Columns

Summary jury trials: Another form of ADR

February 13, 2019

by William D. Gilbride, Jr., Esq. December 2018 A summary jury trial is a one-day jury trial that combines the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of arbitration with the structure of a conventional trial. The process is simple: the parties select a petit ...

Beggars' Pocketbooks and Scope Creep

February 13, 2019

I set out to make Beggars’ Purses. Three hours of scope creep later, I had Beggars’ Pocketbooks. It began innocently enough. There was a holiday mixer after work, 5:30 on a Thursday. The invitation read, “Bring an appetizer.” Now there ...

Legalization of pot to pose roadside testing challenges

February 13, 2019

by Bridge Lorenz Lemberg On November 6, Michigan voters said “yes” to the legalization of recreational marijuana. With more than 4.3 million voters reporting to the polls, 56 percent voted in favor of the ballot proposal. As of Dec. 6, marijuana ...

Acclaimed artist maintains 'focus' for a world to see

February 13, 2019

By Tom Kirvan Legal News It has been said there is no inspiration quite like a deadline. Carole Kabrin, courtroom sketch artist extraordinaire, can fully appreciate that, as evidenced by her skill at slaying the deadline dragon for such clients as CNN, NBC, ...

Justices give voters chance to redraw map

February 13, 2019

By Tom Kirvan Legal News There’s been a lot of talk lately about “spines” or the lack thereof. It may have reached a crescendo at the beginning of the month as a (mostly) grateful nation paid tribute to the late John McCain, the longtime ...

Attacks on press display disregard for a free society

February 13, 2019

By Tom Kirvan Legal News In May, at the annual convention of the Michigan Press Association, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter offered a lesson on the increased importance of a robust free press in an era of growing right wing fanaticism. It ...