South Africa Legalises Cannabis
South Africa has achieved a significant milestone in cannabis reform by officially legalizing the cultivation and possession of the plant for personal use. This ground-breaking move comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa gave his final approval, making South Africa the first African country to legalize cannabis for personal use. The Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, signed […]
Divorce Mediation vs. Litigation
Divorce is never an easy journey. It’s a complex process filled with emotional turmoil and significant legal considerations. While the end of a marriage can be disheartening, the way you choose to navigate the legal separation can significantly impact your overall experience. Two primary paths exist for resolving divorce-related issues: mediation and litigation. Each approach has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and understanding them is crucial for making an informed decision that suits your specific needs and circumstances.
Oregon Jury Awards $260 Million in Case Against Johnson & Johnson
A recent decision in Portland, Ore., has sparked a lot of attention. Kyung Lee, a 49-year-old mother of three from Beaverton, Ore., has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal cancer. The jury found Johnson & Johnson guilty and ordered the company to pay Ms. Lee a total of $260 million. This case has brought to […]
Judges failed postmasters, says former DPP Sir David Calvert-Smith
Sir David Calvert-Smith, a retired High Court judge who served as deputy prosecutor from 1998 to 2003, was appointed by the Post Office to review more than 900 cases brought by the Post Office against postmasters in 2020. At a London Law Society conference on Saturday, where he chaired a committee on private litigation reform […]
US Federal Judge Uses ChatGPT in Appeal Case
Snell v. United Specialty Insurance Company, 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-12581. U.S. Appeals Judge Kevin Newsom of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance Co. a concurring opinion whose express purpose was to offer ideas about how judges might use generative AI. Throughout a 32-page […]
Novo Nordisk Files Multiple Lawsuits in the U.S. for Trademark Infringement
Novo Nordisk files multiple lawsuits in the U.S. for trademark infringement and false advertising. Novo Nordisk filed a series of lawsuits across the country last week, accusing a number of companies, including weight loss clinics and medical spas, of infringing its trademark rights and improperly promoting its semaglutide products Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus. The pharmaceutical […]
Clifford Chance joins competitors in raising NQ salaries to £150,000
Effective as of 1 May, A&O Shearman has raised NQ pay by 20%, and the newly merged firm’s trainees will also see an increase of over 10%, with first-year salaries at £56,000 and second-year at £61,000. Likewise, Clifford Chance has adjusted its NQ and trainee solicitor salaries to match those of its rivals. As of […]
International law and power-politics: Israel, Russia, Turkey
Legal and international relations theorists are often puzzled. They come face to face with empirical realities that are complex and contradictory, imbued with double standards and differing courses of action, although the cases can be very similar and involve violation of international humanitarian law. Thus, they soon come to realise that power, not law, is the element that governs social and political relations. Some examples in the European theatre will suffice to demonstrate this.
Chemical and Pharmaceutical Expert Witness – Stuart G Levy, PhD
Please introduce yourself to the readers of Lawyer Monthly & what is your professional background and education? Hello there, I am Stuart Levy, a chemistry and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls consultant to the biotech and Pharma industry, based in Arlington, MA, a “collar suburb” very close to Cambridge and Boston. I am a sole-proprietor, independent consultant, with 29 years of industrial experience […]
The Dental Expert Witness – Professor Paul Tipton
When did you start proving expert opinion (medico-legal) reports and evidence and how did this come about? I started in 1987 and was asked by a physiotherapist to help with an accident report where there had been dental injuries. I have been involved in Expert Witness work ever since. In my role as a lecturer, […]
Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Brazil
How common is commercial litigation as a method of resolving high value complex disputes in Brazil? Litigation remains the predominant method for resolving commercial disputes in Brazil. This preference can be attributed to its cost-effectiveness, a well-established appellate system, and the creation of specialized courts dedicated to Business Law issues in regions experiencing high demand, […]
Expert Evidence In Clinical Negligence Litigation
Introduction I am Nicholas Vyner Todd. I am a Consultant Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon. I retired from the NHS in 2011 and from private practice in 2014. I continue to work in academic neurosurgery in personal injury and medical negligence litigation as an expert witness. My undergraduate training was at Guys Hospital. My postgraduate training […]