No Selfies Allowed

Of all the outrageous warning signs and postings I have seen, this one is one of the best!  This was a sign taped in the courthouse in White Plains, New York, Westchester Supreme Court. 

This sign warns you not to take a selfie in the bathroom.  There is a sign outside the door and one inside near the sink, in case you thought you might ignore the first sign as you walked in. And in case you were wondering if this was an actual law, conspicuously placed at the bottom of this notice is the number of the executive order and the year it went into effect.

The signs says: All cell phone use, including taking pictures, is prohibited in this area. - Executive order #2 of 2014.

So what was I to do?  I snapped a picture of course!

Pants At Your Waist!

/

It's a sad state of affairs when a sign is needed to remind people that you need to dress appropriately when at the courthouse and that appropriately means: pants worn at the waist! 

This is at the courthouse in Peekskill, New York. The posted sign states: Proper attire: All pants must be worn at the waist.

Where is the decorum? the proper etiquette?  ...  the self-respect?!

They should give out summonses!

Learned in School And Will Never Use IRL - Or So I Thought

The joke goes that so many things you learn in school you will never use in real life.  The funny thing about this is in actuality, at times, you do use those lessons in real life without even realizing it.  


For example, when you try to beat the red light, your mind is calculating how fast you must travel for a certain distance in order to get past the light before it turns green.  Your mind is really calculating trigonometry. Or is it calculus? Whatever it is, it sounds a lot like this math problem on analyzemath.com: 

Problem 1: A person 100 meters from the base of a tree, observes that the angle between the ground and the top of the tree is 18 degrees. Estimate the height h of the tree to the nearest tenth of a meter.

There are so many lessons in high school that you would think you will never need again. Law school is no different. How many times in law school did I learn a doctrine that I truly felt I will never use nor see ever again?    

Until that time that I did see it again... 


One day I was reading a book for my local book club, The Alienist by Caleb Carr.  First published in 1994, it was a major phenomenon, spending six months on the New York Times bestseller list, receiving critical acclaim, and selling millions of copies.  A "touchstone of historical suspense fiction", a period piece that is "fast-paced and riveting, infused with historical detail".  Sounded interesting enough! It is the last place I would think to find an esoteric legal doctrine I learned in my first year of law school, in Torts class no less.    


But there it was.  the text bounced off the pages of the book and knocked me into my quondam days of being a 1L: 

"Res ipsa loquitor".  


First of all, even the word "torts" is not one that is ever used outside the halcyon days of first year of law school.  Instead one says "personal injury case".  So to see res ipsa loquitor a decade later was a precipitous journey way back to sitting in the back of Torts class at Howard University. 


So for all  1L students struggling through your classes.  It may seem unforeseeable but don't worry because one of these days those seemingly expendable legal dogmas will creep up on you when you least expect it!  

Paid by the Minute

Paid by the Minute - New California law says you must be paid by the minute

It started with fast food workers demanding higher wages. Now all workers across the nation have galvanized to win a $15 an hour minimum wage. In 2012, 200 fast food workers walked off the job to demand $15 hourly wages and union rights. What began as a fast food workers plight has become a global movement! Thanks to Fightfor15.org, now more than one in five workers is covered by $15 minimum wage.  Twenty-two million workers have won $68 million in raises.

The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 an hour and has remained the same since 2009. According to the Associated Press, twenty states have minimum wage increases taking effect in 2019. Twenty-Nine states and the District of Columbia have set minimum wages above the federal level since 2009.

It is great to see that workers are getting an increase in their minimum hourly wage. But when you think about it, nowadays everything is tracked and pinpointed. Your location can be pinpointed and be off by just a few yards, if even that. Time also can be tracked by the millisecond, or even less than that. What then, if you work an extra 2 minutes at work? Shouldn’t you get paid for those extra two minutes?

California courts say yes! California Supreme Court departs from the doctrine of federal wage-and-hour de minimus doctrine that excuses the payment of wages for very small amounts of time that are irregular and administratively difficult for the employees to track. But nowadays time need not be difficult to track at all. According to the California Supreme Court, if the time can be captured, then it can and must be paid. This means that if you stay at work for an extra 2 minutes, then you must be paid for those extra two minutes!

But wait a minute!

There is one unexpected, small, minor, shall I say, minute problem with this ruling. This pay-by-the-minute ruling suggests that now your time at work cannot be rounded up. Rounding up of time is common and it is permissible under federal law. But if we are tracking by the minute, essentially tracking by the second, then rounding up seems to be de minimis.

Rounding up of your time at work becomes negligible and unnecessary. Think about it, for a minute or two and you will see that it makes sense. Or on second thought, if you live in California, use those extra few minutes instead and get back to work…. Because you get paid by the minute!

5 Reasons Why Jackson’s NeverLand Ranch Will Never Sell

Michael Jackson's estate, the Neverland Ranch is on the market for 31 million dollars, a 69 million dollar price drop from its original listing back in 2015 for $100 million. Listed now for a discounted 31 million dollars is a bargain. But will Neverland Ranch ever sell?

Neverland Ranch has been priced to move but here are five reasons why Neverland Ranch will never sell.

5. The first problem with the sale of Jackson's Neverland Ranch is that the area where Neverland Ranch is located known as Los Olivos, California, has been devastated by wildfires, mudslides, and drought. People are not purchasing property in that area.  And most certainly, people are not buying distraught property at such an inflated price point.

4. The next problem with the sale of Jackson's Neverland Ranch is that the high-end luxury real estate market is depreciated and taking a hit at this present time. People are simply not buying million-dollar homes like they used to. According to Coldwell Banker’s 2019 State of Luxury report, there was a moderation in the pace of luxury home sales in 2018 due to several factors, including increasing inventory levels, elevated pricing, and—to a lesser degree—rising interest rates.

3. Another big problem with finding a buyer for the Neverland Ranch is that this estate is essentially a crime scene. Police searched the entire house and property after the 2003 allegations of abuse against Jackson. A 2005 trial ended in acquittal on charges of child molestation. Jackson then moved out of the Neverland Ranch and vowed to never return. Least we forget these allegations on Jackson, there is a documentary on HBO airing just a few days after the sales listing of the Neverland Ranch.

2. Another obstacle to signing a buyer for the Neverland Ranch, which the new property managers have certainly considered, is that Michael Jackson's property will forever be known as Neverland Ranch. The new agents must have taken this into consideration because it was rebranded with a new name: The Sycamore Valley Ranch. As if by changing the name anyone can forget that this is the world-famous Neverland Ranch!

1. And the number one reason why Neverland Ranch will probably never be sold is because The Neverland Ranch is known for 2700 acres, a 12,000 square foot 5 bedroom house, a few guest houses, a lagoon-style swimming pool, an amusement park with a ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel, bumper cars, and an arcade, two train locomotives, a fire department with a 1950s fire truck, a 50 seat movie theatre,  and world famous menagerie with exotic pets that Michael Jackson owned such as an elephants, orangutans, and llamas.

One would think that all these amenities would warrant the sale tag price of $31 million. But see, Neverland Ranch, where Michael Jackson resided for about 15 years, is being sold without the amusement park, nor menagerie of exotic pets. The Neverland Ranch, or as they call it now, the Sycamore Valley Ranch, is also being offered for sale without any of Michael Jackson's personal affects. Without these things, NeverLand may never be sold.

Obama's Civic Duty - Jury Duty

Obama is ready to comply with his civic duty, this time instead of the oval office it's JURY DUTY!

Jury Duty is the ultimate civic duty where citizens are randomly chosen to decide a person's guilt or innocence.  Looks like OBAMA's name came up for jury duty. 

Chief Judge Tim Evans of Cook County, Ill., said Obama is scheduled to appear for jury duty next month, the Chicago Tribune reported.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-obama-gets-jury-duty-20171027-story.html

http://time.com/5001289/barack-obama-jury-duty/

Clearing La Numero 2 After Hurricane Maria

Yup! TU Abogado experienced Hurricane Maria, first hand in Puerto Rico.  Truly devastating!  But nothing can stop us! Nothing can stop the Puerto Rican people. Everyone was constantly outside trying to clean up & restore their land, and help each other. 

Here is Victor Urbaez clearing la numero 2, (a major highway that goes through Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) with his bare hands. Yessssss he did!

#PuertoRicoSeLevanta

Take Your DAUGHTERS to Work Day

To all the little girls who are watching me, never doubt that you are valuable and deserving of every chance, of every opportunity in the world to pursue your goals and dreams.  -Hillary Clinton

#takeyourdaughtertoworkday

I always take my daughter to work. 

It's very important to take our DAUGHTERS to work until women get equal pay, equal standing, same opportunities.  

Lead by example.

take your daughter to work day

take your daughter to work day #lawyermom

LawDiva Doctora Ana Maria Polo

mamaslatina.com

Doctora Ana Maria Polo from Caso Cerrado is a judge on TV but that was only half her dream.  See, her first dream was to be  in front of the cameras, YEAH!  But not as a judge, no or even as an actress.  NO!  She wanted to SING!  

She plays guitar and sings and even composes her own music.  This diva even sang in front of the Pope once.  

Maybe music wasnt in the stars for her because she became a lawyer instead.  But somehow, she made it to the front of the cameras deciding cases and declaring judgement with her signature throw of the gavel. 

Funny how things turn out though!  Music is still her passion and she composed and sings and even raps the song for the show!  

Find out more Surprising Things about Latin America's most famous TV judge, la doctora Ana Maria Polo, on mamaslatina.com !

When Tweeting or IGing is a Misdemeanor

Voting is your right.  Taking a picture of it- that's a misdemeanor!

And that's exactly what Justin Timberlake did.  And I'm sure many of you reading this can't wait for November 8th to go out there and vote and then SNAP, post, tweet, hashtag this experience away.  Because if you don't snapchat it or post it in some way- well, it just didn't happen, right?

Well, no.  Go to the voting booth and VOTE.  In fact,  tweet all you want about it.  Just DONT SNAP THAT PICTURE!  NO pictures at all!  Cuz then you'll need a lawyer.  You can call me but, I really do want you out of trouble! 

VOTE!!! 

Read more here 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/25/entertainment/justin-timberlake-voting-selfie/

What a Lawyer Looks Like

Did you hear about Delta Airlines and the doctor that was on board?

Real quick --- the plane was  in flight when a passenger needed medical assistance.  A black woman doctor tries to assist but was halted by flight attendant and blocked access to the passenger in need because: we are looking for a physician, please sit down. This is no time for questions, we need a doctor.

Yeah. So.  After the black woman doctor repeatedly said: I AM a doctor, the flight attendant then asks her for ID.  Cuz, you know, that's what you do in a medical emergency.  

Anyways, read the whole story here 

https://www.facebook.com/tamika.cross.52?fref=nf&pnref=story

This lead to the twitter hashtag #whatadoctorlookslike.

In light of this, here is my take of #whatalawyerlookslike.

Because just last week, again I was asked for ID and asked incredulously, "You're a lawyer!?!"

I didn't tweet about it, or make a facebook post about it or anything cuz ... hasta cuando?  I mean really, how many times do I gotta write about it?  I'm jaded.  I'm tired.

I told Vic about it and he says he can be standing in court in a suit, holding his briefcase and he'll be referred to as the defendant: "Mr. Rodriguez?"  and he has to say repeatedly:  NO I'm his ATTORNEY."

For so long I kept thinking of changing my LinkedIn profile picture.  But why?  I'm not changing it.  Get used to it.  That's #whatalawyerlookslike cuz that's what I look like!

Why More Lawyers Should Speak Spanish

globallinguals.com

onelegal.com poses the question: 

Why should lawyers bother to write in plain English, as opposed to garbled 'legalese'?

They point out that: 

Arguably, in today’s high-tech world, where legal

Love is Grand!

Love is grand.  

Divorce is a hundred grand.

No, really...

Our prices are very reasonable! 

Give us a call! 

347-948-TORRES (6773)

or

201-540-URBAEZ (8722)

My Review of Symphony Tools for Social Media Management

My Review of Symphony Tools for Social Media Management:

I've been using Symphony Tools to manage my social media accounts and I really like it. It's perfect for scheduling and automating sharing my blog to Facebook and twitter. Give it a try.

http://www.symphonytools.com/invite/MTAyMTA3Mzk2NzU4Mzc5NTI=

You Need A License For What?

brooklynartscouncil.org

If cops ever cracked down on this law, half of Brooklyn would be in jail. 

Luckily, this law is not enforced. 

Needing a license to hang your clothes on a clothesline is probably one of the most ridiculous laws there is. 

Many states are currently revoking clothesline bans because what were once considered eyesores are now viewed as eco-friendly.

 http://nypost.com/2016/06/19/new-york-citys-most-ridiculous-laws/

High Marks on Hispanic High School Grad Rates

huffingtonpost.com

Time for school again! 


A brand new school year, fresh new perspective, lofty goals, and add this great new statistic to boost you up:

Over the past few years, the Hispanic high school dropout rate has decreased dramatically and college enrollment has increased.



Educational attainment among U.S. Latinos has been changing rapidly in recent years, reflecting the group’s

First American Muslim Federal Judge

President Obama nominated Abid Riaz Qureshi for the federal bench late Tuesday, saying, “I am confident he will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.”

“A judiciary that reflects the rich diversity of our nation helps ensure the fair and just administration of the law, and it is

Sisters in Law, the Law of the Land, That Is!

A new book spotlights the lives and careers of the first two women to serve on the United States Supreme Court—Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

http://pocho.com/pochos-lalo-alcaraz-toons-up-sotomayor-interview-on-60-minutes/

Day O’Connor, a Republican who was raised on a western ranch, was named to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Twelve years later, Bader Ginsburg, a Democrat from Brooklyn and daughter of an immigrant, was named to the high court by President Bill Clinton. http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/04/13/sisters-law-profiles-justices-day-o-connor-bader-ginsburg

What I find fascinating is that these women were not able to get a job practicing law or clerking. Only jobs as legal secretaries were

You have the right to remain SILENTO

When arrested, you are read your "Miranda Rights".... You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you...

If the detainee speaks spanish?  Oh?  Thats Easy!  "You have the right to remain silento..."

NO, Wait.  It's..."You have the right to remain silencio."

No... Yeah... I think so.  That's about right!

Well, the American Bar Association wants to assure you get it right!  They

Daughter's Justice for Father's Murderer

Joselyn Martinez Babaldi Photography

First the police fail her when they can't locate her father's killer. Then after she herself finds the killer and pointed him out to the authorities who pick him up and charge him, then the judge fails her, ruling that the killer's due process rights were violated because it took them over 25 years to find him, in violation of his speedy trial rights.

Wait.  But there is no statute of limitations for murder, right? NO there isn't.  So what happened here?

Let's start from the beginning of this needs-to-be-made-into-a-movie story. Let's go back to the eighties in Washington Heights, New York. The neighborhood was plagued with violence, crime, and drugs. Joselyn Martinez' father was