Legal Research

If you are already an online subscriber to the New Jersey Law Journal News Alert Service you should be able to click on any of the links provided below, sign in, and access the full text of articles listed.

Subscription required for online access:

BIG LAW PAY CUTS SHIFTING TALENT TO MIDSIZED FIRMS?
"With pay cuts dulling the once-blinding sheen of Big Law salaries, some midsized firm leaders believe a more level playing field is coming into focus, especially in the eyes of young associates. It's hard to deny the pull that six-digit salaries can have with recent law school graduates and young associates saddled with huge debt compounded by numerous other expenses. The promise of a huge paycheck might have justified sacrificing advantages like greater hands-on experience and more free time, but as megafirms continue to slash pay as well as staff, the trade-off may not seem worth it anymore."

BURNOUT, STRESS PLAGUE IMMIGRATION JUDGES
"Immigration judges, who day in and day out listen to horrific personal stories of asylum seekers, suffer from significant job burnout and secondary traumatic stress, which may affect their rulings, according to a recent study that analyzed data from 96 participating members of the bench. The researchers expressed concern that high levels of burnout and stress may make it difficult for immigration judges to recognize trauma in the refugees who come before them and may lead them to react in one of two ways: becoming more lenient and granting asylum at a higher rate than they would otherwise or shutting down and becoming desensitized to asylum seekers with genuine stories of persecution."

ATTORNEY FREED AFTER BEING JAILED 14 YEARS FOR CONTEMPT
"A Pennsylvania attorney was released from prison Friday after 14 years, having served the longest imprisonment on a civil contempt charge in U.S. history. H. Beatty Chadwick was jailed in April 1995, accused of hiding $2.5 million from his ex-wife during divorce proceedings. Chadwick maintained he lost the money in bad investments. In 2006, before the economic downturn, experts estimated the money would be worth more than $8 million. After repeated attempts to have himself freed, Chadwick's request was granted by Delaware County Judge Joseph Cronin, who determined his continued incarceration had lost its coercive effect and would not result in him turning over the money."

STATE BAR WEIGHED IN ON KEY ARBITRATION, INSURANCE CASES OF COURTS' TERM
"As it nears the end of the court year, the New Jersey Supreme Court has recently ruled on a host of cases covering everything from jury composition to planting trees. The state Appellate Division also got in on the act, rolling out a number of key decisions. The New Jersey State Bar Association submitted friend of the court briefs in several of the cases. In a case that allows parents to use arbitration to resolve custody disputes, the high court agreed with the bar association?s position. But that wasn?t the case in a matter involving automobile insurance matters before a three-judge appeals court panel."

U.S. MARSHALS DISCUSS NEW COURTHOUSE SECURITY EFFORTS
"The U.S. Marshals Service is stepping up efforts to improve court security across the nation in the wake of several horrific murders of judges and their relatives amid a sharp rise in threats against judges and prosecutors: from 500 in 2003 to nearly 1,300 last year. The Marshals Service outlined the steps at its first National Conference on Court & Judicial Security in Fort Lauderdale as part of the National Sheriffs' Association conference. The conference, attended by nearly 300 sheriffs and deputies last month, will be an annual event ? part of the Marshals Service's efforts to improve courthouse security and help sheriffs beef up security at state courthouses."

New Jersey Law Journal®
P.O. Box 20081, 238 Mulberry Street, Newark, N.J. 07101-6081
Customer Service Phone: (973) 642-0075