The un-hip office

Last week I pointed out how flextime is fashionable. Now it's time to discuss something that is definitely not fashionable the Hip Office.



I'm not sure what this German company has been drinking, but hk-ergonomics is developing a device that tethers a laptop to your waist. I can't see how this is either safe or comfortable not to mention the dweeb-factor.

What's worse, an American company apparently finds this an attractive idea. Connect-A-Desk in Texas in working on a similar product, only the laptop is strapped to your shoulders.



Dodging distracted cell phone users in the skyway is bad enough. It's only a matter of time until someone is disemboweled by a MacBook Air.

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[Source: Minnesota Lawyer Blog]

The AGO unionization flap: Can we talk?

We had a laugh yesterday afternoon at Minnesota Lawyers offices. When we put a poll on our main website asking voters whether we thought the attorneys at Minnesotas Attorney Generals office should be allowed to unionize, votes soon started trickling and then flooding in, as people on both sides of the issue frantically clicked the yes and no options. (The anti-union folks seem to have been much busier.)

The response demonstrated (take your pick) A) the passionate feelings this issue stirs; B) the silly lengths that some on both sides will go to in order to make their point.

Weve covered this story to some length, but a year after it first emerged, the basic facts remain the same: AFSCME wants to form a union in the AGs office, the AGO is digging in its heels, lots of lawyers (about one-third) have left the AGO, and morale in the office is bad and getting no better.

In the meantime, weve gotten numerous anonymous communications from pro-union folks (both on this blog and via e-mail) about the heavy-handed tactics that continue to be used against AGO employees, but little of substance around which to build a story that wouldnt be one-sided and full of unsubstantiated speculation.

At the same time, the AGO is as uncooperative with us as it is with other media outlets, refusing to return calls and failing to follow through on Data Practices Act requests. Lori Swanson and her loyalists seem all too happy to see this story go unreported, even if means pushing ethical boundaries. And current and former AGO employees who could potentially contribute to the story are either unwilling to speak for attribution or have a pro-union axe to grind.

That puts us and other outlets in a bind, because while there might still be a story to be told at the AGO, most of what weve heard is hearsay, and we cant use hearsay. We have all the Deep Throats we need on this one.

If there truly is more to be told, we hope a few people from both sides of this issue will drop their cloak of anonymity and let us know.

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[Source: Minnesota Lawyer Blog]

Honolulu jury awards $3M to city ex-official in whistleblower case.

A Circuit Court jury Friday awarded a former Honolulu city official more than $3 million dollars, upholding her claim that she lost her job in 2003 for blowing the whistle on what she saw as wrongdoing in the administration of the former Mayor.The jury deliberated a half-day before returning a verdict in favor of the [...]

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[Source: San Antonio & Austin Employment Lawyer Age Discrimination Sexual Harassment Unpaid Overtime Wrongful Termination Attorneys]

Is there a right to a jury-waived trial?

One of the more interesting debates going on in Minnesota Lawyer right now is if the state should have a say in whether or not a defendant gets a jury waived-trial. So far, we have published two letters on the issue from Minnesota State Public Defender John Stuart and one from Stearns County Attorney Janelle P. Kendall, the president-elect of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association.

Depending upon how you want to frame the issue, the question is whether:
-- the defendant should have the right to a trial without a jury; or
-- the state should have a right to a trial with a jury.

Right now, defendants can waive juries in favor of having a judge decide their case without regard to how the prosecutor may feel about it. The MCAA recently announced that it plans to lobby for a law change requiring the prosecutor to sign off on such waivers, sparking the recent spate of letter writing.

It's an interesting issue -- and one that both defenders and prosecutors obviously feel very strongly about.

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[Source: Minnesota Lawyer Blog]

Labor Case Set for Oral Argument at Supreme Court

Chamber of Commerce v. Brown has been set for argument by the Supreme Court for March 19th. The Court is set to decide whether the National Labor Relations Act preempts a California law barring private employers from using state grant or program funds to influence union organizing campaigns.You can find the case briefing here. [...]

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[Source: San Antonio & Austin Employment Lawyer Age Discrimination Sexual Harassment Unpaid Overtime Wrongful Termination Attorneys]

Minnesota AG's Office; Where's the coverage?

We received an interesting comment to the post directly below, "Billable hours are sooo 2007." (Believe it or not, I do read all your comments!)

This particular comment has nothing to do with the post to which it is attached, so I thought I'd pull it out and place it here in its own post so folks concerned with the topic would have the opportunity to get a look at it.

I do, naturally, have some thoughts on the topic the commenter asks about, but first wanted to open it up to see if anyone else had any input on this subject before I formulate a response. So, without further ado, here is the comment. Add anything you like, and I promise to address the substance of this sometime after the weekend.

I'm disappointed in Minnesota Lawyer's recent lack of coverage of the ongoing story of attempts to organize a union at the AG's office and AG Swanson's ham-handed efforts to undermine that effort (the Keystone Cops would have done a better job a union-busting). Minnesota Lawyer's blog help make the story public earlier and exposed the questionable decision to keep Mike Hatch on board. Now Minn Lawyer appears to have forgotten to do any follow up coverage. It was big deal when there was unrest in the US Attorney's Office but somehow the departure of 1/3 of the line attorneys at the AG's office in the past year and ongoing unionization efforts doesn't make for a story of public interest? C'mon. Where's the journalism?

While you are waiting for my insightful reply, I suggest you check out the piece Steve Perry wrote last week for his blog, the Daily Mole. ("It's cat-and-mouse in the AG's Office as staffers try to unionize.")

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[Source: Minnesota Lawyer Blog]

Lawyer: Needle Swap Activists Being 'Persecuted' (KSAT San Antonio)

SAN ANTONIO -- Three community activists are being persecuted by the Bexar County District Attorneys Office, said a lawyer representing the trio.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for lawyer]