• Bay Area law firms scuttle for salary hikes
  Starting pay for fresh lawyers hits the $160,000 figure; the region competes with NY salaries!
  By Amit Agarwal
  For the second time this year, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and O'Melveny & Myers have hiked first-year associates' salaries in the Bay Area. The firms' offices will now pay first-year associates' up to $160,000, competing with salaries of fresh lawyers at top NYC law firms.
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• U.S. confidentiality laws—is it time for a change?
  By Amit Agarwal
  It is only natural human behavior to dig for faults after a ghastly incident which could have been prevented.
  
  However, this one incident does deserve a closer look.
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• The Future on Abortion
  By Amy E. Wong
  Stephen E. Gottlieb, professor at Albany Law School, made a bold headline that is sure to send chills through abortion activists: "Roe's not done yet. The conflict between state and federal rights could eventually lead to rejection of the Partial Birth Abortion Act."
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• The Necessity of Election Reform
  By Amy E. Wong
  I was too young to vote in the 2000 elections, but I still remember the impact it left on me. I was a huge supporter of Gore, and it was a huge disappointment when I heard Gore say, "For the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession."
  
  I was reluctant to let the fight go, especially when Bush won the race by a margin of only 537 votes in Florida. I remember when we meticulously counted the votes for a full month until Dec. 12 when the Supreme Court held, in a 5-4 decision, that the Florida recount was unconstitutional.
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• Supreme Court May Have the Chance to Affirm Individuals' Rights to Bear Arms
  By Amy E. Wong
  Although the Constitution says that U.S. citizens have certain "fundamental rights," how far should the judicial system go to uphold these rights? After all, what was practical 200 years ago may seem very impractical today. Case in point: gun ownership.
  
  Back in the day, our founding fathers stated in the Second Amendment, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." However, since weapons can be used both to destroy and protect, Second Amendment rights must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
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• The Role of U.S. Attorneys
  By Amy E. Wong
  Two Harvard Law professors are putting in their two cents with regard to the recent dismissal of eight U.S. Attorneys. Professors Charles Fried and Philip Heymann have given their expert opinions on the ethicality of these controversial dismissals.
  
  Professor Charles Fried, former solicitor general in the Reagan administration and former justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, argued that U.S. Attorneys are presidential appointees.
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• "Reflections on Imperfection" by Pedrick Lecturer
  By Amy E. Wong
  The world is riddled with imperfections. You can be among the best and the brightest but end up begging for loose change in some dark alleyway. Beyond your own efforts, success is contingent on your environment, society, and God-given attributes. For instance, it is a widely known fact that females and minorities are disadvantaged when compared to males and whites.
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• This Case Will Unravel
  By Amy E. Wong
  The Bush Administration should be walking on pins and needles after Republications lost control of Congress to the Democrats in the November elections, but I was wrong. They are stomping their way through DC, making their policies and methods ring loud and clear in every current news headline.
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• Realities of Being In-House
  By Amy E. Wong
  Six attorneys recently made a visit to their alma mater, University of Southern Califoria (USC) School of Law, to speak to students about the realities of working in-house. In their tell-all, the good perks seemed to outweigh both the bad and the ugly drawbacks—that is, if you're the type who craves excitement, change, and the adrenaline rush of handling major corporate decisions.
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• Viacom sues You Tube for $1 billion
  By Amy E. Wong
  When Google purchased the popular YouTube, many speculated about the legal ramifications. After all, YouTube, a video-sharing site, uses largely unlicensed content to building traffic and sell advertisements.
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• Critics Challenge Familial DNA Testing
  By Amy E. Wong
  What's your take on familial DNA testing?
  
  Here's the skinny on the controversial subject. DNA results from crime scenes often do not lead to direct matches. Some investigators analyze the DNA of near-matches to narrow down their lists of suspects, often using the DNA of perpetrators' family members as evidence in criminal trials. This practice is called familial DNA testing, and it's been drawing the ire of many critics who fear that it will lead to "Big Brother" and increased racial discrimination.
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• Internet Crimes and Increasing Regulation
  By Amy E. Wong
  I was a Napster baby when the innovative music-sharing system first came out in the late 90s. Those were the sweet times when I could sample tracks from different artists. Unfortunately, those sweet days were numbered as the music industry accused media-sharing systems such as Napster, Kazaa, and BearShare of massive copyright violations. One by one, court orders brought the precious services of each to an abrupt end.
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• New Orleans' Legal System Still Feeling Pain of Hurricane Katrina
  By Amy E. Wong
  It hit about a year-and-a-half ago, but the devastation of Hurricane Katrina is still rocking New Orleans, especially its legal system.
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• Who is Howard K. Stern?
  By Amy E. Wong
  Well, after learning more facts about Anna Nicole Smith's and her son's mysterious demises, I have to admit that Stern seems like a key suspect in both Anna's and Daniel's deaths.
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• Report: Humans 'very likely' cause global warming
  By Amy E. Wong
  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a 21-page report that reveals with 90% certainty that increased global temperatures are directly linked to manmade greenhouse gases. In short, humans are causing global warming.
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• Woman's Crusade Against Bar Spawns Free Speech Case
  By Amy E. Wong
  Whenever I've told someone to "shut up" and he or she retorted, "It's a free country. Make me," instead of taking up the bait ("Make me!") by smacking the offender upside the head, I've always just shaken my head in utter loss. It's true. Our First Amendment allows people to say anything they want to say even if it bugs the hell out of someone else.
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• Label Owner Files $900 Million Lawsuit Against Condoleeza Rice For "Rap Profiling"
  By Amy E. Wong
  Ladies and gentlemen, I think I have found the case of the year. According to sohh.com, Jerome Almon, Owner and CEO of Murdercap Records, has filed a $900 million lawsuit against Canada (yes, the country), the State Department, and U.S. Secretary Condoleezza Rice, alleging "wholesale profiling" of rappers and blacks.
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• Where's the Check-and-Balance?
  By Amy E. Wong
  On Jan. 10, President Bush officially announced his plans to increase the number of troops in Iraq by 20,000 and the number of soldiers and marines in the U.S. military by 92,000. Not only is this going to set the U.S. government $8.5-trillion-debt back by hundreds of billions of dollars, but it is also incurring the indignant wrath of American citizens, military officials, and lawmakers alike.
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• War in Iraq: The Next Two Years
  By Amy E. Wong
  The excitement of this past week was positively electrifying. After 12 years, Democrats have finally regained control of Congress. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first female House Speaker. Saddam Hussein, one of the world's most notorious terrorists, has finally been executed. And last, but not least, we are all gearing up for word on Bush's new strategy in our War in Iraq.
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• "I Coulda Been A Contender."
  By Amy E. Wong
  "All the measures have been done," said Munir Haddad, the judge who upheld Saddam Hussein's death sentence on December 26. "There is no reason for delays."
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• The Fine Line That Separates Life and Art
  By Amy E. Wong
  James Brown died on Christmas morning at the age of 73. As one of the most influential musicians, he had a hand in defining funk, disco, and rap. It's no wonder that he earned the title, "The Godfather of Soul." Like many great artists, he gifted both the stage and his music with his own personal touch.
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• The Lowdown on California's Prison Crisis
  By Amy E. Wong
  I'm glad to say that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken his reelection in stride. One thing that he's set on doing this term is fixing California's prison system, which currently houses 173,000 inmates and requires an $8 billion budget. This will be the first major prison system revamp since the 1970s.
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• The N-Word, a Double-Edged Sword
  By Amy E. Wong
  The battle for free speech is going down at West Hollywood's Laugh Factory.
  As you most likely recall, on November 17^th, comedian Michael Richards (aka Cosmo Kramer from the hit TV show Seinfeld) exploded in anger as a few African-American audience members heckled him.
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• Affirmative Action Sparks National Debate—Again
  By Amy E. Wong
  The Supreme Court upheld affirmative action in higher education institutions back in 2003. Still, affirmative action plays a major role in today's politics, affecting everything from public schools to law firms. With it, controversy, debate, and uncertainty follow.
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• NYPD Officers Open Fire on Minorities
  By Amy E. Wong
  On Saturday, Nov. 25^th, NYPD officers shot 50 bullets at three unarmed civilians, severely injuring two and killing one, Sean Bell, hours before he was to have married the mother of his two children.
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• "The Juice" Juices It Again
  By Amy E. Wong
  O.J. Simpson is in the news again. This time, he was supposed to appear in a two-part FOX interview that was set to air on Nov. 27 and 29, promoting his book If I Did It. The controversial interview, in which Simpson explains how he would have killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, was canceled on Monday, Nov. 20.
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• The War in Iraq, Post-Election
  By Amy E. Wong
  After an election with the largest poll turn-out in the last 50 years, one thing has become crystal clear: Americans are dissatisfied with the war in Iraq. Democrats won control of Congress, with outspoken war critics Bernard Sanders of Vermont, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and James Webb of Virginia joining the Senate's fold. And, the day after the election, Donald Rumsfeld, who spearheaded the war, resigned from his post as Secretary of Defense and was replaced by Robert M. Gates.
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• A Borat Review
  By Amy E. Wong
  It's official: I've been demoted to seventh place in my man's life—right below Howard Stern, The Ramones, Scarface, South Park, The Simpsons, and...Borat.
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• Hollywood Plays Politics
  By Amy E. Wong
  In recent years, Hollywood's influential gravity has become a deft force in politics. In anticipation of California's Nov. 7 election, A-list celebs like Julia Roberts, Ben Affleck, and Michael J. Fox are flocking to the campaign trail in hopes of drawing attention to their various political agendas.
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• The Importance of Having a Prenup
  By Amy E. Wong
  One romantic evening, I began chatting up the idea of marriage with my boyfriend. He was, naturally, scared senseless. Then, after letting the idea sink in, he said, "Well, obviously, we'd get a prenup." That didn't sit well with me, and I began ranting about how "there should be more trust in the relationship." I remember pounding home my intentions, professing, "I would never, never, NEVER take anything from you!"
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• CBGB Closes Its Doors
  By Amy E. Wong
  October 15, 2006 marked one of punk rock's greatest losses. The structure located at 315 Bowery hosted its last show, closing its doors—with a BANG! Sure, New York's CBGB may look like a seedy, rundown building, but it's a seminal landmark of punk rock history whose reputation was paved by the likes of The Ramones, Blondie, Television, and Talking Heads.
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