ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street, including Campus Crime rankings, celebs with JDs, and the latest controversy with Harper Lee’s new novel.

#1 Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates For Mid-Sized Colleges

Student safety is a high priority for all colleges and universities. While colleges and universities are typically safer than the areas that surround them, many schools face important and unique challenges. Law Street’s Campus Crime Rankings were created to serve as a comprehensive look at the safety of our college campuses, and to act as a resource for students, families, and college communities. Read full article here.

#2 Seven Celebrities You Didn’t Know Had Law Degrees

While law degrees are usually associated with stern, hardworking, white-collar professionals, there are other J.D. holding candidates who portray a different image. In fact many of us look up to these people without even knowing it, as they resemble some of today’s hottest celebrities and athletes. Read full article here.

#3 Atticus Finch Was Always Racist

This week, the white fiction world has been up in arms about Harper Lee’s portrayal of fictional, white lawyer Atticus Finch as explicitly racist in her long-awaited second book, “Go Set a Watchman.” Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out the best of the week, including human trafficking in Pennsylvania, the Top 10 small colleges with high crime rates, and ten reasons to #FeelTheBern this election season.

#1 Human Trafficking in the U.S.: Pennsylvania Man Sentenced For Horrifying Crime

Human trafficking is the second largest form of organized crime in the world behind the illegal drug trade. The industry affects 12.3 million people each year, and generates more than $32 billion worldwide, yet many Americans don’t necessarily expect it to take place close to home. Yet the two most common forms of human trafficking, sex trafficking and labor trafficking, are on the rise in many states such as Pennsylvania. Read full article here.

#2 Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates For Small Colleges

Student safety is a high priority for all colleges and universities. While colleges and universities are typically safer than the areas that surround them, many schools face important and unique challenges. Law Street’s Campus Crime Rankings were created to serve as a comprehensive look at the safety of our college campuses, and to act as a resource for students, families, and college communities. Read full article here.

#3 Ten Reasons to #FeelTheBern This Election Season

Bernard “Bernie” Sanders, self-described Democratic Socialist, is a 73-year-old senator from Vermont, the longest serving independent in Congressional history, and a Presidential candidate. He’s been described as “one of the few elected officials who is fundamentally devoted to dealing with the plight of poor and working people” and he’s gaining ground in the polls on the Democratic front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street, including gruesome human trafficking, international law rankings, and a slideshow of weird arrests.

#1 Human Trafficking in the U.S.: Pennsylvania Man Sentenced For Horrifying Crime

Human trafficking is the second largest form of organized crime in the world behind the illegal drug trade. The industry affects 12.3 million people each year, and generates more than $32 billion worldwide, yet many Americans don’t necessarily expect it to take place close to home. Yet the two most common forms of human trafficking, sex trafficking and labor trafficking, are on the rise in many states such as Pennsylvania. In a horrifying example of this phenomenon, a Pennsylvania man named Paul Sewell was just sentenced to 23 years in prison for prostituting young teenagers and producing child pornography, illustrating the prevalence of the crime. Read full article here.

#2 Law School Specialty Rankings 2015

The legal industry is changing and law schools are no exception. Applications and enrollment are both down, and the value of the traditional legal education with its current price tag is the subject of continual debate. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. Law Street Specialty Rankings blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs. See full list here.

#3 Weird Arrests of the Week

It’s been a long, hot week in many parts of the country, but that still hasn’t stopped criminals from doing stupid things. Check out the slideshow of the weirdest arrests below. See full slideshow here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out this week’s best articles from Law Street, including ridiculous LSAT anecdotes, shocking news out of Egypt’s hospitals, and how you can be fired for legally smoking weed.

#1 The Most Ridiculous LSAT Stories of the Year

The June 2015 LSAT is over, and approximately 20,000 people are eagerly–or anxiously, depending on how they did–waiting on their results. In the meantime, users of law school forums like Top Law School (TLS) and PowerScore have created post-test impressions and waiter’s threads to pass the time. Read full article here.

#2 The Sad State of Egypt’s Hospitals: Shocking Pictures Released

Doctors need the proper resources to be able to treat their patients. But a new viral Facebook page started in Egypt illustrates that doctors and dentists in that country don’t necessarily have access to what they need. The page is shocking to many, as photos of multiple hospitals in Cairo, Egypt have been shared illustrating that they are unequipped and unsanitary for doctors to properly operate in. Read full article here.

#3 Can You Be Fired For Legal Marijuana Use?

In Colorado and thinking about smoking marijuana after work? Might want to reconsider that. Even though many Colorado residents qualify to use medical marijuana regularly, it can carry many consequences for consumers. In a landmark Colorado Supreme Court decision, Coats v. Dish Network, the court decided that employers can now lawfully terminate employees for using medical marijuana, even if they are off the clock. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best of the week from lawyers and law students on Twitter in the slideshow below.

Whistle When Angry

My judge once told me to whistle when angry at work. Feel like a dwarf following Snow White today after so much whistling. #lawyering

— Ryan Ashley (@Ripe_Ryan) June 15, 2015

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street, including the latest in law school admissions, rape culture in the workplace, and shocking pictures from Egypt’s hospitals.

#1 Are You Sure Now’s a Good Time to Go to Law School?

Beaches, sun, internships, and vacations; these are some of the highlights associated with Summer. That’s not the case though for thousands of 19 and 20 year olds frantically preparing for arguably one of the most overrated exams looming in the second week of June: the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). By now, every college sophomore and junior has probably heard that getting into law school  is “easier” than ever due to the decline in the applicant pool. Is it really though? Read full article here.

#2 “Time Macho” is the Rape Culture of the Workplace

People cite it all the time: women make 77 cents to every dollar men make. We use it as a linchpin in arguments about equal pay, feminism, glass ceilings. We offer it up as proof–because mind-bogglingly, we still need to “prove it”–that feminism is a necessary thing. But the whole 77 cent thing? Not actually true. Read full article here.

#3 The Sad State of Egypt’s Hospitals: Shocking Pictures Released

Doctors need the proper resources to be able to treat their patients. But a new viral Facebook page started in Egypt illustrates that doctors and dentists in that country don’t necessarily have access to what they need. The page is shocking to many, as photos of multiple hospitals in Cairo, Egypt have been shared illustrating that they are unequipped and unsanitary for doctors to properly operate in. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best of the week from lawyers and law students on Twitter in the slideshow below.

Lawyer’s Lunch

Can’t seem to get out of this courtroom this morning. Hope they are planning on serving lunch. #lawyering http://t.co/uOx6sTZb8X

— Pabst Law Firm (@Pabstlaw) June 11, 2015

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Is Beyonce leaving Jay Z’s Tidal? What did a family’s massive charity actually spend its money on? ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Music Streaming Site Tidal Could Be Losing Its Queen

Here’s an update for my music lovers on Jay Z’s new Spotify-esque streaming site Tidal. As expected, the $20 a month service isn’t exactly revolutionizing the music industry like Hov and his famous friends had hoped. Despite boasts that they pay the highest percentage of royalties to music artists and songwriters within the music-streaming market, Tidal still continues to face waves of criticism from music experts and other artists. Read full article here.

#2 The Best Legal Tweets of the Week

The excitement over finals and the latest round of bar exam results has died down and now lawyers and law students are back to the daily grind of being overworked and over-caffeinated. Check out the best legal tweets of the week. See the slideshow here.

#3 Your Donation to This Cancer “Charity” Funded Online Dating Subscriptions

Every few years, a scandal breaks where it is discovered that a charity isn’t donating as much as it claims of the funds that it raises. But a new story coming out of Tennessee puts pretty much any other misbehaving charity to shame. A civil complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) revealed that four related charities, all run by members of the same extended family, donated only three percent of the $187 million they raised from 2008-2012. The rest of the money went to items for the family. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week from these lawyers and law students. No summer vacation for you!

Macho Lawyering

My take on #macho #lawyering — dismissing vicarious #trauma ignores fundamental #ableism & #sexism in the #workplace http://t.co/xQGrr2CZQZ

— Jennifer Polish (@JenniferPolish) June 4, 2015

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out the Best of the Week from Law Street, including an obnoxious, offensive internet trend, developments in Tracy Morgan’s Walmart lawsuit, and the appearance of a new Pacific island.

#1 FHRITP: Will the Offensive Internet Trend Ever Die?

One of the perils of doing a live news broadcast is that something could go horribly, horribly wrong. In fact, there are entire corners of the internet developed to chronicling the weird things that happen on news broadcasts–particularly smaller stations with fewer resources and less security. Read the full article.

#2 Tracy Morgan’s Lawsuit Against Walmart in Fatal Crash is Finally Settled

Last June comedian and actor Tracy Morgan’s limo bus was involved in a crash with a Walmart tractor trailer truck. The crash killed Morgan’s friend and mentor, comedian James McNair, who was also riding in the vehicle. The accident also left Morgan seriously injured, and two of the other passengers, Ardley Fuqua and Jeffrey Millea, critically hurt as well. Given the nature of the crash, Morgan, Fuqua, and Millea filed a lawsuit against Walmart, and it was just recently announced that that suit has been settled with the three plaintiffs. Read the full article.

#3 A New, Beautiful Island Has Formed in the Pacific

Legendary author James Michener’s eloquent words describe the formation of the islands of Hawaii–the powerful volcanic activity that over the course of millions of years sent a column of rock from the seabed to the open air. Now, off the coast of Japan, it occurs once more. Read the full article.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The excitement over finals and the latest round of bar exam results has died down and now lawyers and law students are back to the daily grind of being overworked and over-caffeinated. Check out the best legal tweets of the week.

Threatening Gregs

2 lawyers named Greg threatened me with sanctions today. I laughed and laughed. #Lawyering #LawTwitter — Tobias Zimmerman (@FedRCivP11) May 29, 2015

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out the Best of the Week from Law Street, including banned beach drinking in Florida, vaginal probes at colleges, and a look at America’s public health spending.

#1 Beach Drinking Banned at This Popular Spring Break Destination

Spring break is a college rite of passage synonymous with beaches, bikini-clad babes, and binge drinking. However, it’s no secret that excessive alcohol consumption can lend itself to a dangerous environment for these vacationers, including reckless behavior, violence, and sexual assault. No one knows these kinds of dangers better than the residents of the spring break capital of the world, Panama City Beach, which is why their city council members have voted to make a change next year by banning beach drinking during spring break. Read full article here.

#2 Lawsuit Claims Valencia College Exams Included Vaginal Probes

Two female students from Valencia College studying medical diagnostics have recently filed a lawsuit claiming that their classwork at the school crossed a very serious line. The suit alleges that they were forced to endure invasive vaginal exams in front of all of their classmates. Read full article here.

#3 Are We Spending Enough on Public Health?

Treating people when they’re already sick is like beating back invaders who have already breached your defenses. In either scenario, prevention through good defense saves money, time, and lives. But when it comes to boosting our nation’s wellness defenses through public health spending, America falls short. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From sorority secrets to celebrity chicken thefts, the Best of the Week from Law Street was truly bizarre. The number one article of the week, from Anneliese Mahoney, details a new lawsuit from Phi Sigma Sigma alleging that a former member, whom they can’t identify because of anonymous online postings, has leaked closely guarded secrets. The number two article of the week, from Alexis Evans, is an interesting look at the increasing–and increasingly weird–school dress codes across the country, and the third most-read article of the week, from Ashley Shaw, is a funny take on Mila Kunis’ continued legal problems over an alleged chicken theft in the Ukraine. ICYMI, here is the Best of the Week from Law Street.

#1 Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority Girl Sued For Releasing These Secrets

Sororities, and Greek Life organizations in general, gain much of their prestige from tradition and history. As a result, certain traditions and secrets are kept under lock and key, and members are trusted to keep it that way. But now, one former sorority girl may have to pay a big price for violating that sacred trust. Read full article here.

#2 Are Schools Going Too Far With These Dress Code Rules?

Fashion is meant to be a form of self expression, but if you’re currently a teenage girl in high school that expression might be seriously limited due to strict dress code restrictions. Of course making sure there are no visible butt cracks, nipples, or genitals is a must for school administrators, but when bare shoulders, backs, and thighs are considered just as taboo there’s a serious problem. Read full article here.

#3 Star’s Legal Battles Over Childhood Chicken Theft Continue

I am a busy person, which means I don’t get to spend hours at a time following the latest Hollywood gossip. I can usually survive without keeping up with the Kardashians and the Bieber and so on. However, every once in a while, I stumble across a celebrity scandal so interesting that I question everything I thought I knew about myself and begin to wonder why I ever do anything other than watch E!. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Injustice in Baltimore dominated the news cycle last week, and Law Street was no exception. The number one article of the week, by Jennifer Polish, is a provocative look at race and justice; number two, from Anneliese Mahoney, follows the latest developments in Brian Williams’ future at NBC; and number three is an interesting account of two gangs coming together amid the turmoil in Baltimore. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Hey Fellow White People: We Need to Shut Up About Baltimore

Hey, fellow white people. If you’re not going to be in support of people rising up against racism in Baltimore–and elsewhere–then shut up about it. And listen (or read, or watch. There are plenty of sources that aren’t from white people–like the ones cited throughout this piece–that we can tune into). Read full article here.

#2 Brian Williams’ Troubles at NBC Continue

The trouble isn’t quite over yet for Brian Williams. Williams, who headed up “NBC Nightly News,” was suspended for six months by NBC this winter. The suspension came in light of the revelation that Williams had not been truthful about an instance in which he claimed to have been in a military helicopter that took fire during the early days of the Iraq War. Now it has come to light that there were other instances in which Williams lied or embellished aspects of his reporting–at least ten have been reported so far. Read full article here.

#3 Crips and Bloods: Unlikely Allies in Baltimore Riots

Continuing protests over the death of Freddie Gray erupted into Ferguson-like riots yesterday evening following his funeral in Baltimore, Maryland, where cries of “black lives matter” have echoed since last year. But this time it was the city’s most notoriously violent groups who aligned for peace while groups of rioting Baltimoreans burned and looted the city against the Gray family’s wishes, even injuring officers and other protesters. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s slideshow of the best legal tweets of the week, I passed the Bar Exam edition. Congratulations!

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out the most popular articles of the week from Law Street, including the safest and most dangerous metro areas in the county, as well as the Elkhart Four’s case in front of the Indiana Supreme Court.

#1 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

The Springfield, Illinois metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the Midwest. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Springfield metro had a rate of 768 violent crimes per 100,000 people. On the other end of the spectrum, the Wausau, Wisconsin metro is the safest in the Midwest with 93 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Read full article here.

#2 Crime in America 2015: Slideshow of the Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

While crime in the United States has been trending down for quite some time, some metropolitan statistical areas continue to experience relatively high rates of violent crime. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Memphis metro area leads not only the South in violent crime, but also the country as a whole. Read full article here.

#3 The Elkhart Four Await Indiana Supreme Court Decision

The Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Aaron Hernandez trials have dominated courtroom coverage in recent months. But with guilty convictions being handed down in both cases and Tsarnaev’s sentencing still pending, there’s a case awaiting a decision from the Indiana Supreme Court that deserves America’s attention for a while–the Elkhart Four case. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

This week’s installment of the best legal tweets of the week feature law students motivated for finals by TV lawyers, contracts-fueled breakups, and everyone’s favorite development: Chipotle deliveries! Check out the slideshow below of the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It was a mixed bag for lawyers and law students this week, from legal THOTs to my personal favorite of client “asshattery,” check out this week’s slideshow of the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The number one article of the week at Law Street comes from writer Frank Halprin who shared the news that we may be on the brink of running out of precious metals such as gold; number two, from Worldwide Orphans, is an excellent explainer on the world’s orphan population; and the third most popular article of the week, from Ashley Shaw, details proposed legislation in France that would prohibit looking like a prostitute. ICYMI: Check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Is the World Running Out of Precious Metals and Gems?

Goldman Sachs suggests that there are only twenty more years worth of mineable gold, diamonds, and zinc, and forty years of platinum, copper, and nickel. The quality of the metals and the yields per ore discovery have also declined significantly in the last half century. So what might some consequences be? The gold mining industry will be hard pressed to maintain its profit margins if there is less and less to find, and there may be increased competition to find what does remain. Naturally, the prices of gold could rise exorbitantly. Read full article here.

#2 Defining Orphans: The World’s Most Vulnerable Children

According to UNICEF, there are 153 million children across the globe who are defined as orphans. These children, and others, are at risk for poverty, health concerns, neglect, and abuse. They are the world’s orphans. Read on to learn about how children can become orphans, what it means to be an orphan, and how underlying social problems lead to children being orphaned. Read full article here.

#3 France Considers Law Banning ‘Looking Like a Prostitute’

Ladies, imagine you are all dressed up and ready to hit the town. You’ve got on your short skirt, your stilettos, and your low cut top. You’re looking good. Now, you can’t just sit around when you look this nice, so you have to decide: where are you going to go? Do you know yet? Good! (I really, really hope that nobody said France. Please don’t have said France.) Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Wondering what lawyers and law students were up to this week? Check out this week’s slideshow below of the Best Legal Tweets of the Week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The number one article at Law Street this week came from Marisa Mostek, our resident authority on the dumbest laws of the United States. And guess what? Alaska and Hawaii are no exception. The second most popular post of the week, from Alexis Evans, is decidedly more serious as the UVA rape allegations that ran last Fall in Rolling Stone were found baseless by the police. And the number three article of the week, from Ashley Shaw, details the case of a criminal who outed his own hiding spot by Snapchatting it to his friends. ICYMI, check out this week’s best of the week from Law Street.

#1 The Dumbest Laws of the United States: Alaska and Hawaii

The last two additions to the family of United States could not be any more different in some ways, for example their opposing climates. However, Hawaii and Alaska are similar in that both possess a unique set of strange and dumb laws. In Anchorage, Alaska, there is a law specifically banning tying a dog to the roof of a car. Perhaps this brings to mind a certain politician doing so a few years back cough Mitt Romney cough. Read full article here.

#2 Police Find No Evidence to Support UVA Gang Rape Story

Last November, Rolling Stone shocked the nation with its 9,000-word article entitled “A Rape on Campus.” The piece told the horrific story of a University of Virginia freshman known only as “Jackie.” She claimed to have been gang raped by seven Phi Kappa Psi frat members during a frat date party. The article accused UVA of a “cycle of sexual violence” and “institutional indifference” that preferred to silence girls like Jackie who reported rape instead of helping them. The piece started an impressive national dialogue about rape culture, particularly rape culture on college campuses. Now after four months of investigating and roughly 70 interviews, police have concluded that the gang rape that reignited a movement most likely never even happened. Read full article here.

#3 Peek-a-Boo! Cops Find Crook Who Snapchatted His Location

There are a lot of stories about idiots who are wanted for one crime or another who get caught through social media. This might be because the police post their searches on Facebook and people see them and report the fugitives’ whereabouts. It could be the girl who posted a video on YouTube talking about everything she had just stolen. Or the guy who posted a pic of himself siphoning gas from a police car. Basically what this shows us is that many crooks are stupid and arrogant, and the man in this week’s story is no exception. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Remember last week when lawyers everywhere were having the best week ever? Yeah, that’s over now. Back to the grind of endless paperwork and clients who can’t get their lives together. Lucky for you though, it’s fun to read about. Check out the slideshow below for the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out Law Street’s top three article of the week, including the latest installment of dumb laws from Marisa Mostek; the latest news in alcohol laws from Anneliese Mahoney; and hookup site Grindr getting out of legal trouble when one of its members had sex with an underage user.

#1 Dumbest Laws of the United States: Vermont, New Hampshire, & Maine

New Hampshire came close to earning the same honor as its neighbor, Vermont–but not quite as it still has some of the dumbest laws in the country. The Granite State attempts to keep its residents and visitors as authentic as possible: it is illegal to check into a hotel under an assumed name. Also, no matter how delicious you may find seaweed, you cannot pick up the oceanic goody on the beach to munch on (or use for any purpose, for that matter). Read full article here.

#2 Federal Government OKs Powdered Alcohol

There’s a new product floating around that is threatening to be a big game-changer for the alcohol industry. It’s called “Palcohol” and it’s powdered alcohol. Since the idea of powdered alcohol began being floated around, regulators have been worried about its potential for abuse–despite that Palcohol just received federal approval this week. Read full article here.

#3 Grindr Found Not Liable For Man’s Sexual Encounter With Minor

Many sites that are intended for adults, such as dating sites, come with a disclaimer that states, “You must be at least 18 years or older to use this site.” New Jersey native William F. Saponaro, Jr. was under the impression that warning was true when he logged into hisGrindr account to meet available men. Instead Saponaro met up with a 13-year-old boy, had sex with him, and then was arrested for the act. Saponaro ended up being prosecuted for engaging in a sexual act with a minor. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Lawyers, law students, and even a baby who will absolutely be a litigator some day had the very best week ever. Check out this week’s slideshow of the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

A Colorado woman was arrested this week after a she orchestrated a Craigslist transaction that went very wrong. Thirty-four-year-old Dynel Lane of Longmont, Colorado allegedly cut out 26-year-old Michelle Wilkins’ unborn child from her womb, leaving Wilkins to call 911 herself and pretending that the baby was hers via miscarriage. The two women did not know each other and Wilkins had gone to Lane’s home in order to purchase baby clothes that Lane had advertised on Craigslist.

Read More: Slideshow: Killers of Craigslist

Law Street’s investigation into killings associated with making transactions on Craigslist, the popular buying-and-selling website, yielded the discovery of 58 murderers and 45 murder victims since 2009. This brutal attack is reminiscent of the 2009 attack on a pregnant 21-year-old woman in Oregon. Korena Roberts arranged to sell baby clothes to Heather Snively through an an on Craigslist. When Snively arrived at Roberts’ home, Roberts hit hit more than 30 times before cutting her open and taking her unborn child. In that case Snively died of major blood loss and Roberts pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder. She is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Michelle Wilkins survived Dynel Lane’s attack, with surgeons noting that the incision in her abdomen “appeared to be well performed.” Lane was a licensed nurse aide between July 21, 2010 and January 31, 2012. Wilkins’ baby, however, did not survive the grisly attack.

Police are now investigating the crime, as well as Lane’s history, as prosecutors determine how exactly to charge her. According to Boulder County District Attorney Stanley L. Garnett,

Under Colorado law, essentially, there’s no way murder charges can be brought if it’s not established that the fetus lived as a child outside the body of the mother for some period of time. I don’t know the answer yet as to whether that can be established.

Wilkins pregnancy was seven months along at the time of the attack, and the hospital report indicates that the baby “would have been viable.”

Lane was arrested on attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and child abuse that knowingly and recklessly resulted in death. Charges are expected to be filed next week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Craigslist Post Ends in Grisly Attack on Pregnant Colorado Woman appeared first on Law Street.

From terrorism to racist fraternities, last week’s top news stories covered a variety of unsavory topics. The number one most popular post of the week came from Law Street Crime Editor Kevin Rizzo who shed light on the ISIS’ goals and motivations; the number two story of the week, from Alexis Evans, examined the University of Oklahoma shutting down fraternity SAE after it engaged in offensive racist chants caught on video; and the third most popular story of the week, also from Evans, brought us a look into Uber’s latest effort to win back women. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Understanding ISIS’ Radical Apocalyptic Vision

Nearly everyone knows what the Islamic State is doing–treacherous acts and the consolidation of control in territories throughout Iraq and Syria–but few realize exactly what the group’s goals are. ISIS is a unique manifestation of radical Islam that is bent on establishing a religious government that enforces what it believes is to be the purest form of Islam. Supporting that vision is its supporters’ closely held belief that ISIS is bringing about the apocalypse. Yes, deeply rooted in its ideology is the idea that establishing an “Islamic State” will eventually lead to a final battle between good and evil near the small town of Dabiq in northern Syria. Read full article here.

#2 University of Oklahoma Fraternity Shut Down After Racist Chant

University of Oklahoma’s President is giving chapter members of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) exactly one day to get off the campus after a shocking video of the fraternity brothers chorusing a racist chant surfaced on social media. Read full article here.

#3 Uber’s New Hiring Initiative: Trying to Win Back the Women

Crowd-sourced mobile taxi service Uber has developed a bit of a reputation for having a sexist “bro culture.” A new announcement this morning from the company reveals it’s trying to change that. Uber announced it will be partnering with UN Women “with the goal of accelerating economic opportunity for women.” As part of that commitment, it has pledged to create 1,000,000 jobs for women drivers by 2020. That sounds good, but is this sudden explosion of growth really proof that the company is becoming more female friendly? Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Last week’s best legal tweets were pretty much all downers and I chalked it up to the incessantly terrible weather and rampant SAD. But luckily this week, not only is the weather starting to perk up but so are the lawyers and law students! OK not everyone–1Ls are still miserable–but some lawyers are actually having some fun in their professions. Check out the slideshow below for this week’s best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

This week’s most popular stories ran the full gamut from the sublimely ridiculously to the deadly serious. The number one article of the week, by Ashley Shaw, follows the story of a Nebraska man who tried to fool cops by labeling his weed “not weed;” the number two article, from Alexis Evans, takes a look into the world of people taking the law into their own hands and patrolling their streets as private cops; and the number three article, from Anneliese Mahoney, recounts Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s divisive speech to Congress.

#1 Man’s ‘Not Weed’ Label Does Not Fool Nebraska Cops

Jordan Meir of Nebraska thought he found the perfect way to disguise his stash–just mark it up as ‘not weed.’ After all, labeling it as weed is a sure fire way to get caught, so the opposite must be the solution, right? Maybe in the rest of the world, but the cops in Nebraska must be extra smart because this ingenious scheme actually did not end up working in their neck of the woods. Read full article here.

#2 Special Conservators of the Peace: Private Police Forces of One

If he looks like a cop, talks like cop, and acts like a cop, he’s probably a cop right? Well, sort of. A growing trend shows civilians are forming private police forces of one to patrol our streets. Armed with a gun and a badge, they can write citations and make arrests. The kicker? The whole thing is completely legal. Read full article here.

#3 Netanyahu’s Speech Shows Israel Isn’t Always a Bipartisan Issue

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United States Congress today. The speech was much anticipated after weeks of political back and forth regarding the invitation extended to Netanyahu by Speaker of the House John Boehner; however, Netanyahu did end up giving his speech as planned, and it focused heavily on Iran and the ongoing American-Iranian talks over nuclear power. That being said, in some ways the speech is less interesting from an international politics standpoint as it is from a domestic policy window. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

You may think that you had the worst week while you were hunkered down in yet another winter storm, but you’re wrong. Law students clearly always have the worst week, filled with endless reading, papers, and missing spring break. Check out the slideshow below for the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Lawsuits, crime, and drugs ruled the news last week and the most popular articles at Law Street were no exception. The #1 article of the week, from Anneliese Mahoney, detailed the suit over royalties earned by “50 Shades of Gray” won by a woman in Texas; #2, also from Mahoney, covers the explosive news out of Chicago that there is a secret ‘black site’ where Americans are held outside of the justice system; and #3, from Alexis Evans, is the story from Wesleyan University where nearly a dozen students were hospitalized in apparent Molly overdoses. ICYMI, here is the Best of the Week from Law Street.

#1 Texas Woman Wins Big “50 Shades of Grey” Royalties Lawsuit

It seems like one of the most popular topics of conversation these days is the movie version of the erotic novel sensation “Fifty Shades of Grey.” (Spoiler alert: It’s really bad. I went hoping to make fun of it and have a few laughs, and it was too awful to even laugh at.) But one woman may be laughing soon–laughing all the way to the bank, that is. An Arlington, Texas woman named Jennifer Lynn Pedroza just won a major “Fifty Shades” related lawsuit. Read full article here.

#2 Chicago “Black Site” Allegations Yet Another Example of Police Brutality

News of a secret detention facility in Chicago broke this week and it’s sparking horror and outrage across the country. This “black site,” revealed by the Guardian, is a nightmare image straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. People are “arrested” and taken to this site, which is inside a warehouse in Chicago’s Homan Square. Then they are subjected to inhumane treatment. They aren’t afforded the rights that the U.S. Constitution promises all of us. Read full article here.

#3 Mass Molly Overdose Hospitalized 11 Wesleyan Students

Connecticut’s Wesleyan University was flooded with sirens Sunday night as almost a dozen students were rushed to hospitals after reportedly overdosing on the party drug commonly known as Molly, or MDMA. The exact number of alleged victims varies, with police reporting that 11 students were hospitalized for the drug, while Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth reported the figure as ten students and two visitors in a letter sent to students Monday morning. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Tens of thousands of Russians marched in Moscow today mourning the death of Boris Nemtsov. The human rights activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin’s government was shot to death on the night of Friday, February 27 while walking in the capital city. It is widely believed by Putin’s opposition that the Kremlin is responsible for the act.

Boris #Nemtsov killing spurs thousands to march in Moscow, as motives debated – http://t.co/Lc7cAFUl7S pic.twitter.com/ab9t03LBib

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 1, 2015

Reports from the ground spoke to the solemn and quiet mood of the march. Participants broke into anti-Putin chants from time to time, but for the most part the “only sound was the steady thwack of police helicopters overhead or the hum of police boats patrolling the shores of the Moscow River.” Widescale marches for a variety of causes from climate change to social justice are a hallmark of American culture; many of us have likely experienced at least one in our lifetimes and can easily recall the vibrations of the crowd, the yelling and clapping, and general energy. The near-silence reported today in Moscow is difficult to imagine. Nemtsov was an outspoken critic of the Putin government, calling out its actions in Ukraine in a radio interview only hours before his death. Fellow opposition leader Ilya Yashin weighed in on Nemtsov’s killing and lent weight to the belief that it was ordered by the government:

Essentially it is an act of terror. It is a political murder aimed at frightening the population, or the part of the population that supported Nemtsov or did not agree with the government. I hope we won’t get scared, that we will continue what Boris was doing.

Secretary of State John Kerry took to the Sunday morning shows to lend the official American perspective on the killing. He asserted that the U.S. does not have any information what happened or who shot Netsov, but that he is pushing for a “thorough, transparent, real investigation, not just of who fired the shots, but who, if anyone, may have ordered or instructed [the shooting].” Members of Congress expressed their condolences and outrage over Nemtsov’s death, including Senator John McCain (R-A) via Twitter:

I am heartbroken by murder of my friend #BorisNemtsov – a voice for human rights in #Russia. My stmt: http://t.co/f1yHqEtWpj — John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) February 28, 2015

McCain also released a statement that directly addressed Nemtsov’s fight against the Kremlin and the need for continued pressure to decrease human rights abuses in Russia.

That Boris’ murder occurred in a secure part of the Russian capital raises legitimate questions about the circumstances of his killing and who was responsible. But regardless of who actually pulled the trigger, Boris is dead because of the environment of impunity that Vladimir Putin has created in Russia, where individuals are routinely persecuted and attacked for their beliefs.

Whether or not a fair investigation will be conducted into Boris Nemtsov’s death, the fact remains that tensions in Russia are nearing a boiling point, and the international community can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to what is happening in the region.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Russians March in Mourning of Opposition Leader’s Death appeared first on Law Street.

It’s another rough week in the lives of law students and lawyers everywhere. Check out the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Heated arguments over The Dress swept the country this week, pitting couples, friends, and coworkers against each other. So naturally the epic battle of white and gold vs. blue and black hit Congress just the same, and wouldn’t you know it, they don’t agree about the color of The Dress either. Shocking, right? To their credit, they weren’t quite as heated as some of us regular folk, considering they had some actual issues to deal with this week with DHS on the brink of shutdown and continued slow-rolling on Loretta Lynch’s nomination.

Take a look at the slideshow below for a full picture of all the members of Congress who weighed in on Dressgate via Twitter. One thing that seems to unite many of them? A love of giving careful non-answers. But hey, that’s how you get elected, right?

Even experts disagree over #TheDress—see what the two we spoke with have to say: http://t.co/EMg1Z2byID pic.twitter.com/iDfYyUp0aC

— Harper’s Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) February 28, 2015

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Know What Else Congress Can’t Agree on? The Dress appeared first on Law Street.

Crime and weird news ruled the news last week. A new interactive map from writer Law Street’s crime editor Kevin Rizzo made waves across the internet as it allows you to visualize where crime in the United States is getting better or worse. Definitely check that out! The number two story, from Anneliese Mahoney, brings yoga pants back into the news as Montana lawmakers continue their quest to outlaw the comfortable clothing in public spaces. And finally the third most popular post came from writer Marisa Mostek with her weekly look at the dumbest laws across the country, this time focusing in on the Virginias and the Carolinas. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Interactive Crime Map: Is Your City Getting Safer or More Dangerous?

As reported in Law Street’s comprehensive annual crime rankings, Crime in America 2015, violent crime across the United States continued its downward trend according to the latest figures reported by the FBI. Curious to know how your hometown stacks up against the rest of the country? Check out the interactive map below for yourself to see if your city is getting safer or more dangerous according to the latest data. Read full article here.

#2 Just Relax: Montana Lawmaker Attempts to Ban Yoga Pants

A proposed bill that would ban yoga pants in Montana has been tabled, eliciting joy from practitioners, women who like to be comfy, and rational human beings everywhere. If you’ve never worn yoga pants before (or their closely related cousin the leggings) they’re basically like wearing a hug on your legs. But not everyone is that happy with yoga pants, because they tend to conform to our bodies, apparently rendering them a scourge to society that needs to be outlawed. Read full article here.

#3 Dumbest Laws in the United States: The Virginias and the Carolinas

This week, the dumb laws blog will focus on two sets of neighboring states: Virginia and West Virginia and North and South Carolina. What do railroad companies and Sundays have in common? South Carolina has dumb laws pertaining to both seemingly unrelated things, as it turns out. On Sundays in South Carolina, you won’t be able to go dancing, as dance halls may not operate on that day of the week. Also on Sundays in South Carolina, you cannot do any work. It is the day of rest after all. If you wish to spend your day off playing an instrument, make sure you buy one before Sunday, as they are banned from being sold then. It makes sense, if you think about it–since work on Sunday is prohibited, who would be working at the musical instrument store? Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the slideshow below for some of the best legal tweets of the week that you might have missed.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Copyright law took center stage last week as not one but two famous singers took vendors and fans to court over their intellectual property. The number one article of the week is from Anneliese Mahoney who brought us the case of Katy Perry versus the vendor who produced 3-D figures of the infamous “Left Shark” from Perry’s Superbowl halftime performance; the second most popular post was from writer Morgan McMurray who threw the flag on “50 Shades of Grey” and its abusive storyline; and the number three article, from writer Alexis Evans, details Taylor Swift’s legal action against Etsy vendors making a buck off her song lyrics. ICYMI, here is the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Katy Perry Claims Left Shark is Her Intellectual Property and Files Suit

Katy Perry’s halftime performance at last week’s Super Bowl was really great, but it wasn’t without its moments of humor. Unfortunately, one of those moments of humor has now sparked the pop star’s legal team to file a lawsuit. Read full article here.

#2 Fifty Shades of Grey and Abuse

You may have heard of a small erotic “novel” (I use the term loosely), which once started off as Twilight fan fiction and has become a worldwide, bestselling trilogy soon to be a major motion picture. I am of course referring to the phenomenon known as Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, which follows the story of timid Anastasia Steele and her BDSM-loving boyfriend Christian Grey. Read full article here.

#3 Taylor Swift vs. Etsy Vendors: Singer Trademarks Song Phrases

America’s red-lipped singing sweetheart Taylor Swift is at the center of another intellectual property dispute, this time with vendors on Etsy. The dispute is over several items, including t-shirts using her likeness and candles adorned with her lyrics. Swift’s legal team sent several vendors on the online DIY marketplace cease and desist letters demanding the immediate removal of their trademark-infringing products. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been having one hell of a week. From one feminist-hero one-liner after another (totally agree, RBG, nine is just the right number of women on the bench) and admitting that she (like the rest of the rest of America) wasn’t “100 percent sober” when she nodded off at this year’s State of the Union, Notorious RBG continued to ride her own personal wave of awesomeness. Check out the slideshow below for the best legal tweets of the week dedicated to Justice Ginsburg.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week: Notorious RBG Edition appeared first on Law Street.

As always, there was a ton of interesting news coming out of the legal world last week and Law Street is staying on top of it for you. Alexis Evans wrote all three top stories: number one covered the former Power Ranger who was arrested–though not charged–when his roommate was killed by machete; number two was the case of the San Francisco public defender whose arrest while defending her client was caught on tape and subsequently went viral; and number three is a look at the gray area in vitamin supplements–you might be surprised with the coverage. ICYMI, check out Law Street’s Best of the Week.

#1 Ex-Power Ranger Accused of Killing Roommate With Sword

Today in the category of super bizarre news that is sure to ruin your childhood, former Power Ranger Ricardo Medina Jr. has been arrested for killing his roommate with a samurai sword. According to a statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,  Medina, 36, got into an argument that turned physical with his roommate Joshua Stutter, 36, at their Palmdale, CA home. Read the full article here.

#2 San Francisco Public Defender Arrested While Defending Client

Public defenders don’t always have the best reputation. TV shows sometimes portray them as being fresh out of law school, inexperienced, and not dedicated to their clients–essentially the type of person you don’t want defending you in any legal capacity. In reality, many are dedicated veterans of the courtroom, and Jami Tillotson is a prime example. In fact, the long-time public defender was arrested January 27, 2015 for sticking to her job–defending her client. The entire scene was caught on two cellphone videos recorded by other attorneys present. Read the full article here.

#3 Major Retailers Under Fire For Selling Pseudo Supplements

Supplements. They can come in the form of vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids.  My “New Year, new me” brain tells me they’re good for me, but unless they come in cute, chewable gummy form, I’m just not interested. But for more than half of all Americans, taking some form of daily supplement is pretty routine. Do these tiny capsules actually contain what they say they do? The New York Attorney General’s office says no. Read the full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From the Super Bowl to Notorious RBG, you had a ton to say on Twitter this week. My personal favorite? One lawyer weighing in on a client’s past finding legal representation on CraigsList. (Spoiler alert: didn’t work.) Check out the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy Super Bowl Monday! Oh that’s not a thing? OK gotcha. Well, whether you’re nursing a celebratory hangover in support of the Pats’ win last night or the sad variety because of your beloved Seahawks, don’t fret. We’ve got you covered with the best of the week from Law Street so you can put off reality for a bit longer. Anneliese Mahoney wrote both the #1 and #3 stories of the week, though on admittedly very different topics. The number one post sounds the alarm that Cadbury chocolate is soon to be impossible to come in the States while the number three post is an update on how the country’s Top 10 Safest Cities fared with the FBI’s latest round of crime data. Kevin Rizzo wrote the #2 article with a round up how the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities fared with the latest states. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 No More Cadbury Chocolate For You

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are all principles on which the United States was founded. Now, in my book, there’s one thing that fits very firmly into the happiness category: chocolate. So when I learned that my ability to get certain types of chocolate–particularly chocolate imported from the United Kingdom–has been hampered, I got pretty upset. After all, it’s my liberty to stuff my face with lots of chocolatey goodness, and it affects my life if I cannot do so. Read the full article here.

#2 Nearly All Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Report Drops in Violent Crime

Nearly all of the Most Dangerous Cities over 200,000 on Law Street’s Crime in America rankings followed the national trend of declining violent crime according to new data released today by the FBI. While violent crime across the country is down 4.6 percent, #9 Most Dangerous Newark, New Jersey saw the largest overall decline (18.7 percent) out of the Top 10 cities, followed closely by #1 Most Dangerous Detroit, Michigan with a 15.5 percent drop. Defying the trend, however, was #3 Most Dangerous Memphis, Tennessee, which saw its violent crime increase slightly by 3.4 percent. Read the full article here.

#3 Not All of America’s Safest Cities Followed Trend of Declining Crime

In the latest Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, the FBI reported a nationwide violent crime decrease of 4.6 percent when comparing the first half of 2014 to the first half of 2013. That’s good news, and for the most part, the Top 10 Safest Cities fell in line with the national trend. Fremont, California, the #3 Safest City in the country, saw a notable violent crime drop of nearly 25 percent; however, some top 10 ranking safe cities cannot say the same. Henderson, Nevada, the #5 Safest City in the country, reported nearly 20 percent more violent crimes as compared with the same period prior year. Read the full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Congratulations on making it through Snowmageddon and another week of work. If you’re like any of the lawyers in this week’s slideshow, you earned your vacation. Check out the latest selections of the best legal tweets of the week below.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

If you’re in the Northeast today then you’re likely snowed in and binge-watching everything you’ve missed since the holidays. Need a break? Check out the best articles of the week from Law Street. The number one article came from Frank Halprin who covered New York City’s impending crack down on styrofoam; number two is a slideshow of the very weirdest arrests of the week from Anneliese Mahoney; and number three is from Allison Dawson who weighed in on the case of the Florida teenager who posed as a doctor for an entire month. ICYMI check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Wave Goodbye to Your Takeout Containers

On January 8, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration finished the work started by previous Mayor Michael Bloomberg by announcing that styrofoam containers will go by the wayside. This includes to-go boxes from the city’s many food trucks as well as coffee cups and packing peanuts. This is a purely environmental move, which might end up costing consumers more money and inconveniencing vendors. Though it has been met with some controversy, most people agree that ultimately it is a good decision. Read full article here.

#2 Weird Arrests of the Week

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time to look back once again on all the weird things that people did last week. This week’s weird arrests even went international–check out the story from Hong Kong! Read full article here.

#3 Florida Teen Who Pretended to be a Doctor Won’t Face Charges

Recently a 17-year-old boy in Florida posed as a doctor for about a month without anyone even noticing. According to reports, a patient at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach informed staff that a juvenile was dressed in a lab coat and was inside an OB/GYN exam room. The young man was not in the exam room alone, he was with a patient and another doctor. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Violent crime among the nation’s mid-sized cities is on a steady decline, according to the most recent data released today by the FBI. Richmond, California and Paterson, New Jersey are standouts in the field, reporting violent crime reductions of 38 percent and 21 percent, respectively for January to June 2014 compared with the same period in 2013. Richmond, the number ten most dangerous city and Paterson, number seven, led Rockford, Illinois (#2) and Springfield, Massachusetts (#6), which also reported modest violent crime declines.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2014–the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 appears below as an update to our most recent Crime in America Rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas is the #1 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Little Rock’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Little Rock’s 2015 ranking.

#2 Rockford, Illinois

Rockford, Illinois is the #2 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000; however, it showed a marked decline in violent crime during the first half of 2014 versus the same time period in 2013. The city of 150,209 people experienced its greatest declines in the violent crime categories of rape (61 incidents between January and June 2014 versus 78 in the same period in 2013) and aggravated assault (648 versus 747 prior year). Total violent crime in Rockford fell nearly 12 percent from 1,009 incidents in the first half of 2013 to 892 for the same period in 2014. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -11.6% (2013: 1,009; 2014: 892)
Murder: +42.9% (2013: 7; 2014: 10)
Rape: -21.8% (2013: 78; 2014: 61)
Robbery: -2.3% (2013: 177; 2014: 173)
Aggravated Assault: -13.3% (2013: 747; 2014: 648)

Click here for full coverage of Rockford’s 2015 ranking.

#3 New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut is the #3 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, New Haven’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of New Haven’s 2015 ranking.

#4 Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut is the #4 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Hartford’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Hartford’s 2015 ranking.

#5 Springfield, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri is the #5 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 and it showed very little change in its violent crime during the first half of 2014. Data reported to the FBI for January to June 2014 indicates that total violent crime in Springfield increased modestly by 3.7 percent with 942 violent crime incidents versus 908 during the same period in 2013. The city of 163,062 people experienced its greatest increase in violent crime in the category of aggravated assault, reporting 620 incidents versus 580 in the prior period. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +3.7% (2013: 908; 2014: 942)
Murder: -16.7% (2013: 6; 2014: 5)
Rape: +2.3% (2013: 133; 2014: 136)
Robbery: -4.2% (2013: 189; 2014: 181)
Aggravated Assault: +6.9% (2013: 580; 2014: 620)

Click here for full coverage of Springfield, Missouri’s 2015 ranking.

#6 Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts is the #6 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000; however, it reported a slight decrease in violent crime during the first half of 2014. The city of 153,586 people experienced a total violent crime decline of 6.7 percent, with 767 incidents reported during January to June 2014 versus 822 during the same period in 2013. The city’s greatest decrease was in the category of murder (six murders versus 12 during the same period in 2013), and it reported modest declines in both robbery (-7.5 percent) and aggravated assault (-6.2 percent). Reported incidents of rape remained about the same at 45 versus 43 prior year. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -6.7% (2013: 822; 2014: 767)
Murder: -50% (2013: 12; 2014: 6)
Rape: +4.7% (2013: 43; 2014: 45)
Robbery: -7.5% (2013: 281; 2014: 260)
Aggravated Assault: -6.2% (2013: 486; 2014: 456)

Click here for full coverage of Springfield, Massachusetts’ 2015 ranking.

#7 Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson, New Jersey is the #7 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000; however, it reported a large decline in violent crime for the months of January through June 2014 versus the same period in 2013. Total violent crime in Paterson decreased by 21 percent for this period, with 571 incidents reported versus 723 prior year. Most notably, robbery in the city of 145,082 people dropped by over thirty percent (286 incidents versus 414 prior year). Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -21% (2013: 723; 2014: 571)
Murder: +60% (2013: 5; 2014: 8)
Rape*: -18.2% (2013: 11; 2014: 9)
Robbery: -30.9% (2013: 414; 2014: 286)
Aggravated Assault: -8.5% (2013: 293; 2014: 268)

Click here for full coverage of Paterson’s 2015 ranking.

#8 Lansing, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan is the #8 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Lansing’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Lansing’s 2015 ranking.

#9 Beaumont, Texas

Beaumont, Texas is the #9 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Beaumont’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Beaumont’s 2015 ranking.

#10 Richmond, California

Richmond, California is the #10 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000; however, it reported the greatest reduction in violent crime out of all cities in the top ten. Richmond, with a population of 107,341 people, reported a nearly 40 percent drop in total violent crime. Most notably, aggravated assault in the city decreased by more than 50 percent and there were five murders versus 12 during the same period in the prior year. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -38.5% (2013: 660; 2014: 406)
Murder: -58.3% (2013: 12; 2014: 5)
Rape**: Not comparable (2013: 20; 2014: 23)
Robbery: -19.6% (2013: 230; 2014: 185)
Aggravated Assault: -51.5% (2013: 398; 2014: 193)

Click here for full coverage of Richmond’s 2015 ranking.

—

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Chelsey Goff, and Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here to see full coverage of Crime in America 2015.

Source: FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2014.

*The figure shown here for the offense of rape was reported using the legacy UCR definition of rape.

**Richmond, California, made the switch from the legacy definition of this offense, to the current revised definition. Therefore, it is not possible to compare the two years.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Paterson, NJ and Richmond, CA Report Major Drops in Violent Crime appeared first on Law Street.

While you were grinding away last week, you might have missed these three great articles. The #1 story of the week came from Anneliese Mahoney with her take on Fox News guest Steven Emerson’s totally fabricated “facts” about Muslim residents of Birmingham, England; Alexis Evans made her debut with the #2 article of the week–a smart takedown of rapper 2 Chainz debate with TV host Nancy Grace over marijuana policy; and the #3 article of the week came from Morgan McMurray’s coverage of anti-Muslim sentiment on Twitter. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 No Surprise: Fox News Just Makes Up Facts Now

We all know that Fox News interprets the second part of its name very loosely, but it hit a new low this weekend when it allowed guest Steven Emerson to blatantly make stuff up. Read the full article here.

#2 2 Chainz vs. Nancy Grace: Rapper Wins Debate Over Legalizing Pot

Is this real life? HLN viewers were gifted TV comedic gold the other night in the form of a marijuana debate between the always controversial Nancy Grace and “Fed Watching” rapper 2 Chainz. Grace, whose Wikipedia controversy section alone is cause enough for pause, brought 2 Chainz, who was arrested in 2013 for possessing a weed grinder, on her show to discuss the legalization of marijuana. Funnily enough, it was 2 Chainz who upstaged Grace with actual valid points while she rebutted by showing him irrelevant videos of parents forcing toddlers to smoke pot. Read the full article here.

#3 J.K. Rowling Has Perfect Response to Anti-Muslim Tweets

We are now nearly two weeks into the new year and have already had a heavy dose of tragedy. Unless you have been cut off from internet and television over the past few days, you’ve heard about the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Regardless of what your opinion is of that publication, the murder of those people was an act of terror and an infringement on their rights as humans and French citizens. Read the full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Vacation is OVER. Okay, not for all of you students, but for some of you it’s already back to the second semester grind. As my favorite legal tweeter for this week put it, “It’s like I’m in a dark tunnel, lost, with no light at the end of the tunnel and no flashlight.” Depressing? Yes. Totally, 100 percent accurate? Absolutely. Check out the the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

For those of you keeping track, Chris Brown has landed himself in legal trouble for at least the third time since his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. This time the R&B singer found himself in court because of a recent performance he gave at the Fiesta Nightclub in San Jose, California. The terms of Brown’s probation require him to get permission before leaving Los Angeles County; however, he didn’t do that, and instead traveled over 300 miles outside of the county for the January 11 show.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James R. Brandlin revoked Brown’s probation yesterday in light of the unapproved travel, as well as the fact that Brown is still 200 hours short of completing the required community service component of his plea agreement. Probation revocation isn’t necessarily a go-directly-to-jail card; judges have several different options at their disposal in this type of situation, including requiring entry into some type of treatment program or adding additional time onto the length of probation, among other things. In Brown’s case, Brandlin is allowing the singer to remain free at least until March when another hearing in the matter is scheduled.

Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos–known for representing celebrity defendants, including Michael Jackson and notorious wife-killer Scott Peterson–claimed that Brown’s unauthorized travel was not in fact the singer’s fault, but rather that Geragos’ office provided him with bad information on this particular term of his probation.

Brown’s probation dates back to the infamous incident with Rihanna following the Grammys in 2009, when he choked, punched, and bit her. Since his arrest and subsequent plea agreement in that case, Brown has not stayed out of legal trouble. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault last year after being arrested for punching a man outside his Washington, DC hotel. He was sentenced to time already served after spending two days in jail; however, because he was already on probation for assaulting Rihanna he received 131 days in jail as a result of the new guilty plea. He was also ordered to enter rehab as a result of this incident, but he was kicked out for violating the center’s rules before finishing the four-month program. He was also charged in a hit-and-run incident in early 2013, but the charges were later dropped.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Chris Brown is Back in Court…Again appeared first on Law Street.

Hello, Monday, we meet again. As you trudge into a new work week, we’ve got you covered with stories you might have missed last week. Anneliese Mahoney topped the list with all three of the week’s top stories. Number one implores you to stop posting the useless copyright status to your Facebook account — seriously, it’s a waste of your time. Number two recounts Sarah Palin’s latest controversy, this time with PETA over a picture she sent out to her social media followers; and number three is a look at the bumpy legal road ahead for Uber. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Please Stop Posting the Facebook Copyright Status

Every now and then Facebook updates its policies. And immediately after that, I notice a series of statuses from my “friends” on Facebook. It’s a sort of notice alerting readers to the fact that the poster believes they have copyright over their own content. There are sometimes slight variations in wording, but that’s pretty much what these statuses look like every time. I’ve seen so many in my news feed over the last week that I thought it was time for an important PSA. This status means nothing. Read full article here.

#2 Sarah Palin vs. PETA: Welcome to the Overreaction Olympics

Sarah Palin has a unique place in my heart–after all, there are very few people who I can count on to continually surprise me with the weird scandals they manage to get themselves involved in. But she may have just outdone herself. The most recent Palin scandal started with a photo she posted to Facebook on New Years Day. Read full article here.

#3 Uber Will Have a Rough Ride in 2015

Uber is a great way to get from point A to point B, but the company may have a rocky road ahead of it in 2015. There are a lot of lawsuits pending against the ridesharing company, and while none of them seem that damaging, it does raise a question: why is Uber so prone to lawsuits? Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome back to work! OK, so if you’re like me you’ve been back to work for a week now, but it still feels like the first Monday after vacation doesn’t it? In case you weren’t into your normal routine of obsessively scrolling through the news last week, you can catch up on Law Street’s top three articles. Number one was brought to you by Marisa Mostek in her series about the dumbest laws in the United States–this time it was Utah and Nevada. The number two story was from Hannah R. Winsten who had five actionable ideas for making this your most feminist New Year yet. And the third most popular story of the week was an issue brief on hacking as a tool of war by Mike Sliwinski. ICYMI, here is the Best of the Week from Law Street.

#1 The Dumbest Laws in the United States: Utah and Nevada

Nevada is home to legal prostitution and Sin City. Yet, it is surprisingly not home to many stupid laws. However, its neighbor Utah makes up for that with a whole long list of weird laws on the books. Let’s start with Nevada. In Reno, sex toys are outlawed, and it is illegal to lie down on the sidewalk, no matter how drunk and tired you are. Read the full article here.

#2 Five Resolutions for a More Feminist New Year

Folks, the New Year is upon us. Time to break out your most bedazzled dress, pop the champagne, and party your way into 2015, am I right? Fuck yeah I am. But, while New Year’s Eve is a night of epic intoxication, huge crowds, and glittery debauchery (if you’re at the right party), it’s also notorious for being the pre-game to a little thing we all do every New Year’s Day. Resolution making. Read the full article here.

#3 Hacking: The New Kind of Warfare

Following the recent fiasco at Sony, hacking has been catapulted squarely into the spotlight. But hackers are doing more than just delaying movie premieres–they are causing serious damage and have the capability to cause much more. Before we get too scared of these anonymous boogeymen, however, it is important to understand what hacking is and who the hackers are. Read the full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

I’ve written before about how great I think John Dingell is on Twitter. (And I really, really hope it’s actually him. I’ll just keep telling myself it is, anyway.) The now-former Congressman from Michigan retired at the end of the year, but much to my delight he shows no signs of letting up on his constant Twitter brilliance–even through a rough patch that saw the Congressman in the hospital with a fractured hip. I wish him well in his retirement and fully expect that we’ll hear plenty more out of Michigan’s finest son. Check out some of the statesman’s latest gems from this winter.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Former Rep. John Dingell is Still the King of Twitter appeared first on Law Street.

The folks over at Fox and Friends learned a valuable lesson in social media engagement this week–actually, who knows if they’re even paying attention, considering they met the same fate as the NYPD’s failed #myNYPD campaign earlier in 2014 . The morning show hosts tried to build a year-end social media swell with this tweet featuring Survivor contestant turned talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck:

2014 has been a year full of things we don’t want to see in the New Year. What are YOU over? Comment with #OverIt2014 pic.twitter.com/FjE8C989d3

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) December 30, 2014

I’m guessing that what ensued isn’t exactly what the team had hoped for. Twitter responded–and continues to do so today–with a barrage of tweets attacking the network for a variety of offenses from homophobia to religious intolerance. Check out some of the responses in the slideshow below.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Well, That Didn’t Work Out How Fox News Planned #OverIt2014 appeared first on Law Street.

With law schools on winter break there was a distinct lack of exhaustion and complaints this week–hallelujah! This is application season, though, so there’s still plenty going on and it’s the perfect time to remind everyone of the optimistic, motivated feeling so many people have when just embarking on their legal journey. This week let’s take a look at ten people who have taken the first step by finishing their law school applications and take on a bit of their enthusiasm! Check out the best legal tweets of the week (well…month).

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy New Year! Get ready for a full day of listening to your friends, family, and every D-lister on the morning shows drone on and on about their 2015 resolutions. Diets, new jobs, and all the usual suspects will make the rounds no matter who you talk to, but here are some resolutions celebrities and politicians should be making if they were really being honest with themselves.

Rep. Michael Grimm

Start paying taxes; stop threatening to throw reporters off balconies.

Courtesy of Giphy.com.

Sony Co-Chair Amy Pascal

Leave racially insensitive comments to unfiltered grandparents during the holidays and not in emails to colleagues.

Latest Sony email hack shows Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal making racist jokes about Obama http://t.co/RrNLdhplvR

— NY Daily News Gossip (@NYDNgossip) December 11, 2014

Justin Bieber

Start the Justin Bieber “Center for Kids Who Can’t Give Depositions Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too.” Also, avoid Interpol.  

President Obama

Figure out a way to differentiate the Baltimore Ravens roster from the Freaks and Geeks cast.

Courtesy of Giphy.com.

Kim Kardashian

Learn how the internet works; determine whether or not it’s actually “breakable.”

The 10 most popular stories of the year on http://t.co/M1Ru3U4Ixe http://t.co/SQUr0yv8JQ pic.twitter.com/OwzDevBv0Y — PAPER Magazine (@papermagazine) December 31, 2014

Zooey Deschanel

Don’t break any more horses.

Courtesy of Giphy.com.

Sen. Ted Cruz

Stop practicing puppy dog face in mirror. Face is beginning to get stuck that way.

Courtesy of Twitchy.com.

Taylor Swift

Bring back surprised face–people seem to miss it.

Courtesy of Giphy.com.

Shonda Rhimes

Take over ABC, rename Shondaland. Make sure all programming includes strong female lead with some flaws, an emotional kiss scene, and an improbable natural catasrophe.

Courtesy of Giphy.com.

Charlie Crist

Track down promised campaign donation from the United Fan Makers of America.

Hon. John Dingell

Keep being awesome.

Proud Michigan resident & dear friend @grahamdavis got a bulldog today and named it Dingell. I see no similarities. pic.twitter.com/aqKwGwMM9Y

— Rep. John Dingell (@john_dingell) October 19, 2014

Mama June Shannon

Take a break from dating.

Courtesy of Giphy.com.

Former Rep. Trey Radel

Stop throwing stones from glass house.

Ya give him a breathalyzer test every-time he votes…duh http://t.co/lX5ojfqnqu — starchy (@me_starchy) December 31, 2014

What other resolutions do you think they should make? Let us know in the comments.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post New Year’s Resolutions Celebs & Politicians Should Make for 2015 appeared first on Law Street.

NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover detected changing methane gas levels on the much-talked-about planet, spurring reports this week of the possibility of life. According to Sushil Atreya, a member of the rover team, “This temporary increase in methane–sharply up and then back down–tells us there must be some relatively localized source…biological or non-biological, such as interaction of water and rock.” This is great news for the many hopeful applicants to Mars One, the human colony project slated for 2024.

Click here to read Mankind is Mars-Bound: All the Facts on Mars One.

NASA is very clear about one thing: the discovery of fluctuating Methane levels does not mean that there absolutely life on Mars, but rather that life is one possibility among many that could account for this activity. According to John Grotzinger of the rover team,

That we detect methane in the atmosphere on Mars is not an argument that we have found evidence of life on Mars, but it’s one of the few hypotheses that we can propose that we must consider. Large organic molecules present in ancient rocks on Mars is also not an argument that there was once life on ancient Mars, but it is the kind of material you’d look for if life had ever originated on Mars.

This is not the first time that scientists have made a discovery like this one. Smaller methane fluctuations have been detected several times over the last several years, and the team was able to tap into the “hydrogen isotopes from water molecules that had been locked inside a rock sample for billions of years,” the analysis of which added to knowledge of martian water on Mars.

This illustration portrays possible ways that methane might be added to Mars’ atmosphere (sources) and removed from the atmosphere (sinks). NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has detected fluctuations in methane concentration in the atmosphere, implying both types of activity occur in the modern environment of Mars. Courtesy of NASA/JPL -Caltech/SAM-GSFC/Univ. of Michigan.

Law Street writer Madeleine Stern wrote an in-depth explain about the Mars One program that I highly suggest you read in light of this new information coming out of NASA. Mars One, the brain child of Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders, is a nonprofit organization based in the Netherlands that is working toward colonizing Mars. The colony, slated to be established in 2024, will be filled with selected individuals who will make the one-way trip after a three-round selection process to weed out the competition. The first round of Mars One applicants are going to be trained for their life on Mars beginning in 2015, with aspects including physiotherapy, psychology, and exobiology–the study of alien life.

So while we wait for more answers to the questions of what the latest Mars methane discovery means and where it is coming from, you can still throw your hat into the ring to become one of the planet’s first inhabitants. Or hey, at least you can buy a $50 sweatshirt to offset the projects $6 billion price tag.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Thanks to New Discovery Your Seat on Mars One is Looking Good appeared first on Law Street.

From bizarre laws to college admissions strippers, Law Street has you covered on everything you might have missed last week. Our number one story of the week came from Marisa Mostek who added the Pacific Northwest states to her series of the Dumbest Laws in the United States. Hint: hope you don’t want to buy a new mattress on a Sunday, because that’s out of the question. Anneliese Mahoney wrote the #2 post on Columbia University’s policy allowing students who have experienced trauma to petition for delayed exams, which became a hot topic in the context of the recent Ferguson and New York grand jury decisions. And Ashley Shaw had the #3 post of the week with a report on now-defunct FastTrain College’s admissions practices that will have you scratching your head and wondering how this happened in real life. ICYMI: check out Law Street’s Best of the Week.

#1 The Dumbest Laws in the United States: Pacific Northwest Edition

I was wrong a couple weeks ago when I said that California laws are crazy. Many of the Golden State’s laws that I mentioned now seem completely sane in comparison to those I’ve discovered in Washington and Oregon. For example, if you are trying to woo the opposite sex by saying your dad just won the lottery and drives a brand-new Lamborghini when in fact he doesn’t have a dime to his name, you better think again. In Washington state it is illegal to pretend that your parents are rich. Read full article here.

#2 Columbia Law takes Progressive Stance on Mental Health

In light of the incredibly controversial and nation-sweeping announcements that grand juries in Missouri and New York failed to indict the cops who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner, respectively, Columbia University Law School made an announcement. It regarded the reactions that some of the students may be having to those verdicts, and offered counseling, opportunities to talk to professors regarding the indictment. Read full article here.

#3 BS in Dancing: When Stripper Work Admissions, It Might be a Scam

With a name like FastTrain College, you probably expect a top-notch education system along the lines of Harvard or Yale; however, what you apparently get is a different type of top entirely. When FastTrain wants you (so basically if you are a man), it will send out its top admissions officer. And by top officer, I of course mean an exotic dancer dressed provocatively in an effort to lure you into the school. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It’s that time again. You made it through another week of work or finals on the long trudge into the holiday break. YES. This week I’m getting into the holiday spirit and came across a fun competition that our friends across the pond at Lawyer 2B are holding. Through its Twitter page the British company is encouraging law firms to tweet their best pictures of company Christmas trees. My personal favorite? The creative and beautiful tree of legal books from Muckle LLP — love it! Flip through the slideshow below to see how British lawyers are getting into the season, and tweet your favorites. Here’s your early Christmas edition of the Best Legal Tweets of the Week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

With the announcement last week that the grand jury decided not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the choke-hold death of Eric Garner, demands for social justice continue to dominate the media world. At Law Street, Alexandra Badalamenti wrote the number one most read piece about the futility of posting the copyright declaration on Facebook that so many people have done in the last week; Hannah R. Winsten wrote the number two most popular article about the presence of the Oath Keepers in Ferguson; and Noel Diem  brought us the third most popular article of the week–an explainer on the effect of social media in the recent protests in Ferguson and beyond. ICYMI, check out Law Street’s Best of the Week.

#1 Facebook Copyright Myth Debunked

In today’s world of multiple social media platforms and just too much to do, you may not remember the June 2012 and November 2012 Facebook copyright panics. In case you missed them, here’s how they went: Status updates surfaced from users who unnecessarily “formally declared” their posted material as off limits to Facebook. The hype threw photographers and artists on the social media platform into a frenzy, and those not employed by their intellectual property still worried about the protections over their personal pictures and videos. Read full article here.

#2 Dear Oath Keepers: GTFO of Ferguson

The Oath Keepers have descended upon Ferguson in response to the riots, taking up armed positions on the rooftops of local businesses to guard against looters. Working as a sort of vigilante militia, these rooftop patrollers are veterans, ex-cops, and paramedics. They work at night and, apparently, they’re prepared to shoot down anyone who crosses their path. Read full article here.

#3 Ferguson and the Effect of Social Media Activism

Social media has been a key part of the nation’s involvement in the Ferguson case since the day it happened. Protest footage was shown online as it developed through YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook posts. If that spark of anger ever dissipated, a well-timed hashtag could bring it back, and when the evidence was released, people joined together to comb through the details for more information. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

First of all let me just say this up front: I’m sorry. I’m sorry that it’s finals seasons. It’s tortuous and stressful and you probably can’t keep your eyes open or your brain at a normal speed. Wish I could help ya, but really all I can say is that the end is near and you totally earned a five-minute break to flip through this slideshow of people who are suffering too. Check out the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The clock is counting down to the day Teresa Giudice must report to federal prison, but she isn’t going down without a fight. As Allison Dawson explained in October, the original Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member was sentenced to 15 months in prison for wire and bankruptcy fraud. This week, however, she filed suit against her former bankruptcy attorney, Jim Kridel, for malpractice.

U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who also sentenced Giudice’s husband Joe to 41 months in prison, made a point of reprimanding the couple for not disclosing all their assets to the court during their bankruptcy and related proceedings.

It feels as if things have been hidden or concealed…It’s as if you thumb your nose at this court…If [Teresa] had put something down [on the financial disclosure forms], anything, I think [probation] would have been fine…She put nothing down, nothing.

It certainly seems from Salas’ statement that had Teresa’s disclosure forms been complete and accurate, it’s unlikely that she would be serving a 15-month sentence at the Danbury federal prison beginning January 5, 2015. Teresa has now filed suit against her former bankruptcy lawyer, claiming that his actions are why she is going to prison. According to the Bravo personality and best-selling cookbook author, James Kridel was responsible for accurately and completely filling out the family’s bankruptcy filings and that he is the one who didn’t disclose her salary from the Real Housewives, the family’s rental property income, and various other assets such as ATVs and jewelry. The $5 million malpractice suit was filed Wednesday, December 3, 2014 in Manhattan District Court.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post UPDATE: Teresa Giudice Suing Lawyer Before Heading to Jail appeared first on Law Street.

Law Street’s top three articles last week covered a whole range of hot topics. Don’t worry if you ate too much turkey and couldn’t keep your eyes open to read them though, we’ve got you covered here. The Crime in America Team’s coverage of the Safest and Most Dangerous States in the nation took the top spot; Noel Diem delved into the complicated world of school dress codes and their effects on students for article number two; and Allison Dawson wrote the third most popular post of the week with a look into the University of Virginia’s move to shut down fraternities while it investigates rape allegations published in Rolling Stone. ICYMI, here are the top three stores of the week from Law Street.

#1 Slideshow: America’s Safest & Most Dangerous States 2015

Alaska is the most dangerous state in the nation according to the latest violent crime data from the FBI. With an increase in violent crime rate from 603 per 100,000 people in 2012 to 640 in 2013–the most recent year for which the FBI provides data–Alaska moved into the number one spot, followed by New Mexico (613) and Nevada (603). Read full article here.

#2 School Dress Codes: Are Yoga Pants Really the Problem?

Anyone who has been inside of a high school in the last five years has seen some interesting fashion choices by today’s teenagers. Teachers are expected to teach to the tests, teach students how to survive in the real world, personalize the curriculum for IEP students of all levels, and still have their work graded within twenty-four hours. And now? Some districts are adding another dimension: dress code enforcement. Dress codes are an important part of school culture, as they sometimes dictate whether or not a student can even attend class. Read full article here.

#3 University of Virginia Suspends All Fraternities After Rape Allegations

You might have missed it with all the huge news events within the last week, but there was aRolling Stone article published last week about a young woman who was the victim of a heinous crime. Seven (yes, SEVEN) young men at a fraternity party raped the woman over a three-hour period. The rape took place two years ago, but now that the story is out UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan has decided to shut down all fraternities until at least January 9, 2015. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Law Street’s top three stories of the week ranged from the truly outrageous, to the infuriating, to the utterly baffling. Anneliese Mahoney  brought us the number one most read article of the week about a Canadian couple who dotted all their insurance i’s and crossed all their doctor’s permission t’s and still were hit with a million-dollar hospital bill when they unexpectedly had their baby while on vacation in the U.S.; Mahoney also wrote about the startling  sexual assault allegations surrounding Bill Cosby and the rape culture in which we’re immersed; and writer Ashley Shaw told the tale of the very worst neighbor you can imagine–one whose dogs dogs killed the neighbor’s beagle so she decided to sue them. I told you it was utterly baffling. ICYMI, here is the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Meet the World’s Most Expensive Baby

A Canadian couple decided to go on a nice, warm visit to Hawaii. Jennifer Huculak and her husband Darren Kimmel were three months away from the birth of their daughter when they came to the U.S. on vacation. Unfortunately, a few days after their arrival, Huculak went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl. Because their daughter was born premature, they racked up some expensive hospital bills. Well, actually, expensive is kind of an understatement. To be more precise, they are being charged $950,000 for the medical care they received. Read full article here.

#2 Bill Cosby Allegations: A Striking Example of Rape Culture

Bill Cosby has, to many, gained the sort of “elder statesman” distinction in the acting world. For all intents and purposes, things were going well for him this year. He signed up to do a new show on NBC and announced a Netflix standup special. Then a comedian named Hannibal Buress did a bit in which he accused Cosby of being a rapist. Read full article here.

#3 Woman Sues Neighbors After Her Own Pit Bulls Kill Their Beagle

I have a quiz for you (don’t worry, it’s only one question, it isn’t math, and it’s multiple choice): If your four pit bulls break through a fence and enter the neighbor’s yard, then kill Bailey the ten-year-old beagle that resides there, what do you do? a. Apologize. b. Offer to buy the neighbors a new dog. c. Both a and b. d. Sue the neighbors for $1 million. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

You made it to the weekend! Congratulations. Have a cup of coffee, scroll through Twitter, and…OK, probably you should get back to work and studying. But before that, check out the best legal tweets of the week and follow these handles for some comic relief.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From coast to coast, crime was king last week. Law Street released its Crime in America 2015 coverage, which ranked America’s Safest and Most Dangerous Cities. The rankings, based on the FBI’s latest city crime data released on the same day, featured 30 America cities that have varying degrees of success combating violent crime. Violent crime across the country is on the decline, but that isn’t true of each individual city. ICYMI, check out the rankings below to see where you city falls on the spectrum.

#1 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America for the second year in a row, according to data released today by the FBI. Detroit maintains this ranking despite an overall violent crime decrease of 2.5 percent over the course of 2013, the latest year for which the FBI has released crime statistics. Read full article here.

#2 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Irvine, California is the Safest City in the United States for the second year in a row, according to data released today by the FBI. The 235,000-person city experienced a five percent decrease in violent crime throughout 2013–the most recent year for which the FBI has provided data. Read full article here.

#3 Crime in America 2015: Full Coverage

With the vast majority of Americans living in cities and suburbs, safety is a major concern across the country. Each city has a unique set of challenges to address in order to provide security to its residents, and the results vary widely. Law Street Media’s Crime in America 2015  coverage is the first comprehensive look at the FBI’s latest crime statistics for every American city with a population over 100,000 people. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It’s finally Friday and I know you need a break. Don’t pretend you don’t. There’s no shame in it. This was a LONG week. Know who it was ever longer for? Law students and lawyers, you poor dears. So go get your sixth cup of coffee, put on your serious space-creating face, and check out the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

With the vast majority of Americans living in cities and suburbs, safety is a major concern across the country. Each city has a unique set of challenges to address in order to provide security to its residents, and the results vary widely. Law Street Media’s Crime in America 2015  coverage is the first comprehensive look at the FBI’s latest crime statistics for every American city with a population over 100,000 people, as well as metro areas as determined by the FBI. Take a look at the rankings and features below to discover how safe your city actually is. Check back regularly for continued reporting and additional features.

Rankings

Safest and Most Dangerous States

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Metro Area Rankings

Interactive Dashboard

Crime Trends in America’s Largest Cities

CHARTS AND DATA

NOTES

• What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports
• Methodology

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2015 appeared first on Law Street.

Law Street’s Crime Team used the FBI’s four major violent crime categories–murders, aggravated assaults, robberies, and forcible rapes–to create a standard measure of violent-crimes-per-100,000 people among all cities over 100,000 people reporting crime data to the FBI. This allows year-to-year and city-to-city comparisons. To derive the ratio, the total number of violent crimes reported to the FBI  is divided by the city’s population, with  the result then multiplied by 100,000. The formula for this calculation is shown below. Crime rankings were further broken down by population, with 200,000 used as the dividing point.

Violent Crime Rate = (Total Violent Crime in a City/City Population) x 100,000

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime Ranking Methodology appeared first on Law Street.

The following is the full text of the FBI’s disclaimer about the use of its Uniform Crime Reports. The disclaimer appears here in its entirety.

Since 1930, participating local, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies have voluntarily provided the Nation with a reliable set of crime statistics through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The FBI, which administers the program, periodically releases the crime statistics to the public.Uniform Crime Report Ranking Disclaimer is from the FBI. 

Usefulness of UCR Data

UCR crime statistics are used in many ways and serve many purposes. They provide law enforcement with data for use in budget formulation, planning, resource allocation, assessment of police operations, etc., to help address the crime problem at various levels. Chambers of commerce and tourism agencies examine these data to see how they impact the particular geographic jurisdictions they represent. Criminal justice researchers study the nature, cause, and movement of crime over time. Legislators draft anti-crime measures using the research findings and recommendations of law enforcement administrators, planners, and public and private entities concerned with the problem of crime. The news media use the crime statistics provided by the UCR Program to inform the public about the state of crime.

Pitfalls of Ranking

UCR data are sometimes used to compile rankings of individual jurisdictions and institutions of higher learning. These incomplete analyses have often created misleading perceptions which adversely affect geographic entities and their residents. For this reason, the FBI has a long-standing policy against ranking participating law enforcement agencies on the basis of crime data alone. Despite repeated warnings against these practices, some data users continue to challenge and misunderstand this position.

Data users should not rank locales because there are many factors that cause the nature and type of crime to vary from place to place. UCR statistics include only jurisdictional population figures along with reported crime, clearance, or arrest data. Rankings ignore the uniqueness of each locale. Some factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

• Population density and degree of urbanization.
• Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration.
• Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and
  transient factors.
• Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability.
• Modes of transportation and highway systems.
• Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics.
• Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness.
• Climate.
• Effective strength of law enforcement agencies.
• Administrative and investigative emphases on law enforcement.
• Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probational).
• Citizens’ attitudes toward crime.
• Crime reporting practices of the citizenry.

Ranking agencies based solely on UCR data has serious implications. For example, if a user wants to measure the effectiveness of a law enforcement agency, these measurements are not available. As a substitute, a user might list UCR clearance rates, rank them by agency, and attempt to infer the effectiveness of individual law enforcement agencies. This inference is flawed because all the other measures of police effectiveness were ignored. The nature of the offenses that were cleared must be considered as those cleared may not have been the most serious, like murder or rape. The agency’s clearances may or may not result in conviction, the ultimate goal. The agency may make many arrests for Part II offenses, like drug abuse violations, which demonstrate police activity but are not considered in the clearance rate. The agency’s available resources are also critical to successful operation, so its rate of officers to population and budget should be considered. The UCR clearance rate was simply not designed to provide a complete assessment of law enforcement effectiveness. In order to obtain a validpicture of an agency’s effectiveness, data users must consider an agency’s emphases and resources; and its crime, clearance, and arrest rates; along with other appropriate factors.

Because of concern regarding the proper use of UCR data, the FBI has the following policies:

• The FBI does not analyze, interpret, or publish crime statistics based solely on single-dimension inter-agency ranking.
• The FBI does not provide agency-based crime statistics to data users in a ranked format.
• When providing/using agency-oriented statistics, the FBI cautions and, in fact, strongly discourages, data users against using rankings to evaluate locales or the effectiveness of their law enforcement agencies.

Promoting Responsible Crime Analysis

For more information about the UCR Program, visit http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr. For Web assistance, please contact the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division at (304) 625-4995.

Click here to read more Crime in America 2015 coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports appeared first on Law Street.

The midterms are finally over (thank God/the universe/Oprah) so now we can all go back to real life. Just kidding — it’s practically presidential election time. Your attention span and patience are ready for that, right? Well before you get into that, take a look at some of the top stores from Law Street last week that you might have missed in all the excitement. It was a clean sweep for writer Anneliese Mahoney who wrote all three of the top articles on Law Street last week. Number one is Mahoney’s take on Taylor Swift’s latest album and her decision to pull all her work from popular streaming music site Spotify; number two is an in-depth look at the three states with major marijuana legislation on last Tuesday’s ballots; and number three was a shout out who is generally accepted as the country’s youngest new elected official, Saira Blair of West Virginia. ICYMI, take a look at Law Street’s Best of the Week.

#1: Taylor Swift and Spotify: Never Ever, Ever Getting Back Together?

Taylor Swift made waves this week when she pulled all of her music from the popular streaming site Spotify. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter’s newest album, “1989,” was never put on the site, and her older music can no longer be found there. Read full article here.

#2: States to Watch Today: Marijuana on the Ballot in Oregon, Alaska, and DC

It’s been a truly whirlwind few years for marijuana legalization. In 2012, voters in Washington and Colorado voted to legalize marijuana use in those states. Others continue to decriminalize marijuana and allow its use for medical purposes. Today Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia will vote on whether or not to legalize marijuana. How do these laws stack up? Read full article here.

#3: Saira Blair Youngest Elected Official in America: Snaps for Her

Saira Blair is an 18-year-old West Virginia University freshman majoring in economics. She’s also believed to be the youngest elected lawmaker in the United States. At 17, Blair actually beat a 66-year-old Republican incumbent in a primary, and on Tuesday she beat a 44-year-old Attorney, Democrat Layne Diehl. She will represent a district of just under 20,000 people located in the West Virginia panhandle, close to Maryland, as one of 100 members of the Virginia House of Delegates. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

In the final week leading up to a big election there’s never any shortage of political news. Know what else there isn’t a shortage of? Exhaustion over political news. Last week at Law Street, though, our top three stories came from the world of crime. The Crime in America team produced the number one article of the week with the first-ever definitive coverage of the Killers of Craigslist; writer Anneliese Mahoney covered the disturbing case of California highway cops who routinely steal nude photos from detained women’s cell phones; and the third most popular article detailed Americans’ biggests fears — both warranted (identity theft) and not (mass shootings, which you are highly unlikely to ever experience firsthand). ICYMI, here is the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Killers of Craigslist

Since the arrest in 2009 of Philip Markoff, aka the “Craigslist Killer,” the website has faced increased scrutiny by the media. Law Street decided to take a closer look at the site and its media coverage to see how dangerous Craigslist really is. We wanted to know: Was Markoff’s an isolated act, or an incident on a continuum? Our findings are noteworthy. This marks the first tabulation of all Craigslist murders since 2009. Law Street identified 58 murderers and 45 murder victims connected to Craigslist postings through last June. Read full article here.

#2 California Police Officers Found Stealing Suspects’ Nude Photos

Today’s “wow, people really suck” story comes straight to you from the California highways. Or, to be more specific, California’s Highway Police. Apparently, a few officers from Contra Costa County, California, have created a new, sick game to pass the time. They began accessing the cell phones of female suspects brought into custody, and then sending nude or semi-nude photos of these women to themselves. Allegedly, the pictures were then passed to the other officers playing the “game.” Read full article here.

#3 Just in Time for Halloween: What Are Americans’ Top Fears?

What scares you the most? That’s the question that Chapman University decided to ask America in a recently released study called the “Chapman Survey on American Fears.” In the study, researchers surveyed 1,500 Americans from different walks of life in order to create a strong representative sample. They split the types of fears into four categories: personal fears, crime, natural disasters, and fear factors. They were able to determine the most pressing concerns in each of the categories, as well as overall. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Since the arrest in 2009 of Philip Markoff, aka the “Craigslist Killer,” the website has faced increased scrutiny by the media. Law Street decided to take a closer look at the site and its media coverage to see how dangerous Craigslist really is. We wanted to know: Was Markoff’s an isolated act, or an incident on a continuum? Our findings are noteworthy. This marks the first tabulation of all Craigslist murder trials and convictions from 2009 through June 2014. Law Street identified 58 murderers and 45 murder victims connected to Craigslist postings through last June. Twenty-two murder cases are still pending. The oldest pending case dates to 2012, and eight are from 2014, indications that the killings continue. Craigslist did not reply to multiple inquiries.

Click here to read the Killers of Craigslist in single-page format.

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Research and Analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America team: Lexine DeLuca, Jake Ephros, Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney, Marisa Mostek, Kevin Rizzo, Nicole Roberts, and Trevor Smith.

Featured image courtesy of [Janine via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Killers of Craigslist appeared first on Law Street.

Monday again, huh? It’s rough. I’m not even going to try to dispute that. Ease into the work week with a recap of last week’s top stories from Law Street. Blogger Hannah Kaye took the number one spot with an analytical look at the the myth of “stranger danger” through the lens of the disturbing case of Hannah Graham in Virginia; writer Hannah Winsten took it to the people behind #GamerGate and violence against women to earn the number two spot; and I wrote about Starbucks’ upcoming competition to win free coffee for 30 years. ICYMI, check out the top three stories from last week.

#1 The Case of Hannah Graham and the Myth of Stranger Danger

On September 13 2014, 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham went missing, and recently authorities arrested and charged 32-year-old Jesse L. Matthew Jr. in relation to the incident. His current charge is described as abduction with intent to defile in the case of Graham. (Intent to defile meaning he intended to sexually assault the victim.) Matthew is currently being held without bond and is scheduled for a hearing in early December. Unfortunately, after two weeks of searching, Graham has still not been found, but authorities are doing all they can to locate her. Read full article here.

#2 GamerGate Takes Misogyny to a Whole New Level

How many of you are big video game players? Probably a decent number of you. I, personally, don’t really get the whole video game thing, mainly because I didn’t grow up with them. My parents had really strong opinions about what kinds of activities made children’s “brains melt out of their ears.” Melodramatic, Mom. But! I’m in the minority here. You guys totally like to relax with a cold beer and a few hours of Madden, am I right? Read full article here.

#3 Starbucks for Life Campaign: You’re Welcome Law Students

If there are two things common to basically every law student ever, it’s this: 1. You’re exhausted in every possible way imaginable and subsisting on caffeine; and, 2. There’s no point in even thinking about the 30 years it’s going to take you to pay off your student debt. Lucky for (a handful of) you, Starbucks announced its new “Starbucks for Life” campaign. Read full article here.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Last month fellow Law Street writer Joe Perry published a great article about Isabella Tanikumi, a writer who is suing Walt Disney Company for $250 million. For what you ask? Well, Tanikumi claims that Disney’s smash hit “Frozen” — the animated insta-classic that’s spawned a countless musical renditions (I suggest you check out this one and this one if you need a pick me up) — is based on her life as documented in her autobiography, “Living My Truth.”

This month the hilarious duo of YouTube personality Kevin and his grandma got into the Frozen game. Watch the video below to see Kevin convince his grandmother that Frozen is actually his life. Jump to the 0:25 mark to see Kevin’s grandma “recall” seeing Frozen character Ana the “ginger” at the house.

Can we not all relate to this type of conversation without grandparents? Too funny. Happy weekend!

Click here to read Joe Palmisano’s original article, “Author Sues Disney for $250 Million Claiming ‘Frozen’ is Based on Her Life.”

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Joe Penniston via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Another Guy Claims Life is “Frozen,” But This One’s Hilarious appeared first on Law Street.

UPDATE: October 25, 2014

Well, that was quick. As of today TLC has pulled the plug on its uber successful reality show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” The announcement comes after weeks of speculation and reports asserting that Mama June, Honey Boo Boo’s mother, has been dating a convicted sex offender since splitting with her long-time partner Sugar Bear.

Here is the family’s response to the news, posted to their Facebook fan page earlier today:

According to Mama June in the video, she is not dating Mike McDaniel, who was convicted of aggravated child molestation in 2004.

“The statement of me dating a sex offender is totally untrue. Pumpkin (June’s daughter) has openly said that I’m not dating him … I would never, ever, ever, ever put my kids in danger.”

TLC, unsurprisingly, has been cautious when addressing this situation. “TLC has cancelled the series ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ and ended all activities around the series, effective immediately. Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority. TLC is faithfully committed to the children’s ongoing comfort and well-being.”

No word yet from Sugar Bear on this controversy. It remains to be seen if the Shannon-Thompson family’s fans are as loyal as those of another major cable network’s reality family: the Robertsons of “Duck Dynasty” on A&E. A&E briefly barred the Robertson family patriarch from filming when he likened homosexuality to bestiality in a GQ interview. The whole family threatened to walk and many viewers revolted against the network, which later walked back the suspension.

Read our prior coverage on Mama June and Sugar Bear’s split, which kicked off speculation over the show’s future, here.

UPDATE October 25, 2014: Anna Shannon Cardwell, the oldest daughter of Mama June Shannon, reportedly was the eight-year-old child who McDaniel molested between 2002 – 2003. Cardwell defended her mother against reports that she was dating the man who spent ten years in jail for her molestation, until yesterday when she received more information about her mother’s relationship. Cardwell reportedly came forward with this information about her experience because of the nature of what she sees as her mother’s betrayal.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Daniel Horatio Agostini via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post TLC Cancels Honey Boo Boo, Possible Sex Offender Connection appeared first on Law Street.

Lawyering is tough. If you’ve been through the law school struggle then you know this all too well. And as one of my favorite tweets of the week tells us, you probably have bags under your eyes so major they should have the Chanel logo on them. Need a break? Check out Law Street’s best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Shelley Bernstein via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Missed out on some of the most interesting news last week? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. From satirical gateway drugs to a city overrun by clowns, last week was certainly one for the books. Writer Anneliese Mahoney took the top two spots with her reporting on police who struck out in their drug searches but came out with a handful of okra and some frisbee equipment, as well as a look t the city of Wasco, California, which may or may not be crawling in clowns; Alexandra Badalamenti write the number three post of the week on Hershey’s lawsuit against the maker of Hashees, a curiously similarly named weed edible. ICYMI, here is Law Street’s Best of the Week.

#1 Frisbees and Okra: The New Gateway Drugs

The national attitude towards pot has been evolving for some time now. Marijuana has now officially been decriminalized in a number of states, and even legalized in two: Oregon and Washington. But even as our national view towards marijuana changes, our misperceptions don’t necessarily follow suit. This split has led to a couple funny stories making the national news this week. One directly relates to those aforementioned stereotypes. A video in Ankeny, Iowa has been making its rounds on the internet. In it, a police officer tries to search a driver’s car, because apparently, people who play disc golf also smoke weed. (Read full article here)

#2 What’s the Deal With the Clown Problem in Wasco, California

If you’re a member of the Wasco California Police Department, you’ve had an interesting week. Wasco, near Bakersfield, has been all over the news for an interesting problem it’s having. But is it actually a problem, or a weird hoax turned viral? Google it and you’ll see a bunch of headlines about crazy clowns terrorizing the town and stalking people. (Read full article here)

#3 Hershey’s Settles Trademark Suit With Hashees Marijuana Edibles Maker

The Hershey Company has settled a lawsuit and simultaneously protected millions of little children across the country from becoming future cannabis users. The maker of the legendary chocolate Kiss, Peppermint Patty, and (my personal favorite) Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup settled a suit against marijuana candy manufacturer TinctureBelle LLC. Filed this summer, the suit was in response to TinctureBelle’s “medicated gourmet edibles,” many of which boast names allegedly mimicking those of the Hershey Company’s treats. (Read full article here)

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

If there are two things common to basically every law student ever, it’s this:

1. You’re exhausted in every possible way imaginable and subsisting on caffeine; and,

2. There’s no point in even thinking about the 30 years it’s going to take you to pay off your student debt.

Lucky for (a handful of) you, Starbucks announced its new “Starbucks for Life” campaign.

Courtesy of Giphy

What is this amazing, sent-from-the-heavens development you ask? Well, we’re not exactly sure — they’re being fairly tight-lipped about it. But what we do know is that later this winter the coffee mega-chain is launching a campaign in which 100 lucky people will win a free food item or drink everyday for 30 years. Which, conveniently, is exactly the same as your loan period so you can be wide awake for every day of it.

Maybe this was a little gem that Oprah thought up while she and CEO Howard Schultz thought up while brainstorming Oprah Chai — YOU GET 30 YEARS OF STARBUCKS! AND YOU GET 30 YEARS OF STARBUCKS! EVERYBODY GETS 30 YEARS OF STARBUCKS!

Courtesy of Giphy.

(It’s a tough call in this moment whether I’d rather have 30 years of free coffee or an Oprah-gifted car…the coffee sounds amazing right now.) However it developed, I can’t wait to compete. Or, OK, probably by “compete” I mean use my Starbucks app a bunch of times and spend a ton of money hoping to increase my chances of winning. Is that how it works? We’ll see.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Starbucks for Life Campaign: You’re Welcome Law Students appeared first on Law Street.

What did we learn from lawyers and law students on Twitter this week? That they are sleep deprived, haven’t had a fruit or vegetable since the elementary school lunch line, and are in desperate need of a drink. Oh and also my personal favorite — they don’t wear jeans because they aren’t cowboys. Check out the Best Legal Tweets of the Week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From Ebola to killer relationships to resume tips, the top posts on Law Street really ran the gamut last week. Writer Anneliese Mahoney brought in the number one most read post of the week with her warnings against overreacting to Ebola in the United States; Marisa Mostek shed light on a few recent cases of incredibly disturbing murders that developed out of relationships gone very, very wrong in the second most read piece; and Natasha Paulmeno wrote post number three encouraging Millennials to highlight the history of temporary work experience that many of us have as positives instead of negatives. ICYMI, here are Law Street’s top three articles from last week.

#1 Keep Calm and Carry On: You Don’t Have Ebola

It seems like all anyone can talk about anymore is Ebola. Especially now that the first case of Ebola has been found in the United States, in Dallas, and the first case transmitted outside Africa reported in Madrid, people seem to be freaking out. One big concern has been that Ebola is going to become an issue in the U.S., which I just want to start by saying is unfounded and unrealistic. The public health infrastructure in the U.S., as well as our ability to isolate the disease make it incredibly unlikely that it becomes an epidemic. You’re still significantly more likely to die of the flu, or a car accident than even go near someone who has Ebola. (Read full article here)

#2 Be Careful Who You Love

People tend to do some pretty clinically insane things to get back at their exes. Disgruntled men dumped by the girls of their dreams have posted naked pictures of them online, dated their best friends, and other concerning but far-from-deadly actions. However, the men starring in recent headlines have taken revenge to a whole new and disturbing level. Recently, a dude was so peeved when his girlfriend left him that he concluded that feeding her dog to her was the best means of revenge. What ever happened to the saying “living well is the best revenge”? Not anymore, apparently. (Read full article here)

#3 Resume Booster: Maximize Your Temporary Work Experience

A history of consistent temporary work may be comparable with full time experience in the eyes of senior hiring managers. So why aren’t more millennials taking advantage of their temporary work history as resume boosters and learning experiences? Temp jobs teach young professionals a wide variety of skills they wouldn’t have otherwise acquired. These temporary work opportunities expose young business pros to many new industries and work environments. The flexibility temp workers develop under these conditions offers desirable traits to prospective employers. (Read full article here)

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From professional power-napping in your car between classes to investing your life’s savings into extra shots at Starbucks, law students across the country struggled toward midterms this week. And while it wasn’t even remotely easy, this crop of tweeters made it entertaining. Check out the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Coletivo Mambembe via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From the faux outrage over President Obama’s “latte salute,” to every worker’s fantasy coming true in Germany with a possible ban on after-hours work emails, to people getting arrested for buying cold meds — for an actual cold — there was a ton of interesting news last week. ICYMI, here are Law Street’s top three stories from last week.

#1 The “Latte Salute” is a Latte of Crap

Earlier this week President of the United States Barack Obama made a fatal error. He drank a cup of coffee and saluted our troops…with the same hand. This incited media coverage somewhere on par with a natural disaster, or maybe an assassination attempt. In fact, some members of the media covered what has now been dubbed the “latte salute” scandal as though it actually was an assassination — namely the assassination of American patriotism. (Read full article here.)

#2 Germany Considers Bans on After Hours Work Emails

I’m sort of a walking stereotype. I have my phone in my hand at all times, I sleep with it in my bed even though I know that’s bad, and I’m constantly checking my texts, social media, and email. And that’s never really bothered me — it seems normal to me. I am used to being accessible essentially 24/7. I think that’s a norm that a lot of us Americans have gotten used to, and I doubt that that’s going to change, but apparently some of our European friends have started rejecting the concept of 24/7 connectivity. (Read full article here.)

#3 Careful When Buying Water and Cold Meds, You Might Just Get Arrested

Every time I see a law enforcement officer in public — mall cop, fashion police, regular 5-0 — I have the irrational fear that they are out to get me. (This is especially true of the fashion police, but my fear of them might not be that irrational as anyone who has seen my clothing choices could attest.) I’m never doing anything I’m not supposed to be doing (or at the very least, I’m never doing anything I’m going to admit to you), but that doesn’t matter: I am sure I am about to be thrown in handcuffs and taken downtown. Little did I know, instead of fearing this, I should have been hoping for it. Just ask Elizabeth Daly or Mickey Lynn Goodson. (Read full article here.)

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Now that the world has made it through the excitement that was last week’s LSATs and the premiere of “How to Get Away With Murder,” we’re all back to the normal struggle. From autocorrects that prove you’re working too hard to the constant battle of law student versus the finite amount of ink in a pen, check out the best legal tweets of the week.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality for years. She’s campaigned on traditional marriage and supported it at both the state and federal levels. In an interview after yesterday’s Values Voter Summit however, Bachmann responded to a question about gay marriage by calling it “boring” and “not an issue.” Oh really? That’s interesting news considering the source. Just for giggles (or let’s be honest, groans), let’s take a look at some of Bachmann’s greatest hits on gay marriage and what she so sweetly terms the “gay lifestyle” and cross our fingers that she’s actually going to give this topic a rest during future diatribes to her hometown paper after leaving congress this year.

1. In response to the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling:

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to join the trend, despite the clear will of the people’s representatives through DOMA. What the court has done will undermine the best interest of children and the best interests of the United States.

This, of course, is the statement that garnered the very best Nancy Pelosi response of all time: “Who cares?”

2. In response to Arizona’s vetoed ‘Right to Discriminate’ bill:

The thing that I think is getting a little tiresome is the gay community have so bullied the American people and they have so intimidated politicians that politicians fear them and they think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere.

3. In response to Minnesota legalizing gay marriage:

I’m proud to have introduced the original traditional marriage amendment, and I thank all Minnesotans who have worked so hard on this issue.

4. In response to the question, ‘Why can’t same-sex couples get married?:

They can get married, but they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they’re a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they’re a man.

5. Ahead of Minnesota’s legalization of gay marriage:

The Bible is very clear on this issue. Homosexuality is a sin, and God will punish communities that support it. Sodom and Gomorrah thought they could defy the will of God, and we all know what happened to them. If the governor signs this legislation into law the Minneapolis-St. Paul region will be next…These are very scary times. I don’t want my family to be the last ones out.

6. On the ‘deviancy’ of the gay community:

(The gay community will) abolish age of consent laws, which means we will do away with statutory rape laws so that adults will be able to freely prey on little children sexually. That’s the deviance that we’re seeing embraced in our culture today.

7. On the possibility of gay marriage in Minnesota:

We will have the immediate loss of civil liberties for five million Minnesotans. In our public schools, whether they want to or not, they’ll be forced to start teaching that same-sex marriage is equal, that it is normal and that children should try it.

8. In response to President Obama’s support of same-sex marriage:

The President’s announcement today shows how out of touch he is with the values of American families…Americans know better and support traditional marriage…I will do everything in my power to support and preserve traditional marriage and to protect American families…despite our president’s decision to thumb his nose at the traditional institution of marriage.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Michele Bachmann Calls Gay Marriage Boring, But Her History Says Otherwise appeared first on Law Street.

In honor of this weekend’s round of LSATs, this week’s edition of Best Legal Tweets highlights all those prospective law students as they count down to the big deadline. One thing’s for sure: future lawyers LOVE Shonda Rhimes and her legal dramas. Unfortunately, watching “How To Get Away With Murder” and “Scandal” won’t get you into law school. Good luck to the test takers!

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week: LSAT Edition appeared first on Law Street.

It’s a sad, sad day for all you closet Honey Boo Boo fans out there. TMZ is reporting that Mama June caught Sugar Bear trolling dating sites for the last time. OK, to be fair, TMZ may be reporting it, but my mom is the one who reported it to me (and I’m sure she would want me to point out here that she is not actually a Honey Boo Boo fan, for the record):

To translate parent-text, ‘msnh’ = ‘many’ & ‘whoch’ = ‘which.’ Next up, WhenParentsText.com.

According to TMZ, David Michael Thompson — “Sugar Bear” on TLC’s reality hit Here Comes Honey Boo Boo — has made a habit of trolling various dating sites online, most recently as an “adventurer” looking for a “long term” relationship on PlentyOfFish.com. This of course poses a problem since Sugar Bear has been in a relationship with “Mama June” Shannon for nearly a decade. The couple, who started out as “shack ’em up mates” and exchanged vows at a committment ceremony earlier this year, have one daughter together, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, and have been raising June’s three older daughters.

Courtesy of Giphy

Filming of the next season of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is still underway, so we can expect some reference to these latest developments, if not footage from the fallout. The show has garnered shockingly huge ratings for the network, even beating the 2012 Republican National Convention in ratings. The family reportedly doesn’t use any of the money from their increasingly popular reality show, but rather lives off Sugar Bear’s income as a contractor. The family received up to $20,000 per episode in 2012, but the most recent figures put their per episode paycheck at $50,000 — all of which goes directly into trust funds for each of the daughters and one granddaughter for disbursement on their twenty-first birthdays. So, the division of assets probably won’t be as complicated as your run-of-the-mill reality star break up, but there will surely be no shortage of legal representation and publicity to go around.

I leave you with TLC’s video compilation of Mama June and Sugar Bear’s relationship as it played out on the show. #RIPShackEmUpMates

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Lwp Kommunicacio via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Line Up the Lawyers: Honey Boo Boo’s Parents Are Splitting appeared first on Law Street.

Law Street’s Capitalista, Natasha Paulmeno, couldn’t have been more on point when she wrote recently that Resume Lies Really Are the Worst Decision Ever.

This week it came out that David Tovar, chief spokesperson for Walmart, misrepresented his education history and will be leaving the company in the coming weeks. Tovar was hired by Walmart in 2006, but the company only discovered that he did not actually graduate with an Arts degree from the University of Delaware when he was being considered for a promotion. His background information was flagged by a private company to which Walmart outsourced the heightened background check. According to Tovar in an interview with the New York Post, “I was an art major going into a communications field. I didn’t think a degree was necessary to pursuing my career.”

Tovar is partially right — there are plenty of jobs for which you don’t need a specific degree, and some that you don’t need a degree at all to get. Where he goes wrong, however, is lying about it in the first place. Like any relationship, professional or personal, building on a lie — even if you, Like Tovar, want to call it an “error of omission” — dooms you to failure. Would Tovar have been hired for his position at Walmart had he been honest about his background? Probably not. But that’s the employer’s decision to make, and when you lie about key factors in the hiring process you deprive the employer of that right and risk the painful and embarrassing fallout.

Moral of the story? Work hard and own your truth. And read Natasha’s tips for avoiding resume lies.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [depone via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post We Weren’t Kidding, Resume Lies Really Are the Worst Decision Ever appeared first on Law Street.

With the next LSAT just over a week away, 1Ls settling into that special experience we call law school, and clients wanting selfies in court, this turned out to be a great week in the world of funny legal tweets. Check out this week’s best, and then head over to #300Voices and discover the top accounts to follow for all things law and policy.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Garrett Heath via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

From the woes of the 1L to the struggle of senior associates, check out the funniest legal tweets of the week from law students, lawyers, and journalists, then head over to Law Street’s #300Voices to discover the top voices in law and policy that you should be following.

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Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Joan Rivers, famed comic and most recently host of Fashion Police on E!, died September 4, 2014 after complications from throat surgery in New York last week. Rivers spent decades in the entertainment industry, building a prolific career that saw her first as the lone woman in the boys club and gaining even more success as she aged in an industry known for its youth. A natural boundary pusher, there is no shortage of tributes on the internet today featuring her comedic gift. I would like to praise her incomparable work ethic, as anyone who saw her 2010 documentary saw in action. Rivers was also one of the women featured in the documentary series project Makers, the largest video collection of women’s stories. If you haven’t watched the acclaimed series already, you should. Here are Rivers’ best quotes from her Makers segment for anyone working hard to build a fulfilling career that you love and believe in.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [David Shankbone via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Joan Rivers’ Best Advice to Build a Career You Love appeared first on Law Street.

In case you missed our first post about Rep. John Dingell’s breakout summer on Twitter, you’re in luck! He was just as funny and smart during the August recess, too. It’s been clear for years that all of those congressional reps who haven’t served 30 terms should probably take some cues from the Dean of the House. Who would’ve guessed one of those cues would be on social media?

Looking forward to finding out the next moves of a House that could easily screw up a one car funeral. The inmates are running the asylum.

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) August 1, 2014

For those playing along at home via @cspan, drink every time GOP member references children & “self-deportation” and keeps a straight face. — John Dingell (@john_dingell) August 1, 2014

Just took a “selfie” at the W. Wayne Family Health fair. Glad our young folks are embracing a DIY attitude. #NHCW2014 pic.twitter.com/mBrcTc5kW9

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) August 14, 2014

My commitment to making sure young people stay interested & active in their government? Flawless. pic.twitter.com/zNN4p7Dfg4 — John Dingell (@john_dingell) August 21, 2014

I see no problem with the suit. pic.twitter.com/ZFFt75FedU

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) August 28, 2014

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [John Dingell via Twitter]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post August Recess is No Match for Rep. John Dingell on Twitter appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week from members of Law Street’s #300Voices, the top voices in law and policy. Make sure to head over to #300Voices to discover the top Twitter accounts you should be following.

If any #SCOTUS justice ever does the #IceBucketChallenge we’ll have to depend on someone else’s description because there will be no video.

— Supreme Court Haiku (@SupremeHaiku) August 25, 2014

Now that we have a good classroom rhythm going, let’s have a holiday to stop it.

— lawprofblawg (@lawprofblawg) August 28, 2014

You should totally judge me by my retweets. A joke about burritos followed by a tweet about a 7th circuit argument. I’m well rounded. — Mirriam Seddiq (@mirriam71) August 27, 2014

Lawyer Tips: The practice of law can be stressful. Schedule time for yourself each day for quiet sobbing and reflection on your life choice.

— Adrian Baron (@lawbaron) August 29, 2014

Who are the five people you’ll meet in law school? It’s like heaven, but way worse. http://t.co/zAoeFxThfM — Bitter Lawyer (@BitterLawyer) August 26, 2014

Scheme: 1. Find wrongdoing 2. Tell supervisor 3. Supervisor sits on it 4. Tell SEC 5. Split reward with supervisor. http://t.co/jo2cmc3TxE

— Matt Levine (@matt_levine) August 29, 2014

slacker Millenials @TPM: Report: Sen Landrieu lists parents’ home as LA residence http://t.co/PVywDkornM pic.twitter.com/HxZE388zOB

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 28, 2014

But did anyone call him “porky”? https://t.co/g0dAUorwPO

— Molly Ball (@mollyesque) August 28, 2014

Does the FCC get a say in the horizontal integration that is the Brad Pitt- Angelina Jolie merger?

— Eriq Gardner (@eriqgardner) August 28, 2014

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Anneliese Mahoney, Brittany Alzfan, Erika Bethmann, Matt DeWilde, and Natasha Paulmeno.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Entertainment Law.

Featured image courtesy of [Widener University School of Law via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Entertainment Law 2014 appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week from some of Law Street’s #300Voices, the top voices in law and policy, then head over to #300Voices discover the top Twitter accounts you should be following.

Tips for recent #law grads: Doesn’t matter what practice area you pursue, your relatives will now assume you can help with any legal problem

— Adrian Baron (@lawbaron) August 22, 2014

“Based on my training and experience” transforms speculative cop bullshit into admissible evidence only because the courts allow it to. — Norm DeGuerre (@NormDeGuerreEsq) July 19, 2014

1Ls, don’t assume those who speak are the smart ones. Amazing how who speaks changes after grades post. #lawschool

— lawprofblawg (@lawprofblawg) August 21, 2014

If you were born in 1976, there is no reason your mother should be calling me, or anyone, about legal matters on your behalf. — Not an Elle (@NotanElle) August 18, 2014

My parents understanding of my career is limited to how lawyers are portrayed on suits

— Alice, Esquire (@alicequire) August 21, 2014

Should you interfere with or resist a cop? No. Can you “challenge” or question or talk back? What else is the First Amendment for? — Kevin Underhill (@loweringthebar) August 19, 2014

Stop giving new lawyers grief for their career choice. Joblessness isn’t a personal failing: http://t.co/q0wMy8hMkN via @MikePMoffatt

— Jordan Furlong (@jordan_law21) August 21, 2014

And today we learned you can’t assign copyright to a monkey’s selfie…. #law http://t.co/FCT211yDCf #TIL pic.twitter.com/rVZCgJibJD — Lee Rosen (@LeeRosen) August 22, 2014

“Someone handed me their business card. Can I add them to my email list?” In Canada & Europe, no. In the U.S. yes, but they will hate you.

— Elizabeth Weinstein (@ElizabethPW) August 20, 2014

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Maryland GovPics via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

In today’s installment of completely cringe-worthy legal news, a contestant on VH1 reality show “Dating Naked” is suing the company for…being shown naked while dating.

Jessie Nizewitz, a 28-year-old model from New York, filed suit for $10 million this week against VH1, parent company Viacom, and two production companies for failing to blur out her crotch during a beach wrestling scene. (Yes, you read that correctly: naked beach wrestling on a first date being filmed for a reality TV show. That’s some serious other-level confidence.) Take a look at the Today Show’s clip below if you’re unfamiliar with the show, though I’m betting it’s exactly what you’re imagining in your head already.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now in all honesty, I kind of love this show. My friend and I discovered it a few weeks ago while watching The Soup, and subsequently binge watched all the episodes available On Demand (sadly there were only three at the time). If you haven’t seen it, or are sticking to the story that you would never watch such base programming, let me fill you in: contestants are flown to a private island where they bare their souls and birthday suits to strangers while participating in decidedly unromantic activities (naked four wheeling, anyone?) all in the hope that they will find that special someone.

According to Nizewitz, the show’s producers verbally promised that only contestants’ butts would be shown, with all other good stuff blurred out. There’s no mention of this assurance in a written contract, but that of course wouldn’t negate its validity depending on location. In an interview with the New York Post, Nizewitz expressed disappointment that a man she’d been seeing for a month disappeared after the episode aired: “He was employed, Jewish, in his 30s and that’s pretty much ideal.”

Setting aside the obvious here that Nizewitz was participating in a television show built entirely around being naked, it does seem that she had a reasonable expectation that her body would be blurred for broadcast. A $10 million expectation? We’ll find out soon enough. Until then, I’m still tuning in to this bizarre and uncomfortable social experiment. Because honestly, who doesn’t enjoy watching nascent relationships bud over naked tumbling, basket weaving, and Zumba classes?

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured imaged courtesy of [Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Dating Naked Contestant Sues for Being Shown Naked While Dating appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Anneliese Mahoney, Brittany Alzfan, Erika Bethmann, Matt DeWilde, and Natasha Paulmeno.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Environmental & Energy Law.

Featured image courtesy of [AIGA/NY via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Environmental & Energy Law appeared first on Law Street.

Congressman John Dingell (D-MI) may be the longest serving member of the House of Representatives, but at 88 years old he’s crushing his colleagues at the Twitter game. He may not have the most followers out of the whole pack, but he’s undoubtedly got the most charm and the best sense of humor. Trust me, if you aren’t following him then you’re missing out. Take a look at these gems just from the last month alone.

He isn’t afraid to cut to the chase.

So it’s a tornado full of sharks? That’s what the entire film is about?

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 30, 2014

  He’s mastered the sarcastic hashtag.

#LetsMove RT @RepJeffDenham: My staff made me a birthday cake with lots of Valley veggies to remind me of home. pic.twitter.com/Ty2DbwdK6D — John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 29, 2014

  He wasn’t kidding about that cake.

Contrary to what some say regarding @SenSchumer, the most dangerous place in DC is actually btwn me and this birthday cake my staff got me.

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 9, 2014

  He isn’t afraid of a little age joke. 

313 years ago today, Cadillac landed on the banks of the Detroit River. No, I wasn’t there at the time. Happy 313th Birthday, Detroit! #313 — John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 24, 2014

He’s too smart for the Kardashian Kraze.

Staff has now informed me of what a Kardashian is. I’m only left with more questions.

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 22, 2014

  He’s the Marquis of Michigan.

With the House adjourned for the week, I’m taking my talents back to Michigan to spend time with constituents. #MI12 pic.twitter.com/1saVo5ubpT — John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 18, 2014

He doesn’t need no stinkin’ filter.

We didn’t need Instagram to get photos like this 50yrs ago, but I’ll still tag it #nofilter. #tbt pic.twitter.com/BM7DgE1gkU

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 17, 2014

  He knows how to work the crowd.

Working on speech to an auditorium full of Congressional Interns tomorrow. Staff advises it should be less A, more B. pic.twitter.com/YRlJ31cj8c — John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 15, 2014

He won the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

Surely a question that has plagued mankind for decades. RT @USATODAY: Why John Dingell is one degree from Kevin Bacon http://t.co/5ItjtYxnWF

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 8, 2014

  He only endorses the truly important issues. 

Cosign. RT @espn: Tim Howard. So money. pic.twitter.com/OACEinyciW — John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 1, 2014

He knows you don’t #TurnDown when his beloved Tigers are winning.

That is now the second time I’ve tweeted or retweeted the #TurnDownForWhat hashtag. That said, go @tigers! #BlessYouBoys

— John Dingell (@john_dingell) July 2, 2014

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured imaged courtesy of [Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Rep. John Dingell is Better Than You at Twitter appeared first on Law Street.

Business law programs attract thousands of students across the country each year. These curriculum tracts prepare the next generation of lawyers for a a wide variety of niche areas from business transactions to securities regulation. The top law schools in this field bring together practical experience, expert instruction, and connection to top-tier professionals in the discipline to prepare students for this highly complicated and demanding career field.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Business Law, and click here for the methodology used.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Anneliese Mahoney, Brittany Alzfan, Erika Bethmann, Matt DeWilde, and Natasha Paulmeno.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Business Law.

Featured image courtesy of [Nguyen Hung Vu via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Business Law appeared first on Law Street.

As the clock ticks down to June 9 — LSAT test day for the next crop of prospective law students — your stress level is probably increasing exponentially. I get it. Well, OK, I don’t totally get it. I went to graduate school and took the GRE, which is admittedly NOT the same. But I can certainly still feel your pain. We’re not just patting giving you a thumbs up and wishing you good luck as you march into the test room, though. We’ve got five actionable tips for you to incorporate in your preparation from our resident LSAT guru, Nick, who (lucky for you) has actually walked the walk.

If you’ve already been through the LSAT and have must-read tips to live by for your fellow budding lawyers, tweet us @LawStreetMedia with #LSATPrep. Let us hear ’em!

1. No prep book is as good as a prep test: Prep books can be good to know the basics, but often they don’t use actual past LSAT questions, and there just is no substitute for practicing on real LSAT questions. The LSAC sells previous LSATs by the bundle. There are now more than 70 previous LSATs to work through. Save the latest tests for last.
2. Start slow and build: Don’t worry about timing at first. I repeat: don’t worry about timing. It’s far more important to understand the fundamentals of logic first. And by ‘understand,’ I don’t mean that you generally know how conditional works. I mean: you can contrapositives, negations, and spot necessary and sufficient conditions practically in your sleep. Speed comes from not having to think too hard about the easy questions. That will free up time to tackle the harder questions.
3. Drill, drill, drill: Even though it seems tedious, and it is tedious, the more you practice, say, using the contrapositive, the easier it will be when you’re actually working through a game. Again, the goal is not to have to think about basic operations.
4. Set a schedule and stick to it: We don’t all have eight hours a day to spend studying for the LSAT. But if you want to improve your score, you need to set aside time to work, preferably at least an hour a day. Students, even very bright students, tend to forget the basics if they study sporadically. You can generally also squeeze a bit of studying into other parts of the day. For instance, consider doing a few LR questions on the subway during your commute to work.
5.  Hang in there: Studying for the LSAT is a long, hard slog for basically everyone. Your score will likely go through some ups, some downs, and some plateaus. So don’t get discouraged. To my mind, the most important skill on the LSAT is the one that they can’t teach in prep books: persistence.

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Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Dvortygirl via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Five Things You Need to Know Before You Take the LSAT Next Month appeared first on Law Street.

Law Street is looking for the best and brightest college talent to join us in DC for our paid summer internship program. Opportunities are available to highly motivated students with excellent writing and research skills who are creative, plugged in to social media, and have a deep interest in the law and policy. Click below for details on each program.

Crime in America Summer Internships

Issue Briefs Summer Internships

Law School & Firm Rankings Summer Internships

Become a part of this high-growth startup while spending your summer in DC — at the heart of legal and policy action. Apply now and don’t miss out on your chance to get published and build your professional portfolio.

Questions? Email Chelsey Goff.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Score a Summer Internship in DC with Law Street appeared first on Law Street.

The FBI’s latest data shows crime dropping nationally; however, the results for the Top 10 Safest Cities were not all great news. Across the country, violent crime decreased 5.4 percent during the first six months of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012. Violent crime reporting was ahead of prior year figures in half of our Safest Cities, most notably by nearly 28 percent in #5 ranking Scottsdale, Ariz. The southwestern city’s rape and aggravated assault figures in particular were ahead of prior year reporting. On the opposite end of the spectrum, #6 ranking Henderson, Nev. saw its violent crime decrease more than 25 percent at the beginning of 2013, with significant drops in the same categories of rape and aggravated assault.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2013 — the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 appears below as an update to our original rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall. Click here for developing Crime in America 2014 coverage.

1. Irvine, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Irvine, Calif. — the safest American city over 200,000 — was slightly ahead of its 2012 violent crime rate, with an increase of 9.26 percent during the period January to June 2013. The large percentage increases in both murder and rape reflect very small numbers of actual cases: the city had two murders compared to one in the comparative period, and nine rapes compared with five in the same period of 2012. Robberies in the city decreased by nearly 16 percent to 16 instances.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +9.26%
Murder: +100%
Rape: +80%
Robbery: -15.79%
Aggravated Assault: +10.34%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF IRVINE’S 2012 RANKING

2. Gilbert, Ariz.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Gilbert, Ariz., Law’s Street’s #2 Safest City, experienced fairly consistent levels of violent crime during the first six months of 2013 versus prior year. The city’s total violent crime decreased by just under one percent, with 102 violent crimes versus 103 in the comparative period. Notably, there was only one murder during this period (versus four in the first six months of 2012). Rape reporting was up by 33 percent, but the yearly figures are not comparable due to changes in the FBI’s new definition of rape.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -0.97%
Murder: -75%
Rape: -33.33%*
Robbery: -8%
Aggravated Assault: +10.77%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF GILBERT’S 2012 RANKING

3. Plano, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE 
The FBI did not include Plano, Texas in its 2013 preliminary data — no explanation for this omission is provided, nor did the FBI respond to comment by the time this post published. According to the Plano Police Department, the city submits its data to the FBI on a monthly basis and should have been included in the Preliminary Semiannual Report. The figures below were provided directly to Law Street by the Plano Police Department. The #3 Safest City’s crime was down in the first six months of 2013, with the most dramatic changes in robbery and aggravated assault (8 and 18 fewer instances, respectively). Plano had two murders, compared with in the prior year, as well as 4 more rapes. Overall, violent crime was down nearly 12 percent between January and June 2013 compared with the same period in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -11.73%
Murder: 100%
Rape: 17.39%
Robbery: -16%
Aggravated Assault: -17.14%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF PLANO’S 2012 RANKING

4. Fremont, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Violent crime in Fremont, Calif. was up slightly between January and June 2013 versus the same period in 2012. While murder and aggravated assault were both down during this period (-50% and -25,39%, respectively), there were 12 rapes (3 in 2012) and 80 robberies (63 in 2012), accounting for the slight uptick in total violent crime.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +3.33%
Murder: -50%
Rape: +300%
Robbery: +26.98%
Aggravated Assault: -24.39%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF FREMONT’S 2012 RANKING

5. Scottsdale, Ariz.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Scottsdale, Ariz., #5 in the rankings of the Safest Cities, experienced a 27.52 percent increase in violent crime during January to June 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. Murder remained constant (2 cases each year) and robbery declined just under four percent (49 robberies versus 51 in 2012); however, there was a spike in rape (29 cases) and aggravated assault (110 cases) during the relevant time period.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +27.52%
Murder: +/-0%
Rape: +61.11%
Robbery: -3.92%
Aggravated Assault: +41.03%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF SCOTTSDALE’S 2012 RANKING

6. Henderson, Nev.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Nevada’s second-largest city, Henderson, experienced a 25 percent decline in violent crime in the first six months of 2013 as compared to the same period in 2012. The figures were down in each of the four violent crime categories, including a 54 percent decrease in rape (16 in 2013; 35 in 2012) and 27 percent fewer aggravated assaults (71 in 2013; 98 in 2012). The #5 Safest City had only two murders, compared with three during the period in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -25.45%
Murder: -33.33%
Rape: -54.29%
Robbery: -11.36%
Aggravated Assault: -27.55%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF HENDERSON’S 2012 RANKING

7. Virginia Beach, Va.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Virginia Beach, Va., the most populous city in the Commonwealth, had a very small increase in violent crime between January and June 2013 compared with prior year figures. This is likely due to a seemingly huge jump in rape cases, however the figures for that particular category in Virginia Beach are not comparable year over year due to the FBI’s expanded reporting criteria. The #7 Safest City had 23 fewer aggravated assaults, one less murder, and the same number of robberies during the period at hand.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +3.57%
Murder: -9.09%
Rape: +115.63%*
Robbery: +/-0%
Aggravated Assault: -13.86%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF VIRGINIA BEACH’S 2012 RANKING

8. Irving, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Irving, Texas, part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, held its violent crime rate steady for the first six months of 2013 versus 2012. The #8 Safest City held its murder rate constant with only one case during each period, and the city had fewer rapes and aggravated assaults than prior year. Robbery increase slightly with 84 instances in 2013 compared with 63 in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +/-0%
Murder: +/-0%
Rape: -6.25%
Robbery: +33.33%
Aggravated Assault: -11.56%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF IRVING’S  2012 RANKING

9. Garland, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Garland, the third Texas city to rank on this list, experienced a 16.55 percent decrease in violent crime between January and June 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, despite a slight uptick in rape reporting (30 versus 25). The city’s aggravated assault and robbery reported both decreased, down 21 and 29 instances, respectively, and there were three murders compared with four in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -16.55%
Murder: -25%
Rape: +20%
Robbery: -23.58%
Aggravated Assault: -16.67%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF GARLAND’S 2012 RANKING

10. Chula Vista, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Located just outside downtown San Diego, Chula Vista, California’s violent crime increased slightly in the first six months of 2013, from 283 to 298 instances in the four relevant categories. While there were three fewer murders than prior year, reporting of rape, robbery, and aggravated assault all increased (+3, +12, +3 cases year over year, respectively).

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +5.30%
Murder: -60%
Rape: +18.75%
Robbery: +10.71%
Aggravated Assault: +2%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CHULA VISTA’S 2012 RANKING

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney, Ashley Powell, and Kevin Rizzo.

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2013.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

*The figure shown for the 2013 rape offense was reported using the new definition of rape and is not comparable to previous years’ historical forcible rape data.

Note: A previous version of this post did not include data for Plano, Texas as it was not provided by the FBI in the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June 2013.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Latest FBI Data is Mixed Bag for Top 10 Safest Cities appeared first on Law Street.

Mirroring the national trend of declining violent crime, the majority of Law Street’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities under 200,000 continue to experience decreases in overall violent crime. Based on new data released by the FBI February 18, seven out of these Top 10 cities had less crime than the same period during the prior year. Five of the Top 10 show sharper declines than the national average of -5.4 percent — most notably Flint, Mich. where violent crime was nearly 27 percent behind the 2012 six-month figures.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2013 — the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 appears below as an update to our original rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall. Click here for developing Crime in America 2014 coverage.

1. Flint, Mich.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Flint, Mich. ranks as the number one most dangerous city with a population under 200,000; however, it leads this pack with a 26.38 percent drop in total violent crime from January to June 2013 versus prior year. Flint is one of many cities reporting rape data this year according to the FBI’s new, expanded definition of forcible rape, so the year over year data for this particular category is not comparable; however, the city’s huge decreases in murder, robbery, and aggravated assault all counter balanced that particular issue. With a violent crime rate of 1,021 per 100,000 people, Flint shows some signs of progress.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -26.38%
Murder: -22.58%
Rape: +45.161%*
Robbery: -17.97%
Aggravated Assault: -33.07%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF FLINT’S 2012 RANKING

2. New Haven, Conn.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
The #2 Most Dangerous City under 200,000, New Haven, Conn. shows modest gains in its fight against crime. Violent crime in the state’s second-largest city dropped 8.11 percent in the first six months of 2013 versus the same period in 2012. Despite a 37.50 percent increase in rape (associated with the FBI’s new, expanded definition of forcible rape), there were still significant declines in the remaining categories of murder, robbery, and aggravated assault (-11.11 percent, -1.39 percent, and -16.45 percent, respectively).

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -8.11%
Murder: -11.11%
Rape: +37.50%*
Robbery: -1.39%
Aggravated Assault: -16.45%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF NEW HAVEN’S 2012 RANKING

3. Rockford, Ill.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Illinois’ second most populous city, Rockford, experienced a 6.37 percent decrease in total violent crime from January to June 2013 over the prior year. Robbery in the #3 Most Dangerous City under 200,000 dropped by nearly a quarter, and although murder increased by the same amount, this reflected a move from four murders to five.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -6.37%
Murder: +25.00%
Rape: +21.31%*
Robbery: -24.46%
Aggravated Assault: -3.18%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF ROCKFORD’S 2012 RANKING

4. Hartford, Conn.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Connecticut’s capital city is the #4 Most Dangerous City under 200,000, and the second of three Nutmeg State cities on this list. Similar to New Haven, Hartford’s violent crime dropped by nearly nine percent during the first six months of 2013, including an 11 percent decrease in murder and a nearly 19 percent drop in aggravated assault. Not encouragingly, rape in the city increased by more than 33 percent, while robbery was up nearly five percent.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -8.96%
Murder: -11.11%
Rape: +33.33%
Robbery: +4.47%
Aggravated Assault: -18.20%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF HARTFORD’S 2012 RANKING

5. Little Rock, Ark.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Arkansas’ capital, the #5 Most Dangerous City under 200,000, didn’t fare quite as well as the top four Most Dangerous Cities on this list. Violent crime in Little Rock increased slightly in the first six months of 2013 due to a 19 percent spike in robbery. Murder, aggravated assault, and rape were all down year over year (-14.29 percent, -2.63 percent, and -23.61 percent respectively), though the rape figures are not comparable to prior year.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +2.03%
Murder: -14.29%
Rape: -23.61%*
Robbery: +19.53%
Aggravated Assault: -2.63%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF LITTLE ROCK’S 2012 RANKING

6. Bridgeport, Conn.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Bridgeport, Connecticut’s most populous, experienced the greatest drop in violent crime during the first six months of 2013 of all three off the state’s ranking cities. The #6 Most Dangerous City under 200,000 experienced declines in three out of four violent crime categories, including half as many murders than the same period during the prior year; however, there was a slight increase in rape, as the city moved from 25 to 28 cases in 2013.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -11.73%
Murder: -54.55%
Rape: +12.00%
Robbery: -11.74%
Aggravated Assault: -12.04%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF BRIDGEPORT’S 2012 RANKING

7. Richmond, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Richmond, Calif., the #7 Most Dangerous City under 200,000, experienced the sharpest increase (+19.53 percent) in violent crime of the Top Ten cities on this list. Crime in the bay area city increased in three out of four violent crime categories, most notably robbery and aggravated assault (+22.95 percent and +20.18 percent, respectively).

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +19.53%
Murder: +10.00%
Rape: -13.04%
Robbery: +22.95%
Aggravated Assault: +20.18%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF RICHMOND’S 2012 RANKING

8. Odessa, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Violent crime in Odessa, Texas remained fairly constant during January to June 2013 over prior year, with a decrease of less than one percent. Robbery and rape increased minimally (25 and 4 more cases for this period, respectively), and aggravated assault declined by nearly seven percent.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -0.70%
Murder: +/-0.00%
Rape: +17.39%
Robbery: +42.37%
Aggravated Assault: -6.75%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF ODESSA’S 2012 RANKING

9. Paterson, N.J.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
New Jersey’s third most populous city, and the only member of the Garden State ranked on this list, Paterson’s violent crime declined modestly during the first six months of 2013 (versus 2012). Declines in murder and aggravated assault were countered by increases in rape (+22.22 percent) and robbery (+4.28 percent) in the first half of the year.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -2.95%
Murder: -44.44%
Rape: +22.22%
Robbery: +4.28%
Aggravated Assault: -11.21%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF PATERSON’S 2012 RANKING

10. Springfield, Mass.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
New England’s fourth-largest city, Springfield, Mass., rounds out the list of Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities under 200,000. The western Massachusetts city experienced an increase in violent crime across all relevant categories except for aggravated assault, which decreased by seven percent. Most notably, murder in Springfield was more than 83 percent ahead of the same time period in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +6.43%
Murder: +83.33%
Rape: +42.86%*
Robbery: +32.39%
Aggravated Assault: -7.18%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF SPRINGFIELD’S 2012 RANKING

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney, Ashley Powell, and Kevin Rizzo. 

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2013.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

*The figure shown for the 2013 rape offense was reported using the new definition of rape and is not comparable to previous years’ historical forcible rape data.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post New FBI Data for Dangerous Mid-Sized Cities: Crime Drops, Flint Stands Out appeared first on Law Street.

On February 18, 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released preliminary crime statistics for the first six months of 2013. Today Law Street analyzes and brings important context and perspective to this raw data in order to bring you emerging trends. When the full-year data is published by the FBI in the fall, we will publish new coverage, including our annual Top 10 Safest and Most Dangerous Cities rankings. Please refer to Crime in America 2013 for the most recent definitive rankings and full-year coverage. Check back with Crime in America 2014 as we continue to dig into the emerging trends in crime across the country.

Preliminary 2013 Trends
Latest FBI Data is Mixed Bag for Top 10 Safest Cities
New FBI Data Shows Crime Dropping; Some Top 10 Dangerous Defy Trend
New FBI Data for Dangerous Mid-Sized Cities: Crime Drops, Flint Stands Out

Coverage
Crime Drops 20 Percent in St. Louis; Hot-Spot Policing Credited
Infographic: Crime Dropping Across the US
Latest Data Shows Violent Crime Across America is Down
Redefining Rape: The FBI’s Latest Statistics

Prior Year Coverage
Crime in America 2013

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2014 appeared first on Law Street.