As an attorney with 30-plus years of experience in family law, I’ve seen nearly every reason under the sun for divorce. Currently, specific conservative segments within Congress are pushing to end no-fault divorce, which is presently legal in 17 states (California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin as well as Washington DC). Although states set divorce laws, not the federal government, this legislation could significantly impact the parties involved, their children and legal pro ..read more

As the first attorney from a 501c3 on the executive committee of the Florida Bar Family Law Section, Tenesia Hall has the unique position to present the legal aid perspective on the most pressing needs for Florida families. Hall is the family law litigation director for the private nonprofit Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc. (LASOCBA). Passionate about her commitment to the family law section, which has more than 4,000 members and 24 committees, Hall has served in many leadership roles since she became a member in 2001. She is currently the executive committee’s trea ..read more

Like his father and grandfather before him, both of whom served in World War II, Aylmar Thompson dedicated years of his life to his country, serving from 2009 to 2017 as an operations specialist Second Class for the U.S. Navy. Now a paralegal in Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Veterans Legal Services Unit, Thompson has used his service-related insights to help the veteran-rich community of Northeast Florida since 2020. “I have an understanding of what the veterans who come into our office are dealing with, along with the culture they experienced, which allows us as a unit to really connect with ..read more

Russell Babb: Criminal Defense is the Coolest Thing in the World By Bob Friedman Raleigh criminal defense attorney Russell Babb recalled his first criminal case. “I represented a young guy who was suspected of being a drug dealer,” Babb said. Police executed a search warrant and found a large amount of marijuana, scales and cash. “I worked that case to death. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.” The client accepted probation and was happy with his lawyer. Says Babb, “That’s when my career path really came into focus.” Earlier this year, Babb and Evan Horwitz were na ..read more

“We have an access to justice crisis because there are too many low- and middle-income people who cannot get the legal help they need,” said North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Richard Dietz who is the current chair of the Equal Access to Justice Commission. “Pro bono is just one part of the solution.” Dietz cited a 2021 Assessment of Civil Legal Needs in NC report that estimated 86% of the legal needs of low-income residents in civil matters go unmet. There is only one legal aid attorney available for every 8,000 North Carolinians eligible for legal services. Family law, eviction ..read more

“A running theme of my journey is that life unfolds in unexpected ways,” writes Rich Leonard in his new autobiography, “From Welcome to Windhoek: A Judge’s Journey.” In 1994, Leonard was a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina when he received a peculiar call from the U.S. State Department. They were looking for a judge with administrative experience to go to Zambia to help create a new court structure. Leonard was a wunderkind of crafting court administration systems. At age 29, he was named clerk of court for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Nort ..read more

Robert and Debbie Poe owned an EMS company that served rural Ashe County, North Carolina, at the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Robert was also a longtime commander of the North Carolina Association of Rescue & EMS. He would sometimes take his daughters, Telana and Jessica, back to traffic crash sites after the patient was cleared. “He was teaching us how to drive on the curvy mountain roads where we lived. He would explain what happened, what the driver had done wrong, and how this car ended up on its roof,” said Telana Poe, an attorney with the Whitley Law Firm. That education is servi ..read more

When Boston software engineer Richard DiBona and his wife, marketing executive Kara Peterson, attempted to research a legal question a little over a year ago, “we quickly realized how difficult it was to find, read, or even access some case law,” said DiBona. “The law is supposed to be available to everybody, but it’s locked behind paywalls.” Drawing on his experience using emerging technology to solve complex problems, DiBona “tinkered around” with advances in AI looking for a way to bridge the access to justice gap. By using AI that could summarize text, he developed an AI legal search engin ..read more

Public school children with disabilities in North Carolina are excluded from school more, per capita, than are children with disabilities in any other state, according to recent research by Nate Morabito. “Excluding children with disabilities from school pushes them toward a path with a disproportionate risk of entanglement with the juvenile justice system,” said Lisa Lukasik, director of the new Richardson Family Education Equity Clinic at Campbell Law School. “Some research indicates that a single suspension, even for a discretionary offense, triples the likelihood that a student will end up ..read more

Home Legal Vendors Jury Research Mock Trial Companies (Top 5 Ranked) By Attorney at Law Magazine July 17, 2024 Table of Contents Would you like to speak to a representative from First Court to find out more details about a Mock Trial or Legal Focus Group? Call (701)503-4458. Or complete the form below and we’ll connect you with them today. Name(Required) First Last Email(Required) Phone(Required) What Services Are You Interested In?(Required) Mock Trial Legal Focus Group Other Jury Research Services Would You like First Court to Reach out via Phone or Email? Phone Email What ..read more