lawyer

We re not the only ones who have an obsession with names. Some of you might have caught a recent essay on baby names by New York Times columnist David Brooks in which he cited a study concluding that people named Lawrence or Laurie are disproportionately likely to become lawyers.

Anyway, this morning we came across a National Law Journal story about a law firm that has perhaps the best law firm name we ve ever heard of Payne Fears. Credit the NLJ s Amanda Bronstad for noting the funny name of this California employment law boutique which is expanding its practice and opening offices at a rapid clip.

Ohio's highest court on Thursday struck down Cleveland's so-called "jock tax," ruling that the city was excessively taxing visiting professional athletes using an illegal method to calculate their bills.

Business litigants in recent years have notched a number of victories in cases before Supreme Court. But businesses have little to cheer about Wednesday's high court ruling in a dispute over the handling of discrimination complaints, according to legal experts.

Microsoft's patent for “a wearable emotion detection feedback system” was filed in October , and awarded earlier this week, according to a public filing by the U.S. patent office. It’s unclear whether Microsoft is serious about any near-term commercial applications, or is just tinkering.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments over Oklahoma's lethal-injection regime, which in recent years has involved use of a sedative called midazolam.

The Supreme Court was clearly divided Tuesday as it faced the constitutional question of whether same-sex couples should be entitled to marry nationwide. But if the answer turns out to be yes, it would close one historic chapter in the fight for gay rights and likely open several more.