Name mix-up on reality show leads to West Michigan man's lawsuit.

Todd Keith. Keith Todd. Producers of a reality show on MSNBC mixed up a name, and now they are facing a lawsuit.

Article here. 

From the article:

The video was featured on a national reality TV show, but there was a problem: Keith Todd, a construction worker from western Michigan, was identified instead of the perpetrator's name, Todd Keith.

Todd's uncle had been watching “Caught on Camera: Dash Cam Diaries” on MSNBC when he saw Todd’s name and face connected to the perpetrator, identified as a habitual criminal.
Misery ensued, as outlined in a lawsuit that Todd, 32, of Wyoming filed in April against NBC Universal, the Eastpointe Police Department and A One Limousine. Public humiliation, crying spells, loss of employment income and more are described in the complaint filed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Thinking about working as a free-lance attorney? Get your agreement in writing.

Get it in writing (when you can) is the gist of this article from the Lawyerist.

From the article:

The question of whether the work of a freelance attorney requires a written agreement seems obvious at first glance — “get it in writing” is the golden rule, after all. In practice it is not always that simple. There may be situations, depending on the client, project, or timetable, where getting a written freelance work agreement is not possible or necessary.

Yours truly worked for a law firm on the other side of the state after taking the Bar exam & before getting licensed and starting my own firm. It was a great way to get exposed to a "real life" practice and away from Bar exam questions. But we didn't have any agreement in writing for what we were doing, which I regret.

I really enjoyed doing freelance work. It was mostly legal research and some drafting of pleadings. I had a bit of experience, but I didn't have as much risk as the attorney who was taking in the work. On the downside, it was very come and go. When I got a new bit of work, it was red hot, and I'd work over the weekend to get it done. But once it was done I might go for three weeks without any new work.

Michigan Bar Exam Results - released for February 2014

Exam takers of the February 2014 Michigan Bar Exam were notified by mail on May 7, 2014. Results can also be seen here (Michigan Board of Law Examiners) and here (list of passers by seat number). More detailed results to be released on May 13, 2014.

Sending good vibes to all takers! If not a passer this time, then try try again!

Former Detroit Mayor Archer to lead ABA Task Force on Legal - Ed Financing

The task force is charged with looking at the cost of legal education for students, the financing of law schools, student loans and educational debt. It will also consider current practices of law schools regarding the use of merit scholarships, tuition discounting and need-based aid.

Article here (via TaxProf blog). 

Don't want to be "followed" online? Try these tips.

You probably already know this, but lots of people are tracking your activity online. Advertisers, social networks, content providers, the NSA. It’s actually kind of creepy how many people know what you are doing.

Article here (via the Lawyerist blog). 

How much easier is it for a top-tier law school grad to find work? A lot.

The unemployment rate for graduates from the top 50 law schools in the US is more than 60% lower than the unemployment rate for everybody else, according to a study by the ABA. (article here, via Wall Street Journal law blog).

About 5% of class of 2013 graduates from a top 50 school were still looking for work in February, about nine months after spring 2013 graduation. Meanwhile, 14% of graduates of schools below the top 50 were searching for a job.

CEOs and companies who reside in US, but are not being taxed by the US.

Randall Hogan chairs the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Sandy Cutler ran the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Tony Petrello donated $5 million to the Texas Children’s Hospital.

They’re all chief executive officers who have given back to their communities. They oversee thousands of American workers. And they run companies that have opted out of the U.S. tax system.

article here.(thanks to TaxProf blog).