KATIE TONKINSON—In 2008, the 3M Company (“3M”), an American multinational conglomerate operating in the fields of industry, worker safety, health care, and consumer goods, acquired Aearo Technologies LLC (“Aearo”). Aearo developed the Combat Arms Earplugs in 1998 with the dual-purpose of providing hearing protection and communication capabilities for military personnel. One end created a tight seal to block out the loud […]

DANIELLE BUKACHESKI—The United States Constitution guarantees a Sixth Amendment right to counsel in criminal trials. This right to representation applies to all defendants, regardless of socioeconomic status, and thus requires the appointment of counsel through the public defense system when a defendant is indigent. In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court case spawning the public defense system, […]

KELSEY MCGONIGLE—In 2020, DoNotPay, the “world’s first robot lawyer” won the ABA Brown Award for Legal Access, honoring its “commitment to increasing legal services to those of modest means.” The organization made headlines again in January of 2023 with plans to bring artificial intelligence (“AI”) into the courtroom.  In the upcoming proceedings, two defendants were set to argue speeding ticket […]

JOSH YAGUR—On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a new rule that would prohibit employers from entering into noncompetes with their employees. A noncompete clause or agreement prevents an employee from working for a rival company or starting a competing business within a specified geographic area for a certain period after the employee’s employment ends. The […]