The morning’s top legal affairs news stories The government tried to bury this research showing judges’ concerns about the rise of people defending themselves in court [BuzzFeed News] Cambridge graduate barrister, 40, was sacked for enjoying a spanking session with ‘very junior’ employee over a colleague’s desk [Mail Online] Disclosure ‘failings’ in rape case woman did not want prosecuted [BBC News] Uber has sought to reform as it faces London ban, court told [Evening Standard] Court of Appeal to hear British Airways’ challenge against pension trustee powers [City A.M.] BBC Two is Defending The Guilty in new courtroom comedy [British Comedy Guide] Scottish law firms asked to increase trainee pay [Global Legal Post] Legal row over who owns France.com domain [BBC News] How do you avoid the stress of a Biglaw job? [Above The Law] Leading criminal defence practice in Kent seeks criminal lawyer [Legal Cheek hub] The Future of Legal Education and Training Conference on 23 May — final batch tickets on sale [Legal Cheek] “Adequate legal writing is one of the most lacking skills of the modern day solicitor. Twice now I have been involved in dismissed cases because written submissions were so erroneous the sitting judge saw fit to punish counsel.” [Legal Cheek comments] The post Morning round-up: Tuesday 1 May appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/05/morning-round-up-tuesday-1-may-2/
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The visitor, who was not a Facebook employee, refused requests to leave the tech company's campus — prompting Facebook employees to call 911. Eight police officers arrived, but the man remained steadfast, ignoring their orders as he insisted he meet the Facebook CEO — and went on to try and seize a police officer's equipment, according to police records. He was subsequently found to have active warrants out for his arrest. In another incident, on March 25, 2017, a man turned up at the Facebook campus' main entrance, saying he had been scammed after being told he had "won the Facebook lottery." Only after staff called 911 and two cops arrived did he ultimately leave. On a third occasion, on August 18, 2017, an unidentified assailant sprayed mace in a Facebook security officer's face, then fled the scene in a vehicle before Menlo Park police could apprehend them. These incidents, recorded in the logs of 911 emergency calls made from Facebook's Menlo Park campus between January 10, 2017 and March 28, 2018, provide a snapshot of the security issues that happen at the headquarters of one of the world's most valuable and recognizable corporations on any given day. The 239 emergency calls made during the 14-month period — roughly one every two days — range from garden-variety workplace incidents to encounters with potentially dangerous individuals purposefully drawn to Facebook's offices. The incidents highlight the challenges tech companies face as they try to balance Silicon Valley's tradition of open, university-like campuses and casual culture with the security demands that come with offering services used by hundreds of millions — even billions— of people. The concern is especially acute after a deadly shooting at YouTube's headquarters earlier this year. At the start of April, a YouTube user arrived at the Google-owned video company's campus and opened fire, wounding three staffers before turning the gun on herself. The YouTube incident appears to be an isolated case, but some say it could cause tech companies to rethink their approach to security. Although the roughly 14,000 Facebook employees at the campus work in buildings that require special keycards to access, the buildings are surrounded by open space and parking lots accessible to the public. The famous Facebook thumbs-up "Like" sign at the campus entrance is a magnet for tourists and visitors who are often seen being photographed alongside it. Google and some other tech companies have campuses that are even more open to the public. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: "The safety of our employees is paramount, and we work hard every day to maintain a safe and secure environment for our community." They declined to answer questions about specific incidents. Mental evaluations and medical emergenciesAround June 2017, there was a sudden surge in 911 calls requesting mental evaluations from Facebook's campus. In the space of a little over a month, there were calls for a "mental evaluation" of unidentified individuals on four occassions, with the subjects subsequently transported to a hospital in at least three of those. Outside of that one period — between the start of June and early July 2017 — there are no other records of 911 calls for mental evaluations in the logs for the year. It's not clear whether the people evaluated were Facebook employees, though the logs give no indication otherwise. Of the calls, 91 (not including the four mental evaluations) were medical emergencies. On August 2, 2017, a 24-year-old woman had difficulty breathing. On October 19, 2017, someone sprained their ankle and 911 was called. On March 8, 2018, a "call came in of a female that could not walk." There were eight calls involving suspicious persons or vehicles bothering or harassing Facebook employees. A white van was reported being driven recklessly on campus on March 31, 2017, though police officers couldn't ultimately locate it. Someone "upset over Facebook account issues" turned up at Facebook's campus on May 15, 2017, and then after being asked to leave was found in a nearby Starbucks. "Subject was advised to stay away from campus and not return," the records note. There are also repeat offenders. On August 11, 2017, at just after 7:30 a.m., 911 was called over "a subject that frequently comes on the campus and refuses to leave." The unidentified person "does not have any complaints or does not demand to see anyone," the logs say, "but continually causes a scene." The subject was driven to a nearby fast-food restaurant, Jack in the Box, and warned not to return — but he arrived back on campus that very same day, a little before 1 p.m., prompting another 911 call, an escort off the campus, and an admonishment. Mace, fires, and car crashesThe incident in which a man maced a security officer was the most severe, and the only of the 200-plus 911 calls classified as an assault. Two officers "were dispatched to the location for a subject that just maced a Facebook security officer in the face. The security officer refused medical services and the subject fled in a vehicle," the records say. "Officers did an area check for the subject with the limited information they were provided and were unable to locate them." The assailant's identity and motivation is unclear. Among other suspicious incidents, on October 11, 2017, someone turned up outside Building 10 and refused to leave, then got in their vehicle and started driving around campus. "Officers located the vehicle and the subject and advised them they were not welcome on the Facebook campus," logs say. On February 9, 2018, an "unknown subject" bothered a Facebook employee in a parking lot, leaving only when they called the police. The logs also contain an unsurprising selection of common workplace incidents, including parking lot fender benders, a "small fire" coming from a BBQ shack on campus and two people arguing over a "non-injury accident." On April 29, 2017, a non-Facebook employee was reported to the police for riding one of the company's branded campus bicycles in a nearby neighbourhood. Almost exactly half of the calls — 120 — were accidental: Pocket dials, immediate hang-ups, and so on. Facebook isn't uniqueThese kind of incidents and emergencies are not unique to Facebook: An examination of any major company would likely return similar results. But the challenges Facebook faces, as a incredibly high-profile company with 2 billion users worldwide, are particularly acute. While the details of some of the security incidents are unclear, others are clearly directly linked to the company's work — like the aggrieved person with account issues, or the man who visited the campus to speak to Mark Zuckerberg. Employees at other tech companies have also experienced harassment from their userbases. Business Insider previously reported that YouTube employees have been receiving violent threats from video "creators" for years, and that they would sometimes camp outside the company offices for hours in attempts to talk to YouTube employees about product changes. Facebook is now in the process of building a new campus in Menlo Park. it will integrate significantly more with the local community, featuring retail spots, housing, and public-park-style areas. The intention is to "invest" in the local area — but the increased openness means the challenges the company faces may only increase. Do you work for Facebook? Can you shed more light on any of the incidents? Contact the author at [email protected], via Twitter DM at @robaeprice, or via Signal at (650) 636-6268. Anonymity guaranteed. SEE ALSO: Facebook shredded Wall Street's Cambridge Analytica worries with a giant Q1 and its stock is soaring Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Face-swapping videos could lead to more 'fake news' from http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-911-data-1-hacker-way-menlo-park-2018-4 Emma-Jane Kurtz sentenced to two-and-a-half years A solicitor who specialises in looking after elderly clients has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for wilful neglect after her 79-year-old mother was found dead at their Oxfordshire home. Police officers attended the family home of solicitor Emma-Jane Kurtz in July 2014, where the body of her elderly mother, Cecily Kurtz, was found slumped on a soiled sofa. She was covered in faeces and urine burns, and weighed just over six stones. Emma-Jane, a former associate at regional law firm Boyes Turner, was charged in April 2017 with wilful neglect. She was a member of the Court of Protection team and had been a member of Solicitors for the Elderly since 2011, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is listed on the Solicitors for the Elderly website, which mentions “paying for care” and “elder abuse” as her “areas of specialism”. Sentencing, Judge Peter Ross said Cecily had been “left to rot” and that images of her post-mortem examination “looked like a photo from a concentration camp”. Jailing Emma-Jane for two-and-half years, he said of her conduct: “There was a closing of the door both metaphorically and literally.” The judge also noted Emma-Jane had mild autism and was undergoing therapy. Following sentencing at Oxford Crown Court, Detective Constable Francesca Griffin reportedly said Cecily’s body “was found on a sofa and she had been slumped over with her chin on her knees for five days”. Griffin continued:
Kirsty Allman, prosecuting, explained Emma-Jane’s elderly mother had “suffered unimaginably” in “horrifically squalid conditions”. She continued:
A spokesperson for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said: “We are aware of this and have been awaiting conclusion of the criminal case. We will now obtain all relevant information before deciding on any appropriate next steps.” The post Solicitor who specialises in the rights of the elderly jailed for ‘sickening’ neglect that led to 79-year-old mother’s death appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/04/solicitor-who-specialises-in-the-rights-of-the-elderly-jailed-for-sickening-neglect-that-led-to-79-year-old-mothers-death/ An Exeter law student helps dispel the myths You may have noted the term ‘law review’ from popular legal films such as A Few Good Men or heard of Barack Obama’s involvement as editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review in his law school days. Perhaps your university even has one, and you have heard whispers of it around the halls of your law school. But what actually is a law review? The concept of a law review arrived in Europe from North America during the mid-20th century and is intended to give legal academics from all levels of education the opportunity to be published. They do not only publish articles from students but also barristers, solicitors, judges, law lecturers and other legal professionals. At university, law reviews are typically student-run, though in the UK, unlike the United States or Canada, they can be law school-administered or run solely by academic staff. Reviews may publish on general areas of law like the Law Quarterly Review and Exeter Law Review, or be more specific like the Stanford Environmental Law Journal. Submissions will be read and considered by a managing editorial board of students in the final years of their academic studies and numerous other editors who are students early in their legal education. Editor positions typically involve checking for spelling and grammatical errors, proper sectioning, and ensuring appropriate authority and citations in each article. The managing editorial board does not only act as a second set of eyes for editing but works to run academic events, bring in speakers, ensure deadlines are met, and run the day-to-day operations of their online and print sources. Each law review’s process for selecting these positions is different, but usually involve an interview or write-in competitions at the end or beginning of each academic year. If you go in for an interview, you can expect editing exercises and questioning of your GCSE, A-level and university grades. Expect to bring with you a writing sample or be tested by a timed editing exercise. Though academics are essential, interviewers are also looking for merit and an eagerness to learn. I will be the first to admit, law reviews are not for every kind of law student, nor am I advocating that you have to be involved. However, being on a law review can be a great CV booster. Large law firms, barrister chambers and jobs in the judiciary all love interviewing students who are involved in law reviews. That is because the involved candidate has had rigorous training and ample opportunities in legal research and writing. Dealing with many different areas of the law and having the chance to surround yourself with legal editing builds skills, and not to mention you will finally master using OSCOLA — which is very worthwhile. Talking to friends and family who are now practising, it’s clear one of the rarest skills, but one of the most crucial, is the ability to write well. Not only for providing your legal opinion or correspondence between clients and staff but for legal research and commentary. Your writing and editing ability should skyrocket in your first few weeks of joining a review thanks to hands-on learning about how to efficiently summarise, use clear structure, and be concise. It also perhaps goes without saying joining a review will be hugely beneficial to those hoping to pursue an academic career. This is not only because you are working with legal articles, but because you are building a repertoire with those who are already there. Most law reviews provide many opportunities for you to work alongside your law school staff and aid them in their own legal fields. From my personal experience, this has been the most substantial benefit. Working on an editorial board doesn’t mean being perfect. I have edited articles from judges, barristers and even a Supreme Court judge, and there does tend to be a few errors in the pieces. What law reviews expect is a significant time commitment, hard work, and a little dedication. What you can expect is a new and invaluable experience as part of a legal-minded group. And hey, if you’re going to be a lawyer, you might as well start honing your legal writing and editing skills now. Kanon Clifford is a law student and the current managing editor of the Exeter Law Review. Purchase tickets for Legal Cheek’s Future of Legal Education and Training Conference on May 23. The post What actually is a law review? appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/04/what-actually-is-a-law-review/ Big names in media, including Wikipedia’s head honcho, debate misinformation scandal More law and regulation is the “last thing” the world needs in the fight against ‘fake news’. That’s the message coming from some of the top names in the media, who gathered in Whitehall alongside lawyers, politicians and researchers to discuss what one panellist called the “emergency” misinformation epidemic. David Engel, head of Addleshaw Goddard’s reputation & information protection team, described the problem starkly. “On the one hand you have powerful companies like Facebook making lots of money in advertising revenue, and on the other hand members of the public with very little trust of the content on these platforms,” he said. Nic Newman, a researcher at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, noted just 40% of people broadly say they trust the media. The two are linked, suggests the Westminster Policy Forum’s star booking for last week’s event: Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia. “The ad-only business model”, which has also been adopted by various non-paywalled news websites, has been “extremely destructive for journalism” — him awkwardly mentioning the Mail Online‘s “sidebar of shame” while I sat next to a Mail Online journalist. He explained his company has steered away from using advertising because it wants to remain as neutral as possible, and to ensure users could browse encyclopaedia topics freely without being lured to content about cheap dental treatments and the like. While major social media sites continue to generate more in advertising revenue than the GDP of Dubai, then “it is time for them to take responsibility for the content that creates the profit for them”, said Engel. At the moment, it doesn’t seem websites are doing that. Engel, who has been practising for more than 20 years, recalls trying to contact Twitter last week on behalf of a client concerned about a fake account they’d seen. “Try finding a switchboard number for Twitter!” he challenged. “It’s certainly not on their website. It’s very difficult to contact Twitter apart from through their online forms.” “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel” to help alleviate this problem, says Engel — just having clearly-displayed contact details would be a start. But where the solution doesn’t lie is in more law and regulation, other figures speaking at the event concluded. This was certainly the opinion of Mick Hume, the editor-at-large at Spiked. “There are more people being arrested and punished for what they say and think now than since the 18th century”, he said, referring to the recent “ridiculous” case of YouTuber Mark Meechan who was fined £800 after he taught his girlfriend’s pug to give a Nazi-esque salute. Judges, then, are already being asked to make difficult decisions about online conduct, and he fears we’d slip deeper into Orwellianism if they were also made “gatekeepers” of fake news. Ian Murray, the executive director of the Society of Editors, also had concerns about heaping law onto the problem. Speaking just weeks after Malaysia criminalised spreading fake news, which is now punishable by a maximum of six years’ imprisonment, he said:
Both he and Hume think more law is “the last thing we need”. Of course, the internet is hardly a law-free zone. Fake information posted online that amounts to fraud, a threat or racism may be actionable in the criminal courts, while there are civil laws covering defamation. That’s not to say the panellists don’t think fake news is a serious problem: Dorothy Byrne, head of news and current affairs at Channel 4, described the situation as an “emergency” in which “our children are being fed a diet of filth and twaddle”; PR hotshot and author Mark Borkowski said the “continual erosion of [news] standards” is a “plague”.
The solution, for many people speaking at the event, lies not in law but in education. Sonia Livingstone, a professor of social psychology at LSE, proposed putting lessons in media literacy on the national curriculum, following a similar initiative being piloted in Italy. This would, hopefully, teach children to think more critically about the news articles they read, instead of mindlessly sharing.
But will these classes be taken seriously when taught alongside more traditional subjects like maths and English? (Let’s face it, some people can be a bit snooty about media studies.) Livingstone responded: “The media is becoming the lens through which we learn everything about society” including politics, health, science, education and the environment — this should be studied and not dismissed as a “Mickey mouse” subject. Though education and empowerment was a strong theme throughout the four-hour conference, which was chaired by Lord Inglewood and Lord Black of Brentwood, Byrne was sceptical. “If I was beaten up on the street, you could try and teach me how not to be beaten up. But I’d rather you arrested the person who beat me up,” she said. The onus should lie on the social media sites themselves, she said. The panellists shared plenty of ideas about how we could progress here: introducing tighter controls on adverts that masquerade as news; taking down content faster when rules are breached; and adopting an industry ‘traffic light’ rating awarded to news sites based on their reliability and how they use data. The post ‘We are being fed a diet of filth and twaddle’ — but top journalists say it’s education, not law, that will tackle fake news appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/04/we-are-being-fed-a-diet-of-filth-and-twaddle-but-top-journalists-say-its-education-not-law-that-will-tackle-fake-news/ The morning’s top legal affairs news stories Robert Peston: The inside line on Amber Rudd’s exit [Facebook] Windrush assurances should be written into law, say MPs [BBC News] High court blocks Amber Rudd attempt to deport witness [The Observer] Alfie Evans dies after months-long legal battle [Politico] The agony of Alfie Evans’ parents was made worse by bad law [The Spectator] A court is an unfit place for a case like Alfie Evans and its moral complexity [The Guardian] Afua Hirsch reviews The Secret Barrister’s book [The Guardian] Spain could change law after Pamplona bull run “gang rape” [Sky News] Stormy Daniels’ lawsuit against US President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer put on hold [Evening Standard] US crypto lawyer David Silver on why he’s to thank for industry’s increased government scrutiny [Coin Telegraph] “Half of the juniors I know have an exit plan.” [Legal Cheek Comments] The Future of Legal Education and Training Conference on 23 May — final batch tickets on sale [Legal Cheek] The post Morning round-up: Monday 30 April appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/04/morning-round-up-monday-30-april-2/ The US Coast Guard and Navy pulled a half-ton of cocaine from a burning go-fast boat in the Pacific4/29/2018 The US Coast Guard and Navy pulled a half-ton of cocaine from a burning go-fast boat in the Pacific SEE ALSO: Coca production is booming in Colombia — here's how it gets turned into cocaine Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The wives of El Chapo's henchmen reveal how they hid and spent $2 billion from http://www.businessinsider.com/coast-guard-navy-half-ton-cocaine-smuggling-2018-4 Tom Brokaw calls sexual misconduct allegations a 'drive by shooting' in angry email to colleagues4/27/2018
NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw hit back at allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by Linda Vester, a former war correspondent for NBC News, in an email sent to his NBC News colleagues and obtained by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. Vester alleged to Variety and The Washington Post that Brokaw harassed and groped her in the 1990s. She said that, at the time, she didn't bring a complaint to NBC. A second, anonymous woman The Post talked to also accused Brokaw of acting inappropriately. Brokaw, through NBC, issued a denial to the allegations and said of Vester that he "made no romantic overtures towards her at that time or any other.” In the email to his colleagues obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Brokaw was more forceful in defense of his conduct and in his criticism of Vester. "I was ambushed and then perp walked across the pages of The Washington Post and Variety as an avatar of male misogyny, taken to the guillotine and stripped of any honor and achievement I had earned in more than a half century of journalism and citizenship," Brokaw wrote in the email. "I am angry, hurt and unmoored from what I thought would be the final passage of my life and career, a mix of written and broadcast journalism, philanthropy and participation in environmental and social causes that have always given extra meaning to my life," he continued. Brokaw, 78, called Vester in the email a "former colleague who left NBC News angry that she had failed in her pursuit of stardom," with a "reputation as a colleague who had trouble with the truth." A representatives for Brokaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Vester told Variety that Brokaw tried to force her to kiss him on two occasions and groped her in an NBC News conference room. "He grabbed me behind my neck and tried to force me to kiss him," Vester said of the first alleged incident in January 1994, when she was 28 years old. "I was shocked to feel the amount of force and his full strength on me. I could smell alcohol on his breath, but he was totally sober. He spoke clearly. He was in control of his faculties." In the email, Brokaw said he kissed her on the cheek. Vester also told Variety that when she asked what Brokaw wanted of her, he replied, “An affair of more than passing affection.” A year later, Vester said Brokaw again tried her to kiss him and that, when she pulled away, he asked, "Can you walk me to a taxi?" "I emphatically did not verbally and physically attack her and suggest an affair in language right out of pulp fiction," Brokaw wrote in the email. He called the allegations a "drive by shooting by Vester, the Washington Post and Variety." In an email to staff, NBC Chairman Andrew Lack wrote that, "As you have all seen now in reports from last night, there are allegations against Tom Brokaw, made by a former NBC News journalist, which Tom emphatically denies. As we’ve shown, we take allegations such as these very seriously, and act on them quickly and decisively when the facts dictate." "My client stands by the allegations which speak for themselves,” Ari Wilkenfeld, Vester's lawyer, said in a statement to Business Insider. Read Brokaw's full email at The Hollywood Reporter.SEE ALSO: Former NBC newsman Tom Brokaw accused of sexual misconduct Join the conversation about this story » from http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-brokaw-denies-accusations-of-sexual-misconduct-nbc-news-email-report-2018-4
Three former Mexican police officers have told the US Attorney in Los Angeles that they saw Guzman take part in the killings in late 1984 and 1985. One of the officers, Jorge Godoy, who is now a protected witness in the US, told WFAA that Guzman "likes to cut the people." The US Attorney in LA declined to comment to WFAA. A spokesman for the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where Guzman faces trial, also declined to comment. Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the DEA, told Business Insider that prosecutors were considering adding those charges and "may link them to Chapo Guzman through drug traffickers that may testify" against him. The killings came over a nine-week period between 1984 and 1985 and were reportedly in response to the DEA and Mexican federal police raiding and destroying the El Bufalo ranch in northern Chihuahua state in fall 1984. The massive, 1,300-acre ranch's destruction likely constituted a multibillion-dollar loss for the Guadalajara cartel, then the most powerful in Mexico, and was particularly stinging for Rafael Caro Quintero, then one of the cartel's leaders. The first killings came on December 2, 1984, when four Jehovah's Witness missionaries, two men and two women, knocked on the door of a drug lord. Godoy, who was then also working as a body guard for Ernesto Fonseca, another Guadalajara kingpin, said the missionaries were tortured and the women raped. They "knocked on the wrong door," Vigil said, and the traffickers "believed they were informants or DEA agents trying to gather information." Godoy told WFAA that Guzman shot the missionaries one by one, letting their bodies fall into an open grave. The bodies have never been recovered. At the end of January 1985, two US citizens were killed after entering a Guadalajara restaurant where members of the cartel were eating. Godoy said he was guarding the front door when one of the Americans asked to go in. "I said, 'It's closed and please you have to go. Please go," he told WFAA. The pair was "in wrong place at the wrong time," Vigil said. The two began to walk away, but Caro Quintero saw them and ordered them brought inside, Godoy said, adding that he knew the Americans were likely mistaken for US agents. The cartel members "erroneously assumed that they were DEA agents, so they took them to the back and they stabbed them to death, and the bodies were never recovered," Vigil said. Godoy claims to have seen Guzman cut one of the captive's throats and help wrap the bodies and bury them in a park.
On February 7, 1985, Guzman was dispatched to help kidnap Alfredo Zavala, a pilot who flew DEA agent Enrique Camarena to find the cartel's marijuana fields, according to Godoy. Camarena was abducted the same day, picked up off a Guadalajara street while on his way to meet his wife for lunch. Camarena and Zavala were found a month later in shallow graves. Both showed signs of torture, and Godoy said he saw Guzman and others "jumping with their knees" on the captives, breaking their ribs. Camarena's kidnapping and killing brought intense pressure from the US on Mexican authorities. Caro Quintero and Fonseca were caught before the end of 1985. Guadalajara cartel chief Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, for whom Guzman worked as a driver, remained on the run until 1989. (Caro Quintero, sentenced to 40 years in prison, was released on a technicality in 2013 and was recently added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list.)
Guzman is not currently charged with the killing of US citizens. Sources told WFAA that US prosecutors may have dropped previous murder charges against Guzman because the victims were likely Mexicans killed in Mexico, but they would more able to try Guzman for the killing of US citizens in Mexico. While the Guadalajara cartel was in power, and as Guzman worked his way up its ranks, it was involved in a lot of homicides, Vigil said. Both the Guadalajara cartel and the Sinaloa cartel, a successor group led by Guzman, were responsible for the killing of "untold Americans, directly or indirectly," he added. "Whether Chapo Guzman was involved or not, it's anybody's guess," Vigil said of the killings prosecutors are considering adding to the case. "But they do have these drug traffickers who are willing to testify." The US federal government has said a number of cooperating witnesses, including Colombian drug traffickers, will testify "to prove Guzman's power" and "astonishing illegal profits." Through the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act, prosecutors could link Guzman to the acts of others in his organization, Vigil said. US prosecutors are "going to throw the kitchen sink and the entire bathroom at him," because they can't afford to lose the case, Vigil said, adding that may mean including "other traffickers whose credibility is not great." SEE ALSO: The FBI just put the 'narco of narcos' on its 10 Most Wanted list Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The wives of El Chapo's henchmen reveal how they hid and spent $2 billion from http://www.businessinsider.com/el-chapo-murder-us-citizens-dea-agent-us-prosecutors-2018-4 High workload and client demands cited as top causes of stress The percentage of trainee solicitors experiencing mental health problems has more than doubled, according to new research from the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD). Of the 332 trainees who responded to this year’s JLD survey, 39% reported experiencing a mental health problem, up from 19% last year. Overall, 39% of the 959 junior solicitors, trainees, paralegals and Legal Practice Course (LPC) students questioned said they had suffered a mental health issue (whether formally diagnosed or not) within the past year. This marks a rise of 13 percentage points when compared to the 2017 result (26%). Elsewhere in the report, one fifth of respondents (20%) reported “regularly feeling unable to cope as a result of stress”, up from 16% last year. Over one quarter of LPC students (27%) surveyed said they had suffered “severe” or “extreme” levels of stress. The sources of stress cited in the report include “high workload” (67%), “client demands/expectations” (58%), “lack of support” (45%), “ineffective management” (43%) and “lack of control” (36%). Other contributors referenced by respondents included “billable hours targets” (27%) and “lack of resources” (26%). With the majority of those questioned stating their firm could do more to support their mental health at work (80%), the report showed junior lawyers were embracing everything from exercise to alcohol to alleviate the pressures of work. Law Society council member Kayleigh Leonie said:
The findings follow a swathe of cases to appear before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) with mental health and stress at their heart. Peter Naylor, a corporate associate who sent several misleading emails to a client to “buy [himself] some time”, claimed he had been left “physically and emotionally drained” by his heavy workload. Naylor avoided a strike off after the tribunal noted he “had suffered from mental health issues”. Meanwhile, junior solicitor Sovani James found herself in hot water after she forged documents in a clinical negligence case. The SDT chose not to strike James off the roll after it heard that the “toxic” firm she had been working for had adopted a “sudden focus on financial return on employees” and an “aggressive implementation” of billing targets. You can contact LawCare by calling 0800 279 6888. The post Percentage of trainees experiencing mental health problems DOUBLES appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/04/percentage-of-trainees-experiencing-mental-health-problems-doubles/ |
AuthorHi I am Alana Smith 35 years old living in New York. I am working as an assistant in local law office. I like to share legal news with people to educate them. Archives
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