John G. Browning News
Legally Speaking: Oh, what a year it was (Part 2)
In my previous column, I gave you a rundown of some of the year's most bizarre legal twists and turns.
Legally Speaking: Oh, what a year it was (Part 1)
As 2011 draws to a close, I would like to look back at some of the legal system's less than shining moments during the year.
Legally Speaking: Firing the Sugar Plum Fairy-A Christmas Tale
Twenty-nine-year-old Laura Coppinger has been a fixture of the annual Christmas Traditions festival in St. Charles, Mo.
Legally Speaking: A funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse (Part 4)
As the previous installments of this series have shown, some pretty strange things can happen in civil and criminal cases.
Legally Speaking: A funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse (Part 3)
Just in case my previous two columns weren't enough evidence to demonstrate that yes, pretty much anything can and does happen in the justice system, here's a fresh set of "exhibits."
Legally Speaking: The fine art of the benchslap
Lawyers frequently compare notes about judges, particularly those with a reputation for being tough or demanding. Federal judges especially tend to be the focus of such speculation, perhaps because they are appointed for life or because of what some lawyers perceive to be a superiority complex.
Legally Speaking: A funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse (Part 2)
In Part 1, I shared some recent examples of the strangeness that frequently accompanies criminal and civil cases.
Legally Speaking: That could have gone better
Years ago, I tried a case in which the elderly plaintiff, egged on by her adult daughter, turned down what I thought was a pretty generous six-figure settlement offer and insisted on proceeding to trial. When the jury came back in my client's favor with a verdict that the plaintiff receive nothing, she looked absolutely stunned.
Legally Speaking: A funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse (Part 1)
People often ask me if some of the more bizarre stories I've shared about the criminal and civil justice systems are really true. Trust me�they are.
Legally Speaking: The Zombie Lawyer Apocalypse
Okay, first things first: this would have been an ideal subject for my column running last week, on Halloween weekend. Unfortunately, deadlines�or "un-dead lines'�come and go with frightening speed.
Legally Speaking: And You Thought You Had It Rough At Work
Most of us spend a significant portion of our daily lives at work. And whether you're on a busy assembly line or passing hours in a cubicle, you generally try to make the day go as quickly as possible, putting up with certain workplace trials and tribulations in exchange for a paycheck, health insurance, and a certain measure of self-worth and accomplishment.
Legally Speaking: More Low Moments in Lawyer Advertising
It's no secret that in this depressed economy many lines of work have taken a beating. The legal profession is certainly one of them.
Legally Speaking: Going Nuts Over Nuts, and Other Legal Silliness
Virginia Tice seems like your average, sweet little 65-year-old lady in Bonneau, S.C.�hardly the sort of person who would spark a First Amendment controversy. But that's exactly what's happened after she pulled her pickup truck into a gas station on July 5 and got a $445 ticket from a local policeman.
Legally Speaking: Lawyers - Always taking the fun out of life
St. Louis' City Museum is the sort of hands-on urban wonderland that kids love to explore.
Legally Speaking: From the Mailbag
One of the intangible rewards that comes with writing a column like this is the hope that your words will have an impact on someone's life.
Legally Speaking: Banned for Life? Yes, They Can Really Do That
Many of us recall the "Soup Nazi" episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, and how its titular character (based on the real-life New York restauranteur) achieved pop culture iconic status with the catchphrase "No soup for you!"
Legally Speaking: More Disorder in the Court
If you thought that last week's roundup of the legally bizarre contained some of the strangest things to ever hit the justice system, then as the saying goes, "you ain't seen nothin' yet."
Legally Speaking: Kids, Don't Try This at Home
The "chemical super-freak" and FBI agent portrayed by Nicolas Cage in the action movie "The Rock" would have been sorely disappointed had he come of age in the last decade. The options for budding young scientists are sadly limited, and lawyers and liability concerns are to blame.
Legally Speaking: Legal Nonsense
"I'm afraid this dreadful nonsense is the law."
Justice Strauss in Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events (Volume One: The Bad Beginning)"
Legally Speaking: Trust Me � I'm an Expert
In both civil and criminal trials, the legal system depends on expert witnesses to assist the judge and the jury in understanding and ruling reasonably on what may be complex technical or scientific issues. In courtrooms across the country, expert witnesses offer opinions on virtually any subject.