Brevity is the Soul of What?

No. 1,133 The Federal judiciary is proposing to limit briefs to 12,500 words. The current limit is 14,000. The advocates of the Rule change are mostly judges.The opponents are primarily appellate lawyers who worry that they might commit malpractice if they fail to cite a case or state every argument they can invent. Of course, […]

In the Event . . .

No. 1,132 Sign on inside door in an arbitration room in the Washington County Court House Annex. They have security at the door, but we cannot be too careful. So we can be properly prepared, how do we know if the voice on the other side of the door is an official or a shooter […]

Hertz Puts Camera in Cars.

No. 1,131 Its part of the dashboard electronic set up, pictured below, that helps you make sure you never get lost, even if you want to. But, Hertz says it is deactivated and it doesn’t plan to use it. Well, that’s comforting. A useless, turned off camera. OK, Big Brother, be sure to give us […]

Link to CFPB Sample Real Estate Closing Forms.

No. 1,130 Here’s a link to the new sample forms promulgated by the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) for real estate closing disclosures that will be required for loans originated after August 1, 2015. If you are accustomed to using the HUD 1 settlement statement, you’ll find the essence of it integrated into the […]

Lawton Stokes: How to Maintain a Title Insurance Agency in Changing Times.

No. 1,129 You may have heard that things are changing big time in the residential real estate closing business. The operant words here are “big” and “business.” Closing residential loans has become a big business and those who handle closings of residential mortgages are doing it full-time on a large scale. While law firms are […]

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Posts Complaints on its Blog

No. 1128 The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has been touting the Complaint Department on its Blog. They encourage consumers to tell their story and promise to forward the matter to the company involved and to give status updates. CFPB has been logging in complaints since July 2011 and says that there are hundreds of thousands of […]

Landlord & Tenant; Security Deposit; Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.

No. 1,127 MATTHEW HANSEN, ALEC SPERGEL, COLLIN SCHWARTZ AND COREY NORD-PODBERESKY v. MICHAEL BUPP, NO. 673 WDA 2014, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, filed February 24, 2014. A group of students at the University of Pittsburgh entered into a residential lease with Michael Bupp. They paid the first and last month’s rent and a security deposit […]

Redacted v. Redacted Will Be Decided By THe PA Supreme Court, No Kidding! Really!

No. 1,126 Once again, Howard Bashman of How Appealing has brought to our attention another crazy case. This one is too rich. Now who do you suppose these litigants might be? And how long can the secret be kept?

Give Me A Break, Kevin Durant, Esquire.

No. 1,125 Sprint is responsible for one of the most idiotic commercials on TV today. Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player, not a lawyer. He jumps up in court and demands that cell phone bills be cut in half. Then he does it — to the other lawyer’s exhibit. The gallery goes wild. The […]

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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