Court Filings, Decisions and Legal Articles : JD Supra : Cases, Briefs, Documents, Forms

Greetings again from the floor of the ABA TechShow in Chicago, where earlier I had the pleasure of meeting Jordan Furlong, in his own words: "a lawyer and legal journalist specializing in law practice innovation, legal business trends, and the changing landscape of the legal profession." (He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Bar Association's magazine National; you can keep up with his blog at http://law21.ca.)

Look for an upcoming article he kindly wrote for us - for you, really - regarding ways to craft posts to JD Supra's "The Scoop" section specifically with journalists in mind. I hope Jordan doesn't mind me sharing this funny story: apparently when he arrived at the TechShow and saw the JD Supra logo on all of our name tags, he assumed they belonged to employees. "That person works at JD Supra," he thought. "And that person. And that person" And so on.

Took him a while to realize JD Supra had sponsored the lanyard. I am here, though, and I most certainly do work for JD Supra. Next year we'll have a booth. In the meantime, if you are hoping to meet for a tour of our service or just a conversation, please feel free to call me directly on my cell phone (415-209-4138).

And if the ABA sponsorship has brought you to JD Supra, I say: welcome, thanks for visiting! I know you don't work for us, but we most certainly can work for you. Please join us!

When Seattle Center implemented rules prohibiting park performers from engaging in free speech activities without first obtaining a permit, and limiting the locations in which they could perform,  sole practitioner and JD Supra contributor Elena Garella stepped in. The District Court agreed with Elena and local performer, Magic Mike, that these rules violated the First Amendment on their face, but the 9th Circuit reversed.  Elena has now petitioned for rehearing en banc, and is hopeful the Court will grant her petition as it almost immediately requested that the City file a response.

This case, posted as a JD Supra Scoop, caught my attention. I was intrigued by the contrast between this decision (which involved a physical public forum and the right of individuals to avoid speech activities by others) and the ruling in the WikLeak's case, also posted in the Scoop (which involved the virtual public forum of the Internet and the right of individuals to have access to speech).

But, as I looked at the brief something else caught my eye: the significance of a sole practitioner embroiled in a multi-year constitutional case for a client with limited resources, and the presence of Davis Wright Tremaine attorneys on Elena's petition. I telephoned Elena to learn more.  She explained that First Amendment cases give her a lot of satisfaction - she takes them when she is moved by a client's story. Her complete discretion to take these kind of cases is one of the things she cherishes most about her solo practice. Nevertheless, such cases can be taxing. 

So, when the 9th Circuit reversed the district court's ruling, and an attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine contacted Elena and offered the assistance of their First Amendment experts, pro bono, Elena gladly accepted. The collaboration, according to Elena, has been a very positive experience.

Kudos to Elena for pursuing her passion, and to Davis Wright Tremaine for sharing their expertise  pro bono in support of a cause in which they believe.