The Art of the Objection.

Like so many things that lawyers do, stating objections in court requires preparation, experience and skill. If you don’t state your grounds quickly, the damage may be done, even if the objection is sustained.

The Light Bulb Goes On . . .

No. 725 Aha Moment No. 725. Ann Althaus, the law prof from the University of Wisconsin who blogs a lot more about politics than law, quotes a WSJ blog about a prosecution of some oil and gas companies over a bird kill in North Dakota involving 28 avians. She then wonders out loud whether wind […]

Introducing Third Chair: Pittsburgh

No. 724 The newest blawg in town, Third Chair:Pittsburgh has made an great start. What’s a third chair? Clue: Horace Rumpole (of the Bailey) was a life-long second chair. No, it has nothing to do with the violin section. Read the back pages of this blog (there aren’t many yet) and you’ll find the […]

Lighten Up, Berkley!

No. 723 Free speech seems to have gone out of style in the home of the Free Speech Movement. A new generation of impertinent little bastards has come along and some of them are actually Republicans. In circa 1969, our left coast contemporaries loved to shock our parents with outrageous pronouncements. Now, some of those […]

Superior Court Holds that Unauthenticated Text Messages Are Inadmissible.

The police had found text messages containing evidence of a drug deal on a defendant’s cell phone. The Court held that it was hearsay without the same kind of authentication that is required for other documents.

Real Estate: Unsung Heroes of the Great Recession.

No. 721 Little note and less recognition has been given to a substantial group of people who have benefitted us all.They are the unsung heroes who have been quietly buying substandard, decaying houses and fixing them up. Without them, there would be a lot more unlivable or barely livable homes in our community. Many more […]

Real Estate: All is not quiet on the mortgage foreclosure front.

USA Today reports that a recent settlement between Bank of America (pronounced Countrywide) and certain large investors precipitated a storm of delinquency notices. Although BOA has denied the connection, there is no doubt that litigation activity generally has been increasing, after a long lull during the summer.

Real Estate and Consumer Protection: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Attempting To Simplify Loan Disclosures.

The truth was and is that government-mandated disclosures, no matter how graphically displayed, are not capable of educating the borrower sufficiently to make an educated choice. But the failure was not with disclosure, it was with underwriting. For generations, home lending was governed by regulations written to insure that the borrowers would be able to afford the payments. The creativity of brokers, who were subject to much less regulation, bent and then broke a system that had worked fairly well.

No, this is not the Animal Planet Blog.

No. 718 I can’t resist posting this photo, origin unknown, that appeared in a blog called Kellypuffs today. If you go there, you’ll be rewarded by a haiku written for the event. Thanks once again to Meredyth for finding this item. On this first full day of Fall, it is not too soon to start thinking […]

Introducing Edie, Fairmont Hotel’s Canine Ambassador.

Hurrah for the Fairmont Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh and for Edie, its Ambassador!

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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