1. Judge Sherman Ross presided over a bunch of potheads last week. In Texas a woman accused of possession of marijuana was on trial. A member of the jury took the case a little too seriously, as she was caught blazing a doobie outside the courthouse during a break. “I’ve had prospective jurors get lost before, but it never occurred to me that they might be getting ready for a marijuana trial by, allegedly, smoking marijuana,” Ross said.
2. Adidas Lawyer Paul Ehrlich is feeling pretty good this week. Payless Shoesource Inc. had to pay $304.6 million for infringing on Adidas America Inc.’s three-stripe trademark and shoe styles. This is believed to be the largest award in a trademark lawsuit. That’s 100 million for every stripe!
3. Everyone’s favorite ex-judge is back in the news… Roy Pearson, the guy who sued his dry cleaners for $54 million over a missing pair of pants, is trying to get his job back. He apparently lost his job because he “showed a lack of judicial judgment and temperament”. Pearson claims that he was wrongfully terminated because of all the negative media attention surrounding his missing pants, when they were really “retaliating against him for exposing corruption within his department”. Pearson is demanding compensatory damages in excess of $75,000.
4. Uma Thurman is in the news two weeks in a row. She is unhappy that Lancome Cosmetic Company is using her image and name on Canadian billboards and Asian websites after her contract has expired. Thuraman’s lawyer, Bertram Fields, was surprised that the company asked for a ruling against the actress, who is demanding $1 million. Lancome’s lawyer, Peter D. Raymond, said that his client “can’t control everybody in the world”.
I’m proud to announce that Avvo is powering Washington CEO’s first annual “Top Lawyers” issue. Washington CEO is Washington’s top business magazine, and this issue (their June issue) will hit newsstands at the end of this month. You can see the WA CEO press release here.
It is gratifying to have a top-notch publication like Washington CEO partnering with us. Even though we are young, the editorial staff at WA CEO intuitively understood the value of the Avvo Rating, and all of the other great information and guidance we assemble for consumers. We share the mission of helping Washington’s businesspeople choose the right lawyer.
A big thanks to the Avvo and Washington CEO teams that helped bring this to fruition. I look forward to hearing all of your compliments and complaints later this month.
1. Susan Marie LeFevre, Austin, TX
What brings this Susan LeFevre to the top of the list? Confusion over another person of the same name who is still battling jail after 32 years of life on the outside.
1. Uma Thurmans lawyer, George Vomvolakis said “Do you see how this could have scared her?” in court this week. He was referring to a strange card the actress received from a stalker. “I was completely freaked out,” Thurman said of the drawing, which was on a religious confirmation card. One of the pictures in the card was of a bride with her head torn off. Jackson William Leslie Jordan was charged with stalking and aggravated harassment, and faces up to a year in jail, if convicted. He claimed that “in a misguided way I was trying to give her an opportunity to meet me and give myself an opportunity to meet her.” Maybe he should have just tried myspace.
2. Lawyer Blair Berk has her hands full with client Lindsay Lohan. A full page ad in USA Today from interlockfacts.com used Lohan’s mug shot to promote drinking and driving responsibly without the help of interlock ignition devices. Lindsay has her lawyers looking into whether or not the ad violates trademark laws. Berk had this to say, “Drunk, old, white businessmen, drunk cougars out for girls night out, and drunk wedding parties should be kept off the roads of America. Lindsay Lohan fully endorses ignition interlock devices that have been well-proven to save lives”.
3. Judge Richard Berman thew out a case against Jennifer Lopez this week. Jack Bunick, a telivision writer, claimed J-Lo stole his idea for a TV series. The show “South Beach”, which aired in 2006 was too similar to a series pilot her wrote in 1999 called “South Beach Miami”. Berman said there was inadequate evidence to take the case to trial. The lawsuit named UPN and CBS Television as well as Jenny from the block.
4. A shocking video was released this week of a courtroom attack in which defendant Victor Wright lunges at attorney Carolyn Pokorney. Apparently Wright, who was on trial for drug dealing, hid a razor blade in a body cavity. In the video you can see how all the other lawyers and law professionals jump to pull Wright off Pokorney. Except for the judge who simply gets up and exits the Brooklyn courtroom.
May 2nd, 2008 by Conrad Saam, Sr. Marketing Manager
On page 18 of this week’s Newsweek, there is an article titled “An Algorithm for Mr. Right“, covering the online dating service, eHarmony. The site’s 20 million users complete a detailed 256 question survey, “then, with the help of a complex algorithm, it matches people with much in common.” Sounds familiar.
We’ve often fielded (heated) critique that boils down to: “an algorithm is not the way to choose an attorney.” True, it should never be the only tool someone uses to choose an attorney. But, can an algorithm serve as a great starting point to help narrow down the immense potential field to a useful shortlist based on an individual’s specific requirements, just like our friends over at eHarmony? Absolutely.
According to eHarmony, every day 236 of their users get married – not always to the number one on the match list and presumably after six coffees, three movies and one long walk on the beach.
May 1st, 2008 by Conrad Saam, Sr. Marketing Manager
In 1958, President Eisenhower established “Law Day” on May 1, to encourage “respect for the law that is vital to the democratic way of life.” 36 U.S.C. § 113
Well, we started April by launching Avvo in Massachusetts and Florida. As things have calmed down a bit, everyone at Avvo looked at each other and said, “That was fun . . . let’s do it again!” So, to properly bookend April, we are launching today in the mighty states of Oregon and Colorado. You can find the press release here.
What do these two fine western states have in common? Well, outside of the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, very little. But our crack data team was able to assemble each state so quickly, we thought we might as well launch them together.
OR and CO lawyers: If you are tracking Avvo, this may sound repetitive. However, please send us any suggestions you have regarding our site. One of the best ways for us to improve is by listening to you - the lawyers who use the site everyday. Good, bad or neutral, our suggestion box is wide open. My email is mb@avvo.com.
April 29th, 2008 by Conrad Saam, Sr. Marketing Manager
This is a great rating of first year lawyer, Aaron Engle:
“Mr. Engle, along with his partners, recently represented me in a disability case. I used to work for law firms and therefore was a little concerned when Mr. Engle was assigned to my case, because I felt he was a little on the young side. I had no reason to be worried. Even before speaking with me he had not only read my case completely, he had memorized many parts of it. When I referenced one letter out of the 2400 pages we had, he knew exactly what one I was referring to and was able to put his hands on it within a minute or two. Whenever I called his office and left a message, he got back to me promptly, usually within a couple of hours. This is very rare in the legal world. Whenever I had a question, he answered honestly and completely and made sure I understood his answer before moving on to more questions. He kept me informed and up to date . . .”continue reading.
