For the first time in 28 years, jurors in federal court will receive a pay hike of 25 percent. That means that for each day that a person sits as a juror in federal court, he or she will receive a check for $50, up from $40 that has been in effect since 1990. President Trump signed the bill into law that takes effect May 7. The raise was included in a bill that provided…
Hospital executives have to learn to reduce healthcare costs while improving healthcare outcomes because the measure of their success will be defined by the latter in the years to come. That’s according to a recent study of more than 300 hospital executives across the country. The four-month study that ended in January, 2017, was conducted by Willow Research and concluded that the “seismic shift in healthcare” includes the fact that individual patients are becoming the…
Much research has been conducted on jurors and how they think. This type of insight helps lawyers to determine trends among the population and make wiser choices in selecting those types of people and personalities who will have a fair and open mind to their cases at trial. A recent study conducted by Willow Research concluded that political divisions in this country have been intensifying over the last 25 years, with some people’s beliefs falling…
A U.S. Senate committee reported Monday (Feb. 12, 2018) that the five largest opioid manufacturers paid more than $10 million directed, in particular, to patient advocacy groups and professional medical societies who would then encourage the use of those highly addictive drugs. In a 23-page report released by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), the ranking Democrat on that Committee, called these groups opioid “cheerleaders.” The committee has been investigating…
With congressional approval of the Budget Act early on the morning of Friday, Feb. 9, 2018, Medicaid enrollees will again receive justice in reimbursement of liens. Medicaid is a state-based program that pays for medical costs for those with limited resources. This action by Congress reinstates the effect of a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that Medicaid cannot have a right of first recovery for full reimbursement of…
Tracy A. Brammeier’s favorite fictional law character is Alicia Florrick from the former CBS series, The Good Wife. The character, played by actress Julianna Margulies, is the wife of the Cook County State’s Attorney, who returns to her career in law after the events of a public sex and political corruption scandal involving her husband arise. “She is determined, unafraid, and always looking ahead,” Tracy says. Tracy’s favorite quote from Alicia Florrick is, “Oh yes,…
Dr. Kenneth Chessick’s favorite fictional character is Atticus Finch, the lawyer from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Dr. Chessick is Of Counsel to Clifford Law Offices. “Atticus Finch felt the need to stand up for justice against impossible odds because it was the right thing to do,” says Dr. Chessick. “He’s a great role model for all lawyers.”
Although sexual harassment apparently has long been a part of American life, the pervasiveness and long-term impact on women in particular became apparent in 2017, the year of #MeToo. The Golden Globe Awards in January solidified that this movement is creating change. The stirring speech of Oprah Winfrey at this awards show watched by some 20 million people around the world left no doubt about that – “What I know for sure is that speaking…