Oscar Talk: Why Movie Stars Make More Money Than Lawyers.

Why do movie stars make so much money? Very simple. They have so many people paying them.

Only the Names have been Changed to Protect the Innocent.

Every Pittsburgh lawyer has been approached by people with too-ethnic, unpronounceable or slightly ribald names who, after much angst, decide to select a new one. Usually, they select an anglican equivalent to their foreign language surname. Some change their first names, too. Fact is, they are only trying to fit in.

That’s a Marketing Plan!

No. 585 My colleague Brian Walters was quoted in the Post Gazette this week. He said he found out when he received a call from someone who read the article. “A new client?” I asked. “No, ” he said. “Somebody trying to sell me something.” C

Joe Flom.

The WSJ Law Blog reports that Joe Flom, the lawyer who made an art form of the hostile takeover, died at 87. He was the firm’s first Associate at the present Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in 1948 and is given major credit for turning the firm into one of the world’s largest and most lucrative.

Law for the Singularity.

So, Obama made Steve Jobs get up from his sick bed and come to dinner with a group of CEOs of companies like Facebook, Google — you get the gist. And what was the point?

Change is the point. The world of technology is changing so rapidly now that by the time we the ordinary mortals figure out where we are the world has already rocketed far beyond. The only way to get a rough idea of exactly where we might be at any given moment is to be in touch with those on that “cutting edge.” Thus, the dinner.

A Blast from the Past.

Well, lately I have been receiving trackbacks from those posts and comments. The first flurry came about the time of the arbitration of a dismissed paramedic and the second was yesterday when the decision reinstating her was announced.

How to Subpoena a Witness in City Court

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can easily get a subpoena to compel attendance a City Court case by going to the window for the appropriate court (Traffic, Non-traffic, Housing) with the necessary information (Case name, number, caption, name and address of witness, date, time). The clerk will prepare it and you serve it. But be prepared to wait a bit.

Murder, Hypothetically Speaking.

No. 580 A tenured Weidner University Law Professor has been suspended and banned from campus because students complained about using the name of the black female dean in a hypothetical classroom murder scenario. So reports Volokh Conspiracy. CLT

Going Out on a High Note.

Yes, it is hard for you and me to hit those notes on pitch. So what? There are millions of Americans with a modicum of voice training who can do it. The whole cast of Glee can do it. The cantors and choir members at my church can do it.

Why then, do so many celebrity vocalists fail this test? As Learned Hand, a great judge, once wrote: “To ask the question is to answer it.”

Linky, linky, linky, link me. I want to feel dirty.

By the way, if you Google “Pittsburgh Legal”, the first two listings belong to the Pittsburgh Legal Journal. The number three listing is Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk. No fooling. And we came by it the old fashioned way. We earned it.

keep looking »

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

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