Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly articles from May 2009

Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly archives from May 2009

Massachusetts Appeals Court rules that fired lawyer can sue local firm.
May 4, 2009... Byline: David E. Frank A Massachusetts appeals court ruled last week that a fired associate can move forward with a wrongful-termination suit against his former employer, Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, in an impounded case that involves...

Workers' comp benefits altered by pregnancy, rules Appellate Division of Workers' Compensation Court.(Rhode Island)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Thomas E. Egan The workers' compensation benefits of a partially incapacitated employee must be adjusted to account for the birth of her child, the Appellate Division of the Workers' Compensation Court has ruled. The employee...

Commentary: heading the reader in the write direction.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Samantha A. Moppett Pick up a trial or appellate brief, and the Argument section contains argumentative headings. The court rules do not require them, so why are they always there? These headings are routinely included because...

Commentary: arrogance of lawyers, others troubling societal development.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Edward Poll Have you noticed that people are more impatient today than before? Or is this just my perception? I know we're in the midst of a recession. Some economists are admitting it's a deep recession. And, as I've written...

R.I. Superior Court rules untimely response by lender not excusable.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Thomas E. Egan A lender holding two mortgages on a retail development site lost its priority status by not timely contesting a mechanic's lien asserted by a contractor working on the project, a Superior Court judge has ruled. The...

Med-mal complaints filed in R.I. declining since 2002.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Julia Reischel The number of medical-malpractice complaints filed in Rhode Island has been declining since 2002, suggesting that plaintiffs' attorneys are exercising greater caution in the cases they accept, according to lawyers...

R.I. Supreme Court rules mental-health center not liable for beating administered by outpatient.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Thomas E. Egan A community mental-health center could not be held liable for a beating administered by an outpatient on one of his neighbors, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled. The plaintiff beating victim argued that the...

Lawyers alerting employers to sweeping COBRA changes.(Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985)
May 18, 2009... Byline: Correy Stephenson For the first time, employers are required to pay a subsidy for former employees' use of COBRA, and experts caution that they could see their overall health costs rise as a result. The changes to the...

Rhode Island Supreme Court rules restaurant not liable for patron's fall on ice.
May 18, 2009... Byline: Thomas E. Egan A restaurant could not be held liable for injuries suffered by a customer who slipped on ice as he was leaving the premises during a winter storm, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled. The defendant owner of...

Unloading a law practice can be a load of work.
May 18, 2009... Byline: Sylvia Hsieh Like many attorneys these days, you may be thinking of selling your law practice. Whether the reason is the sagging economy or the retirement of baby boomers, the number of law practices for sale is rising. ...

Panel vacates order reducing counsel fees.
May 18, 2009... Byline: Edward Poll Law firms today are so preoccupied with their own survival that not enough of them are asking their clients: "How am I doing?" As a result, many lawyers, unfortunately, never figure out that a client is unhappy. If...