More Restrictions Against "Practicing Law" By Non-Lawyers?

The ABA is proposing stricter guidelines on who can dispense "legal advice" -- guidelines that "could subject real estate agents, income tax preparers, credit counselors and other laypeople to civil and criminal penalties." The FTC and the DOJ are objecting, saying the proposed guidelines are much too broad, and that their real intent is to protect lawyers' wallets, the New York Times reports here. UPDATE: It looks like doctors are going after the same kind of restrictions at the same time, according to this.

Is Skjerven About To Follow Brobeck?

It is, according to this poster on the SF/SV Greedy Associates board. (But don't believe everything you read . . . .) The firm's homepage is here.

Safe Sex

"In a ruling that might have been pounded out with clubs in some Neolithic cave," writes law.com here, "Sacramento's Third District Court of Appeal held this week that two female corrections officers weren't victims of sexual harassment, despite their boss's penchant for sleeping with -- and then unfairly promoting -- their colleagues."

You can read the court's opinion here (PDF).

New York May Try Alternative to Bar Exam

The proposed test program would allow 200 law grads to gain admittance to the state bar by working for a civil court for three months and then doing 150 hours of pro bono, rather than taking the traditional bar exam, according to the ABA Journal.

Tortious Bagels

A Florida couple is suing a McDonald's restaurant over a "tough" bagel that damaged the husband's teeth and the couple's marriage, according to this.