Ask a Lawyer: Jim Sokolove takes reader questions

Dear Jim – A friend of mine was hurt on the job and got an attorney. He keeps trying to call to get info on the case, but he keeps getting the runaround. Can he switch lawyers? –Frustrated in Framingham Dear Frustrated in Framingham – Despite what comedians say, changing lawyers is not like moving to a different deck chair on... More

The decriminalization of marijuana after Question 2: A cop’s take

OK, here is yet another whining, sore-loser cop weighing in on the outcome of the last fall’s referendum on Question 2, the decriminalization of marijuana. Perhaps being the father of a teenage son has something to do with it — or maybe the fact that I have always thought it best not to fix something that isn’t broken. For those not... More

Black and White: Snowboarding - even riskier than you think!

Snowboarders, like skiers, won’t have any luck recovering money from ski area operators if they’re injured in collisions on the slopes, according to one recent case. A woman went to a ski center to take part in a snowboarding class. After she and her classmates rode the ski lift to the top of the trail, an instructor... More

Would-be juror’s B.O. smells like a problem

A trial court judge acted within her discretion in dismissing a potential juror in a murder trial because of her strong body odor. So the Appeals Court has ruled in the case of Commonwealth v. Young. The judge first noticed the would-be juror when she appeared before the judge to explain that she had been late for jury selection... More

Not So Fast: Linebacker’s Sentiments Won’t Control Case

It’s a good thing New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau pursued a career in football instead of the law. A day after a drunk fan ran onto the sidelines and tackled Seau during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, the former Pro-Bowl linebacker told the Boston Herald he has no interest in pursuing criminal... More

Black and White: Bull-riding fan’s case against club gets tossed

If you get injured as an innocent non-participant in a bar scuffle, you may have no recourse against the bar’s owners. So says one recent Superior Court decision, Turner v. 215 Main Street, Inc. A woman, who is a big fan of professional bull-riding, decided to go to Sh-Booms, a now-defunct Worcester dance club and bar, when she heard that participants... More

In Pursuit of the Trivial: Martians, Porn, Satan and Snakes

• A self-proclaimed Martian who tried to sue the CIA was not allowed to do so because by his own admission he wasn’t a “person” and thus had no basis to be a plaintiff under federal law. • A woman with the unfortunate name of Mary Jo Porn had her name legally — and understandably — changed in 2001. • A federal case against “Satan and... More

Morning Session: Seeing Redd, Ex-Cons in Lights, Wilkerson and Poutre Updates

Don’t tell Roxbury Judge that Roxbury is a ‘bad area’ – And you should also wear a suit and tie into Judge Edward R. Redd’s courtroom, says the Boston Globe. More  Read More →

Are YOU Breaking the Law (Without Even Knowing It)?

It’s not every day you aim a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol at the temple of your lover’s wife and fire away — as Amy Fisher, a.k.a. the “Long Island Lolita,” did to Mary Jo Buttafuoco back in 1992. But chances are you’re violating the law on a daily basis without realizing it. Exhibit A has set out to determine the more commonly... More

Morning Session: Uzi Indictment, White Judges, Connolly Yells, and Prop. 2 Confusion

Local police chief indicted after Uzi death of boy - The longtime police chief of a small Western Massachusetts town was one of three people indicted today on involuntary manslaughter charges for the death of an 8-year-old boy who fatally shot himself with a machine gun at a weapons exposition in Westfield. (Boston Globe)   More  Read More →

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