Around the Blawgshpere: News Long Island Criminal Trial Lawyers should know about.

If you practice criminal law on Long Island, and you want to be up on the law and lawyering skills that affect our practice, then you have come to the right place. I have been lying here in bed all day (sick with Bronchitis) combing the web just for my fellow Long Island Criminal Trial Lawyers. I hope this post helps you keep up with what is happening out there in the law. In fact this was so much fun (and so educational) that I think I am going to try to offer the best of my favorite blogs every week.

If you are a Long Island Criminal Trial Lawyer, then it is imperative that you read the Second Circuit Blog. This week the Second Circuit explodes with three new cases ( two habeas and one on federal sentencing which I hope to blog about tomorrow here.) I think that Second Circuit Blog should be weekly required reading for the criminal trial lawyer whether on Long Island or elsewhere.

Over at Stay of Execution there is a very good discussion of "lies we tell young lawyers." I have a lengthy comment on there but I really think that it is important that people have a realistic view of the first few year of legal practice.

At Between Lawyers Dennis Kennedy has an article about Phishing, or why I am afraid to open emails.

The guys over at Crime and Federalism blog about a particularly disturbing 8th circuit case and a particularly good 9th circuit case here.

Want to participate in free CLE every week or so? Read the blog at DUI BLOG. The author writes one of the best law firm blogs I read. I learn something new or different almost every time I read it and it is a must stop when I blog roll.

Over at Fourth Amendment.com is a story about a guy who was arrested for possessing laundry detergent. Scroll down a bit to find it.

Law.com has a very interesting discussion on the new filibuster compromise and a potential Supreme Court vacancy here

One of my friends and a really good commentator on the white collar crime and the criminal sentencing scene, Prof. Ellen Podgor has a great short critique of the SCOTUS Decision in Arthur Anderson, on her White Collar Crime Professor's blog . While I am on this subject; Isn't it about time someone hold the government accountable for ruining people's lives. There seems to be more and more a harsh degree of "we have to get them for something" attitude in the government's prosecutorial scheme. Maybe there are too many of them and they are too busy fishing for something to do. Maybe it is time for conservatives to scale back the number of lawyers in the Justice Department's Criminal Division. I know that this will result in a glut of Real Estate lawyers but it is better than watching them destroy 28,000 careers ( that's how many working folks lost jobs when Anderson had to give up its license.) I mean maybe they need to find something else to do if they have the time and money to come up with this case and Martha Stewart.

Jim Calloway has a blog entry with information about redacting information in PDF files which is becoming more and more important to trial lawyers everyday. I wrote about Jim last week from Miami and since discovering him there I have been reading his blog religiously. Check it out here.

At All Deliberate Speed there is an update and a link to help the attorney's for Ms. Stewart at her sentencing hearing. The case has left me somewhat melancholy. I hate the rules the government is allowed to promulgate with regard to the attorney client privilege. I like Lynne personally. She has always been easy for me to talk to, and she has taught me a lot about being a lawyer (especially when it comes to representing the extremely disliked client.)
I am not fond (I hate) most of her politics, but that doesn't matter to me here. (I am not voting for her, I am just not in favor of the government setting limits on the attorney client relationship especially when we never get to set any for their relationships.) Finally, I do not think I would have signed the agreement she signed. I would have at least sought a restraining order of it. (Maybe she was hoping for a more defense oriented Justice Department after the last Presidential election) If she did what they say she did, I would like to think I would not have, even in protest.
I guess the bottom line is: I do not approve of her actions, but all that would be moot if we would just have the guts to tell the government to back off of civil liberties. Hence I will be hoping for a light sentence for Lynne and a victory on appeal.

Well that's all for this week's Around the Blawgsphere I hope you have found it interesting. As always you can leave a comment for me here or write to me at www.colleluorilaw.com.