Archive for September 2006
The Flight From Arbitration
For years, arbitration clauses have been popping up in the fine print of consumer contracts almost to the point where it is hard to find a consumer contract that doesn’t require mandatory arbitration. If you have a potential claim against a credit card company, bank, phone provider, architect, or even an attorney (and shame on…
Read MoreHomeowners’ Association Litigation
Our firm has represented homeowners and homeowners’ associations in numerous matters for years. One of the things we have learned is that there are few places with more petty politics than homeowners’ associations. A recent case from one of the Houston Court of Appeals demonstrates that point nicely. In the lawsuit, the HOA claimed that…
Read MoreTroubles at the Food & Drug Administration
Last Friday, the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Science, released a report titled The Future of Drug Safety: Promoting and Protecting the Health of the Public. According to the IOM’s summary, the report findings include: There is a perception of crisis that has compromised the credibility of FDA and of the…
Read MoreLegal Malpractice on the Biggest Stage
Legal malpractice comes in many forms, but one of the most common forms is the missed deadline. Recently, one poor attorney had the misfortune of missing a deadline on the biggest stage there is — before the US Supreme Court. One upshot of the error is it demonstrates the collegiality among the Supreme Court bar,…
Read MoreHourly Billing
You might remember John Grisham’s novel, The Firm. Law school grad Mitch McDeere gets a job offer he can’t refuse from a “small” Memphis law firm. Unfortunately, once employed, he learns that his firm is full of all types of unsavory characters. Caught in their web, Mitch needs a way out and ultimately decides to…
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