I have a Honda that I’ve driven for 8 years. I bought it new and maintained it properly. I was lukewarm about the car when I bought it, but I’ve come to love it for its reliability and fuel economy. I mention this because about two weeks ago, the air conditioner blew up. I took it to the dealership near my house, and they told me that the price tag to fix the things was $1975. Given that the car is only worth about $5,000, I decided to take a pass.
In the absence of the air conditioner however, the car does not defrost so well, which is a pain in the neck. So I started looking around the Internet for parts, and I discovered that a plaintiff’s litigation firm in New Jersey is investigating a class action lawsuit against Honda for (you guessed it) crappy air conditioners.
Now I am of two minds about this. Part of me thinks that a lot of plaintiff’s litigation is specious. Sometimes, stuff doesn’t work and that’s nobody’s fault. I think that a lot of plaintiff’s litigation uses a class of people who really do need some help as a cudgel to beat cash out of companies, very little of which trickles down to those affected.
I also think however that sometimes, the only recourse people have against big corporations and their Congressional friends is litigation. If a company knowingly puts out a sub-standard product that is prone to break, why should I be on the hook for two large?
So tell me loyal readers, what’s a boy to do?
You always hear about other jobs people can do with a law degree. Here’s the coolest I’ve heard of so far: NFL Referee.
Ed Hochuli is Referee #85 in the National Football League. A fact I didn’t know until this week when I heard that he was getting hate mail at his law firm as a result of a bad call in the San Diego-Denver game. (Don’t miss the “What Would Ed Hochuli?” gear site either.) He’s also an attorney, with what appears to be a rather robust corporate defense practice in Phoenix, AZ.
Evidently, you can follow this recommended route to the NFL. Start small, in high school, and work your way up through hard work and some networking. Starting with high school games as a hobby may not be a bad idea for the busy attorney looking for ways to get some exercise and be involved in the community.
I, for one, have really tried to follow a local high school football team (sadly, they play their home games during prime study time - Saturday afternoons) and it’s occurred to me that it’d be cool to be a ref and have an excuse to leave early on Fridays.
As evening students, our “first year” course load is spread out over a total of two years. Where a first year day student would have Crim, Con Law, Evidence, Contracts, Property, etc. during his first year, we in the evening division get our classes split up.
So this year, a number of the Hypo crew have Evidence, Con Law and Criminal Law this semester. This was what I wanted to get in law school - I want to be a litigator, and I was considering a criminal law career. So this semester was everything I wanted. And as a history and politics buff, Con Law is just a fun subject.
I hit the ground running, ready for some serious studying and real challenges.
What I got was two of the most excruciatingly dumbed down classes I have ever had, and one that is good. Continue reading ‘Second Year Evening Students - An Exercise in Frustration’
The murders of Corporal Richard S. Findley and the prime suspect in the case Ronnie L. White have opened some old wounds here in the D.C. area. The Prince George’s County Police department has long had a history of excessive force in its policing, culminating in a 2004 memorandum of understanding between the County and the U.S. Department of Justice requiring the County to revise itsuse of force policies. Anecdotal evidence also suggests racial bias is pervasive in the Department, such that it has even been pointed out by Amnesty International. This is why the first thing my mother told me when I got my driver’s license was “whatever you do, don’t get pulled over there.”
Now my heart goes out to Corporal Findley and his family. I can’t imagine the pain they must be going through. I would love nothing more than to see Mr. White - assuming he was found guilty - get the book thrown at him. At the same time, I can’t imagine what his family must be going through, coming to grips with the fact that their son a) may have killed a cop, and b) was strangled to death while in police custody. Continue reading ‘Do We Ask Too Much From Cops?’
