the most likely legal reasons an IT implementation will fail and will know what to expect from the earliest stages of the engagement.
Read More »PRINCE Act clears Minn. House panel, stalls in Senate
Even in death, Prince still draws a lot of water in this town.
Read More »The witness outline: Success is borne by preparation
When it comes to organizing for trial and questioning witnesses, there is no “one size fits all” way to do it. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for and against taking different tacks.
Read More »Resilience: An often overlooked ally
A recent study found lawyers have a rate of depression that is four times higher than that of the general population. The study also found lawyers have a rate of alcohol abuse that is three times higher than the general population.
Read More »Steps to recharge your battery
There are few things more discouraging than to invest significant time and effort in your career, only to want to quit because you feel burnt out.
Read More »The new standard for rental inspections
The state in February enacted Act 176, which created a prohibition against local ordinances that require routine inspections of rental units.
Read More »Airport privatization: An idea whose time has come?
During his successful re-election campaign, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele often said that he would consider and act on the best ideas from anyone — Democrat or Republican.
Read More »Impact of Scalia’s death on forced arbitration and consumer class actions
In the wake of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, many pundits debated his influence on hot topics such as affirmative action, the Second Amendment and same-sex marriage.
Read More »The fundamentals of expert witness cross-examination
“A lawyer can do anything with cross-examination if he is skillful enough not to impale his own cause upon it.” -- John Henry Wigmore
Read More »Closing Arguments: Is Wisconsin’s collateral-source rule worth preserving?
Wisconsin lawmakers this year are once again gave serious consideration to eliminating the state’s collateral-source rule, a doctrine that has been around in Wisconsin for nearly a century and whose roots extend into common law.
Read More »A crawl space too small
My job, like any Wisconsin trial lawyer, is to make sure safety rules are followed. That means if you are injured or a loved one is injured because of someone else's carelessness, shortcuts, or cover-up of a problem, we're here to help you.
Read More »Why care about workers’ comp?
I practice workers' compensation law. I represent injured workers.
Read More »7th Circuit getting its crack at arbitration agreements
Recent years have seen a great proliferation of mandatory arbitration clauses, the so-called arbitration agreements that preclude potential plaintiffs from bringing class-action claims.
Read More »Requiring lenders to sell after foreclosure would ward off ‘zombie’ properties
Foreclosing plaintiffs should be compelled to bring abandoned properties to sale because judicial economy requires it and because failure to do so causes municipalities and taxpayers to suffer adverse, unfair and unjust consequences.
Read More »Listen up: Be your best on Twitter
The essential thing to remember about social media is that it lets you seek or enjoy the companionship of others using means that also let you consume information and that are shared by the news media.
Read More »Corporate political spending can stay secret in Wisconsin
Wisconsin lawmakers are insisting that they didn’t intend to allow corporate political donations to remain secret under the recent overhaul of the state’s campaign finance laws.
Read More »New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure aimed at efficiency
A wealth of recent revisions to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure can be summed up with a single goal — moving cases along.
Read More »No infringement in law firms’ trademark fight
To build up its personal injury practice, the Krueger Law Firm in Roseville, Minn., urges prospective clients to call 1-800-INJURED, a trademark the three-attorney firm licenses through the Mountain Marketing Group, an Illinois company with a niche in the alphanumeric telephone business.
Read More »