lnixon

While I generally enjoy watching lawyer movies and television shows, I’m rarely up on the latest ones, because of work and family related activities. One of the silver linings of the COVID shutdown was being able to spend more time catching up with shows and movies...

In this age of social media and increasing incivility, lawyers often get requests to consider taking defamation/ slander/libel cases. While the circumstances which give rise to these requests are distressing to the people experiencing them, successful cases of this...

Recently, I have made a few driving trips to and from Florida. One of the changes I have noticed as I drive south is the proliferation of lawyer billboards. Every one proclaiming the millions of dollars they have recovered for their clients. I see this too when I...

I used to think I was a good writer, especially after our beloved librarian Mary Statt told me I would be a writer when she was playing the part of a fortune teller at a town event. But being a lawyer has corrupted my writing style. We lawyers use legal jargon too...

For most people, choosing a lawyer is not something they will have the time or resources to do thoroughly, in the way one might approach buying a new car. It is usually a decision necessary because of an unpleasant event in life—a spouse who has announced the desire...

Snow and ice season is upon us. Thus, a discussion about “slip- and-fall” cases might be helpful. Many people contact lawyers to report that they slipped and fell— in a parking lot, on the steps of a business, or a city sidewalk—and got hurt. What some folks are not...

Recently, I had the honor of working with Arthur Bryant, a public interest trial lawyer, to represent a group of Dartmouth College students, alumni, and parents affected by the school’s decision to cut the women’s golf, swimming, and diving teams. In the process, I...

“Trust the science” is a common phrase these days, but what exactly is science? This question comes up frequently for lawyers and judges involved in trial work, because of the use of “expert witnesses” to prove or disprove claims. Most juries, like most people, give...

The workers’ compensation statute is a comprehensive system that was put in place after the Great Depression, along with several other workplace protections. Although it is not a federal law, it is in place in every state, and its general requirements are similar. In...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we heard a lot of claims that rights were being violated, first by mask requirements and then by vaccination requirements. In determining whether someone’s rights are being violated, the first question is, what is the right, and where did...