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The Business of Cannabis: A New Frontier in the Legal Profession

By Preston Clark

In our ongoing interview series with innovative lawyers who find success off the beaten path, we dive into the uncharted waters of cannabis law. This week, The Law Insider connected with the leading Seattle-based (where else!) cannabis attorney, Hilary Bricken, of Canna Law Group, to explore this new niche in the legal industry.

What’s I-502 and why should lawyers pay attention?

I-502 decriminalizes certain amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and over under state law, and establishes a comprehensive regulatory licensing scheme, to be administered by the state’s Liquor Control Board, for producers, processors, and retailers of cannabis products. I-502 also amends state law to include a “green” per se DUI provision under which drivers can be arrested if caught driving with more than 5 nanograms of THC in their bloodstream.… Keep Reading…

Should researchers and scientists be able to claim human DNA as their intellectual property?

Should researchers and scientists be able to claim human DNA as their intellectual property? That is the question the U.S. Supreme Court must now decide after hearing oral arguments yesterday. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post reported that the Justices expressed trepidation as they listened to the parties’ explanations of patent law and the complexities of biochemistry.  The overriding hesitation by the Supreme Court may be due to the fact that this decision has the potential to shape the future of medical and genetic research as well as the potential to have profound impact on pharmaceuticals and genetically modified crops.

A coalition of researchers, genetic counselors, cancer survivors, breast cancer support groups, and scientific associations filed suit in 2009 against Myriad Genetics, a Utah biotechnology company, challenging the company’s patent of genes BRCA1 and BRCA2.  Myriad discovered and isolated the two genes, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, which are highly associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.… Keep Reading…

Greatest Legal Underdogs of All Time

Source: Best Paralegal Schools Online… Keep Reading…

Student sues two school districts for allegedly failing to stop bullying

(NJ.COM) A teenager who was allegedly subjected to years of bullying is now suing the Hunterdon Central Board of Education and Flemington-Raritan Board of Education.

The suit, filed in late February in Superior Court in Flemington by attorney Brian Cige, claims the now-teenager was bullied not only by other children but by some school employees as well, from fourth grade onward.

The boy and his parents — as well as the students who did the bullying — are identified only by initials in the suit, which makes the following claims:

The bullying started in the fourth grade and continued into high school.

The years of alleged taunting, name calling and derogatory comments took its toll — as the young man eventually developed serious and debilitating health issues.… Keep Reading…

Five Things Women Can Learn from Sheryl Sandberg

By Susan Smith Blakely 

Sheryl Sandberg—(you know), the one who has been in the news so much lately because of her much-anticipated book Lean In – has a lot to teach young women in business.  She has been a great success as an executive at Google and now at Facebook, and uses her success to reach out to young women to encourage them to take their careers seriously and dedicate themselves to reaching their goals and elevating women in the workplace.

So, what can women in business and in law, which is, after all, the business of law, learn from Sheryl Sandberg?  These five things for starters:

1      Have a career plan and stick with it until your circumstances change and you have to reassess.  She specifically admonishes young women against “leaving before you leave” in anticipation of starting a family or other circumstances that will alter their futures.  She wants young women to press forward with complete conviction until the change is on the horizon and needs to be addressed.… Keep Reading…

What's Your Take on Bloomberg's Soda Ban?

What’s your take on Bloomberg’s soda ban? On one hand it feels overly restrictive– and it may indeed have a disproportionate affect on minority run businesses. But at some point we need to address whether the affects of soda consumption are creating a true health epidemic.

What’s your take

on it? Please share in the comments.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

New York City’s planned ban on the sale of large sugary drinks won’t go into effect Tuesday after a state judge blocked the restrictions, calling them “arbitrary and capricious.”

“The court finds that the regulation … is laden with exceptions based on economic and political concerns,” Justice Milton Tingling wrote.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg quickly vowed to appeal the decision, countering that the city’s health department has the legal authority to use the ban to fight an obesity epidemic.… Keep Reading…

Florida Woman Mails Knife to Kids, Instructs Them to Murder Her In-Laws

(NBC) A Florida woman is in jail on a $5 million bond after she plotted to have her young children murder her in-laws, authorities said.

Leticia Silva, 31, of Lakeland, Fla., is accused of mailing her daughters, ages 7 and 9, a knife from jail last December. Silva allegedly instructed the kids to use the blade to murder their paternal grandparents in Greenville, N.C., said Christy Wallace of the Pitt County Sheriff’s office.

Silva lost custody of her children after she was arrested in Florida for possession of methamphetamines and sent to prison, NBC affiliate WFLA in Tampa Bay reported. Her young daughters have lived with her in-laws for seven years, Wallace said.

The murder plot went awry after the childrens’ grandmother found the knife under one of the girl’s pillows in early February, according to Wallace.… Keep Reading…

Surrogate Offered $10,000 to Abort

Just when you thought the pro-life debate couldn’t get any more complex. 

(Inquisitr)A couple offered a surrogate mother $10,000 to abort their baby after an ultrasound revealed health concerns. The surrogate mother, Crystal Kelly, refused to terminate the pregnancy.

Kelly met the couple through a surrogacy agency. Having suffered fertility issues in the past, the 29-year-old wanted to help

a couple facing similar problems. The agency suggested a couple who had previously

conceived three children using in-vitro fertilization, with the help of a surrogate.

As reported by CNN, Kelly arranged a meeting with the couple to discuss a surrogacy. Kelly met with the couple at a local playground, where she noted how loving and attentive the parents were.… Keep Reading…

Apple blocks emails containing phrase 'barely legal teen'

(The Independent) Apple is deleting all emails on its iCloud service that contain the phrase ‘barely legal teen,’ according to an investigation by a computing magazine.