Many popular, low priced brands of wine may contain illegal and dangerously high levels of poisonous inorganic arsenic, according to a lawsuit filed against 28 California wineries.
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Lawsuit Filed Against 28 California Wineries For High Levels Of Arsenic In Low Priced Wines
Who says you need a law degree to practice law?
Washington Post /Opinions
Michelle Cummings never went to law school. Her formal college education ended in 1998, with a paralegal studies degree from Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash. But this summer, Cummings could start taking on legal clients who need help filing for divorce or child custody. Like a fully licensed attorney, she’ll be able to open an office and set her own fees.
Cummings is part of Washington state’s ambitious experiment to revolutionize access to legal services, particularly among the poor. In the United States, 80 to 90 percent of low-income people with civil legal problems never receive help from a lawyer. This means that domestic violence victims might file for a restraining order alone. Couples who want to divorce might do it without counsel. In some states, parents who have lost custody of their children might fight that decision without any guidance.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/closing-the-justice-gap/2015/03/13/a5f576c8-c754-11e4-aa1a-86135599fb0f_story.html
Even the public face of the legal profession, the 400,000-member American Bar Association, is beginning to acknowledge that the crisis is too big for lawyers to solve alone. In a January 2014 report, an ABA task force on the future of legal education called on states to license “persons other than holders of a JD to deliver limited legal services.” Among the panel’s 28 members were two key organizers of Washington’s program.
“We need to take a leaf from the medical profession, which has long recognized that people with health problems can be helped by a range of assistance providers with far less training than licensed physicians,” New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said in his 2014 state of the judiciary report. “We all accept that. Why not the same in the law?”
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/closing-the-justice-gap/2015/03/13/a5f576c8-c754-11e4-aa1a-86135599fb0f_story.html
Governor Appoints DiStefano to Van Buren County Probate Court
Gov. Rick Snyder appointed David J. DiStefano to the Van Buren County Probate Court. DiStefano has most recently worked as a general practitioner focused on probate work in Van Buren County. He has also served as Bangor city attorney from 1987 to 2014 and as general counsel for multiple companies. He is a member of the Van Buren County Economic Development Corp. board of directors and the Van Buren County Restorative Justice Committee. He previously served on the Van Buren County Mental Health Board and the Bangor Public School Board. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and…
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Governor Appoints Keuvelaar to the Bay County Probate Court
Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed John Keuvelaar to the Bay County Probate Court. Keuvelaar has served as assistant prosecuting attorney in the Family Support Division for Bay County since 1998. He has managed dependent neglect, mental health and juvenile cases. Prior to his work in Bay County, he worked for the Gratiot County prosecutor’s office. He is a Bay County child abuse protocol training instructor and has been a presenter to the Gratiot County Multi-County Sexual Assault Program, the State Court Administrative Office Child Welfare Conference, and the Department of Human Services family-to-family kick-off community. Keuvelaar earned a bachelor’s degree…
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Not enough ‘visible intoxication’ evidence for dramshop lawsuit
A plaintiff’s dramshop complaint should have been dismissed because he did not offer sufficient evidence that the bar unlawfully served alcohol to a “visibly intoxicated person,” the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled.
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Attorney consents to disbarment after no-contest plea
A Petoskey attorney has stipulated to being disbarred after pleading no contest to discipline charges arising from his administration of an estate.
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Boy's allergy death leads to lawsuit against cafe
A Minnesota family is suing a local café after their son, who suffers from a severe dairy allergy, ate what the restaurant claimed were dairy free pancakes.
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Discipline increased for attorney convicted of indecent exposure
The Attorney Discipline Board has lengthened a hearing panel’s suspension of a Birmingham attorney who was convicted of misdemeanor aggravated indecent exposure.
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SBM Seeks Law Firm Applications for 2015 Pro Bono Circle of Excellence
The State Bar of Michigan invites all law firms of two or more attorneys to apply for the 2015 Pro Bono Circle of Excellence, which recognizes every firm that fully complied with the State Bar’s Voluntary Pro Bono Standard during 2014. The application deadline is April 4. Both volunteer legal services for low-income individuals and organizations and financial support for eligible nonprofit organizations providing free civil legal aid for the poor are included in the Voluntary Pro Bono Standard. The Pro Bono Standard calls for lawyers to annually take three pro bono cases, devote at least 30 hours of pro…
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Appellate Defender Commission honors two attorneys
A Lansing criminal defense attorney and a State Appellate Defender Office assistant defender were named recipients of the commission’s annual awards.
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