New Jersey recently announced plans to restart criminal trials using a combination of in-person and remote proceedings, including jury selection. However, a prominent legal association of criminal defense attorneys has spoken out against the state’s plan to resume trials for the first time in approximately four months. According to state officials, approximately 5,000 defendants are…
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Legal Fee Disputes: 7 Things Clients Should Know
People in the U.S. spend over $100 billion in legal fees each year. Most of these legal fees are collected by ethical attorneys. Unfortunately, however, some lawyers take advantage of their clients by charging them more than what is warranted under the circumstances. A client who believes that his or her attorney’s legal fees are…
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Common Reasons for Legal Malpractice and What You Can Do About It
Legal malpractice occurs when an attorney’s failure to act in an appropriate manner causes harm to a client. Attorneys are held to a high standard of care when representing clients. When an attorney fails to meet this standard, he or she may be liable for legal malpractice. Legal malpractice typically involves some sort of breach…
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Elements of a Legal Malpractice Case
Legal malpractice occurs when an attorney’s failure to act in a way that is consistent with the legal profession’s standard of care causes harm to a client. In order to prevail in a legal malpractice case, a person must prove the following elements: The existence of an attorney-client relationship The first thing an individual must…
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New Jersey Is the 16th State to Require Convictions for Civil Forfeiture
New Jersey recently became the 16th state to provide some measure of protection to individuals against civil forfeiture. Civil forfeiture allows law enforcement authorities to confiscate a person’s property even if they never charge him or her with a crime. Under the new law, the authorities will have to secure a criminal conviction in order…
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New Jersey to Track Money and Property Seizures
New Jersey recently passed a law that requires comprehensive disclosure and transparency for the state’s civil asset forfeiture system. Under New Jersey’s civil forfeiture system, prosecutors and law enforcement authorities can use the civil courts to confiscate property that they believe is associated in some way with criminal activity. Under the law, county prosecutors must…
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Surge in Client FINRA Arbitration Filings May Be on the Horizon
Experts expect the coronavirus pandemic and resulting market uncertainty to lead to a surge in FINRA arbitration filings. Historically, volatile times have tended to increase the number of broker negligence claims, meaning that FINRA arbitration filings are likely to increase until COVID-19 is under control and the markets bounce back and stabilize. In recent years,…
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Consumer Fraud on the Rise During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Whenever there is a crisis of any kind, scammers come out of the woodwork. The recent coronavirus pandemic has been no exception. Consumer fraud has been rampant since the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus in late 2019. According to official government statistics, coronavirus-related scams have cost consumers nearly $20 million dollars thus far, and this…
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COVID-19 and Force Majeure Clauses and Business Continuity Plans
In addition to the obvious public health concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting mandatory shutdown of businesses across the country have raised legal questions regarding the contractual obligations and rights of businesses. In addition, the coronavirus has forced companies to reevaluate the ways in which they respond to crises. Below, we discuss the renewed interest…
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New Jersey Supreme Court Considering Change to Attorney-Client Privilege Rule
The New Jersey Supreme Court is considering making changes to Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6, which is the rule that governs attorney-client privilege. On May 26, a New Jersey Supreme Court committee proposed that the court amend the rule to provide an exception to the duty of an attorney to maintain the confidentiality of a…
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