Posts written by buteralaw

Queen’s English – Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing

  Queen’s English Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing     If you are a fan of Elmore Leonard as I am, you may enjoy this excerpt from his ten “rules” of writing; he says:    “Easy on the adverbs, exclamation points and especially hooptedoodle!     “1.   … Continue reading

Latin Lovers – Spring Edition

  Latin Lovers  –  Spring Edition     As a rule the judges in our civil courts generally do not act without being asked to do so, and typically a judge is asked to act either by motion or petition, either in writing or sometimes orally… Continue reading

Grandparents’ Visitation Order Upheld

  Grandparents’ Visitation Order Upheld    We recently (Fall 2006 issue) reported on a case (Hiller v. Fausey) where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had awarded visitation rights to the parents of a woman who died and was survived by a son who had developed a close… Continue reading

Metadata: Unresolved Legal Issues

From calculating expenses in spreadsheets to drafting letters or agreements, computers are utilized on a daily basis by almost every business in the world.  Computers have exponentially increased the efficiency and means of generating information.  With such increased technology, however, comes unintended and potentially damaging… Continue reading

At Will Doctrine Challenged Once More

One of the most important concepts affecting nearly everyone who has a job other than the self-employed is that of the so-called at-will doctrine.   Stated simply, unless there is a specific contract of employment which provides otherwise, an employer may terminate the employment of an… Continue reading

Save on Your Car Insurance

Save on Your Car Insurance A recent newspaper article reminded us that most ordinary folks build wealth not by what they make, but instead by investing what they don’t spend (sounds like the old Ben Franklin adage: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”) Here… Continue reading

Kelo Condemned (Further!)

  We have previously discussed the now infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New London, in 2004.  In that decision New London, invoking the doctrine of eminent domain, was permitted to condemn a privately-owned area of the City, to be replaced by… Continue reading

Family Medical Leave Act

The Family Medical Leave Act  applies to employers who employ 50 or more workers for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year.  This Federal statute provides eligible employees with up to 12 workweeks of… Continue reading

Latin Lovers for Grandfathers

Several years ago we ran an article on ex post facto laws – laws that become effective retroactively.   In general, such laws are unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable. The effective date of a law (or a change in a law) can be of monumental significance.   For example,… Continue reading

Inadmissible Hearsay

One of the most common objections in the courtroom is the objection to hearsay testimony.  Hearsay is a prior statement (usually oral) made by a third party who is not in the courtroom at the time the statement is offered as evidence.   A hearsay statement,… Continue reading