Features
The Gavel Falls
The use of bankruptcy to protect an individual's home from foreclosure is sufficiently commonplace that practitioners would be well advised to understand the foreclosure process in their state and, in particular, when that process will be deemed completed for purposes of section 1322. This article explains why.
Features
Practice Tip: Expert Testimony Quantifying Hedonic Damages
Few subjects in the staid world of economics generate as much controversy as expert testimony quantifying hedonic damages: tort damages that attempt to compensate a plaintiff for the loss of enjoyment of life. Countless articles in forensics literature debate whether monetary value placed on a statistical life applies to a specific plaintiff. This controversy has spilled over into the courtroom. While most jurisdictions allow recovery of some form of hedonic damages, the trend, especially in the post-<i>Daubert</i> era, has been to exclude expert testimony that purports to calculate the amount of those damages. This article examines the trend against expert testimony quantifying hedonic damages and notes recent decisions that indicate the trend may be curbing, especially in jurisdictions that have refused to adopt <i>Daubert</i>.
What Is Team Divorce?
Divorce isn't just divorce anymore. At least not if you are on top of your game in Family Law. As the September issue of <i>The Matrimonial Strategist</i> describes in several different articles, Interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce is the wave of the future. <i>The Matrimonial Strategist</i> first discussed Collaborative Law Divorce in May, 2006. To quote Editorial Board Member Charles J. McEvily, 'The hallmark of the Collaborative Divorce is the execution of an agreement by both parties and'
What Is Team Divorce?
Divorce isn't just divorce anymore. At least not if you are on top of your game in Family Law. As the September issue of <i>The Matrimonial Strategist</i> describes in several different articles, Interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce is the wave of the future. <i>The Matrimonial Strategist</i> first discussed Collaborative Law Divorce in May, 2006. To quote Editorial Board Member Charles J. McEvily, 'The hallmark of the Collaborative Divorce is the execution of an agreement by both parties and'
Features
NYCLA Opinion: In Certain Circumstances, 'Dissemblance' By Attorney-Supervised Investigators Is Permissible to Gather Evidence
Ethical prohibitions impact the common practice of almost every active trademark lawyer regarding his or her use of private investigators to collect information from third parties. However, the scope of permissible conduct is not always clearly defined. For instance, when a search report reveals one possible bar to your client's adoption of the mark, such as a nine-year-old federal registration by an individual who does not appear to have a Web site, can you or your investigator contact this person and devise some plausible explanation for the reason that you want to know if the mark is still in use? Or if you discover that a company appears to be infringing your client's trademark, can you send someone pretending to be a customer, but who asks all sorts of questions relevant to proving infringement that the ordinary consumer is highly unlikely to raise? Does it matter if the person you or your investigator makes contact with is a low-level sales clerk or the owner of the company?
Features
'Back Channel Diplomacy' As a Litigation Technique
In this writer's experience, the majority of medical malpractice cases involve a primary target defendant, usually a hospital or attending physician, often joined with multiple codefendants with less potential exposure. It is not uncommon to find three or more defense firms playing active roles in the discovery process, and, for purposes of this article, we shall refer to those defendants with lesser potential exposure as 'secondary defendants.'
Features
Decisions of Interest
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
Features
Establishing Jurisdiction over Non-Resident Spouses
Jurisdiction in a matrimonial action has several statutory components requiring the repeated cross-application of the Civil Practice Law and Rules with the Domestic Relations Law (DRL). Knowledge of the statutes' interplay becomes especially essential to the matrimonial attorney when seeking to affect the status of the marriage and obtain jurisdiction over a non-resident.
Features
Why Your Financial Specialist Should Be Independent
Over the years, matrimonial lawyers everywhere have increasingly embraced the concept of working with experienced, credentialed professionals who specialize in the financial aspects of divorce. Originally, most of these specialists were Certified Public Accountants and the work was mainly of a forensic nature. Recently, however, we have seen an increase in the involvement of professionals whose background is in the financial planning arena. Today, among other tasks, the planner is often retained to examine the longer-term impact of settlements and answer the client's question: 'Will I be okay financially?'
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