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 […]

DARA DURDIC—In late December of 2022, Daystar Peterson (“Peterson”)–better known as Tory Lanez–was found guilty on three charges for shooting Megan Thee Stallion (“Megan”) in July of 2020. Megan testified that she and Peterson got into an argument while riding together in a vehicle after a party, and Peterson shot her in the foot after she left the car. […]

LEAH PESSO—In the last few years, there has been an increase in reports of unconventional and exotic pets such as peacocks, squirrels, pigs, and ducks flying aboard aircrafts under the guise of emotional support animals. Because airlines charge passengers for transporting pets but are prohibited by law from charging passengers traveling with service animals, passengers have been incentivized […]