'Move over, John Grisham': Exhibit A in print and video

Read reports and view video on the launch of Exhibit A. The Boston Globe: "Move over, John Grisham" The Patriot Ledger: "Lawyers Weekly editor targets new audience"  Fox 25 News on Exhibit A's list of Notorious Criminals The Patriot Ledger: "Magazine minus legalese a big hit"  The Boston Business Journal: "About the law - aimed at the general public" New England Cable News: "The first edition is causing quite a buzz"  Read More →

In the vast wasteland of talk radio, a Rea of hope

david.yas@exhibitAnews.com Talk radio drives me straight up the wall. The callers are nuts. Most of the hosts are pretty nuts, too. And when it comes to commentary, there is a painful dearth of gray areas. In other words, all politicians are doltish hacks. Judges are spineless softies who let criminals walk. Lawyers, of course, are scumbags. And so on. But, now, a new voice comes to Massachusetts. Only there’s nothing new about the voice or the man behind it. “Dan Rea reporting, WBZ-TV... More

Man who mistook broccoli for marijuana arrested

Man who mistook broccoli for marijuana arrested A man who paid $500 for a pound of broccoli under the mistaken impression that it was marijuana was arrested for disorderly conduct. Matthew Dietrich, 21, met Christopher Kratz, 20, behind a Philadelphia-area Walgreens and paid him $500 for four bags of broccoli that Kratz claimed was pot.  The broccoli was clearly visible. “It’s not even like [Kratz] made an effort to hide it or disguise it,” noted police Sgt. Robert McDyre of... More

7 tips for buying a pet

They wag their tails. They lick your hand. They purr like your long lost best friend. When they look at you with those big eyes, you swear that puffy ball of fur is telepathically sending you the message, “Take me home!” But how much will that puppy or kitten in the window really cost? If you don’t know the rules about buying a pet, you could end up with an empty wallet and broken heart. 1. The new puppy I just bought at the pet store is sick! Who pays the vet bills? Sorry, you... More

What every tenant (and landlord) needs to know about security deposits

noah.schaffer@exhibitAnews.com You just signed a lease on a new apartment and paid your future landlord first month’s rent and a security deposit. That’s when you remember you had also paid a security deposit way back when on your soon-to-be former apartment. So when will you get that money back? And what if the old landlord doesn’t want to part with it? First off, landlords have 30 days to return security deposits. So a renter who vacates an apartment by, say, Sept. 1 should have... More

Beat goes on despite new law targeting ‘imposter’ music groups

noah.schaffer@exhibitAnews.com The Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover has been billing the “oldies” concert it booked for Nov. 2 as “a nostalgic treat,” featuring The Coasters, The Platters and The Marvelettes and their chart-topping hits “Yakety Yak,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “Please, Mr. Postman.” But Jon Bauman, best known as “Bowzer” from the band Sha Na Na and chairman of the Truth in Music... More

Would you support a law, which has been proposed in an increasing number of cities, that would make the wearing of saggy or low-slung pants indecent exposure?

“No. But I think how you dress impacts how people view you.” — Frank Billar - Boston “There should be limits. I have seen [an instance] where a person should have been arrested for indecent exposure because he was indecently exposed — it was beyond saggy. A little sag, a little underwear, I don’t see that as a problem, but showing your butt is a problem.” — Ken Mathews - Billerica “I would be in favor of [such a law]. It’s more than just... More

Legal Briefs

Will Boston lawyers also seek grand fee? With news that big-time attorneys in New York are now charging their clients $1,000 an hour, are Boston lawyers ratcheting up their fees as well? “I have not yet encountered a Boston lawyer visibly charging $1,000 an hour,” reported Michael B. Keating of Foley Hoag, one of Boston’s biggest firms. “But I’ve seen people charging in the $700+ per hour. Historically, we’ve been behind New York City and Washington, D.C., on hourly... More

College campus OD difficult lesson for student’s parents

You’re the parents of a college student who overdosed on drugs while on campus. Surely it can’t get any worse than that. In fact, it can, as one couple discovered when they tried to sue the school their daughter was attending for negligence. The girl was a freshman at Clark University in Worcester. During her first semester at the school, concerned residential advisors noted in reports that they suspected she was abusing alcohol. At the same time, the parents found evidence in their daughter’s... More

Why did the judge … throw out the teen’s B&E confession?

In this feature, Exhibit A looks at a case recently heard in a Massachusetts court and examines the legal reasons behind the judge’s ruling. While the analysis is based on an actual criminal prosecution, some of the facts have been modified for the purposes of simplicity. david.frank@exhibitAnews.com A Boston police detective responds to a call at a store in Hyde Park where he learns that baseballs, bats and several other items were stolen during a night-time burglary. Later, after receiving... More

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