Columns

Ethics Matters

Place Your Bets

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Friday, November 30, 2012  |  by Mark Dubois  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Now that the presidential election is over, it is fun to read the blogs and see who was hot and who was not when it came to calling the race.

Legally Conservative

A Good Friday At Walmart

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Friday, November 30, 2012  |  by Karen Lee Torre  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Union bureaucrats and leftist groups had targeted the chain for protests and picketing on the busiest shopping day of the year. But I had no desire to speak to, much less argue with, a leftist.

One Hand Clapping

People Of Color Absent From Jury Pools

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Friday, November 30, 2012  |  by Norm Pattis  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Call me a racist, but Connecticut does not do enough to assure that criminal defendants face a jury of their peers.

Legal Ease

A Lawyer's Thanksgiving In Hartford

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012  |  by Amy Goodusky  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

It may be a function of having passed my 55th birthday, but lately, I have been employing the retrospectoscope at full magnification, thinking about all the things I wish I'd chosen for my second third career. Midday meditations found me contemplating the wonderful accomplishments I would have achieved as a freelance roving garden critic. The lawyering life, I thought, had been undistinguished by my contributions.

Ethics Matters

Providing Clients With A Moral Compass

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012  |  by Mark Dubois  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

I like to use what I call the lawyers' moral compass as an instructional tool. At the north pole, I put the client. At its simplest, client service is what it is all about. But no compass has just one pole, and no course is steered without reference to all of the other compass points.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Butcher, The Baker And The Mediator

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012  |  by Harry Mazadoorian  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. What do they all have in common? Include in the question the plumber, the electrician, the surgeon, the lawyer, the barber, the hairdresser. The answer: they are all subject to some sort of governmental regulatory oversight by way of examination, licensing or inspection.

Legally Conservative

The Elusive Pay Raise For Judges

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012  |  by Karen Lee Torre  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

You've got to hand it to Connecticut Chief Justice Chase Rogers. She has done her best on behalf of the state's judges to get their salaries increased. She's been talking about it and advocating for pay equity for several years.

One Hand Clapping

Prostitution Prosecution Based On DA's Fantasy

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012  |  by Norm Pattis  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. might be one of those understated legal geniuses who see things in life's tawdry fact patterns the rest of us miss. Or maybe he's just the son of a famous man, former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who rode his daddy's coattails all the way into a job that's just too big for his meager talents. Gauging by his office's performance in the Anna Gristina case, I am not checking the genius box when it comes time to cast a ballot for Vance.

Legally Conservative

Lawyer Lashes Out After Loss

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Friday, November 16, 2012  |  by Karen Lee Torre  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Antonio Ponvert's closing argument to a superior court jury made clear what he wanted out of his wrongful death suit against Bridgeport and a city police officer in connection with the fatal shooting of Frederick McAllister in 2008.

One Hand Clapping

'You Can't Govern Us, We Quit'

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Friday, November 16, 2012  |  by Norm Pattis  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Secession anyone? The last time there was a groundswell of support for the states to secede from the union, we ended up fighting a bloody Civil War. One hundred and fifty years later, there are new calls for secession. Just how serious is the new secession movement?