A new law for animal welfare gives pets more protections from extreme heat and weather. St. 2016, c. 248 An Act Preventing Animal Suffering And Death was signed in a ceremony by Governor Charlie Baker August 24 after Bill S.2369‘s enaction in mid-August. Massachusetts joins …Continue Reading Rescuing pets from hot cars
A recent decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court stated that a driver asked to take a breathalyzer test does not have right to counsel prior to their decision to take or refuse the test. In Commonwealth v. Neary-French, SJC-12057 the court stated that there is …Continue Reading No Right to Counsel Prior to Breathalyzer Test
It’s nearly that time of year, so we thought we would highlight some of our pages that relate to schools and education. We get questions about access to student records in divorce, CORI checks for people who work with children, internet bullying, and rights of …Continue Reading Going back to school law
“ABA President Paulette Brown (2015-16) led the Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission in its one-year inquiry into how to develop sustainable action plans that would advance diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, the judicial system and the ABA itself.” The Commission’s work resulted in policies, online …Continue Reading American Bar Association adds diversity portal to website
Massachusetts’ pay equity act was signed by Governor Charlie Baker earlier this month on August 1 after the legislation unanimously passed both the House and Senate. Statute 2016, c. 177 An Act to Establish Pay Equity includes several components to strengthen fairness in hiring and …Continue Reading Massachusetts Enacts Pay Equity Act
The SJC has approved new Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records, and a new Rule 1:24 on Protection of Personal Identifying Information, both effective November 1, 2016. Below is the Statement of the Justices: The Supreme Judicial Court has approved Trial Court Rule …Continue Reading Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records
Recently the President signed a number of commutations for federal prisoners; most had been sentenced under now outdated standards for nonviolent drug crimes. Under Article II Section 2 of the Constitution, he has the power to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United …Continue Reading Clemency, pardons, commutations
Representing yourself in court without a lawyer is not a new idea. Books designed to help self-represented litigants were published as early as the second quarter of the eighteenth century. “Some earlier books were aimed partly at a non-legal audience, particularly readers dealing with the …Continue Reading Every Woman Her Own Lawyer
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