Signing our Dancing Feet Away

As the times change, so must school policies. One of the newest policies to change in recent years is the way schools approach dances. Recently schools have begun to utilize "dance contracts" to cut down on bad behavior and sexually suggestive dancing. The contract requires a student to abide by certain behaviors while at the dance, for example both feet must be on the ground at all time. If found to be dancing in violation of the dance contract they face expulsion from the dance or worse penalties. There are many local schools that employ these contracts including Downey High School, Aliso Niguel High School, and Biola University.

Legal Help Live is curious, do you think dance contracts are necessary for our kids?

Should you report a robbery?

Is it worth reporting a robbery if you fear retribution from those involved?

Robberies aren't supposed to happen, but when they do should you report it? Many don't report small robberies thinking nothing will be done and just move, while others are afraid but do so anyways. The problem is, citizens who do report crimes shouldn't have to worry about the robber retaliating against them.

Legal Help Live wants to know, have you been robbed and did you report it, or have you been the threatened for reporting a crime? Take a look at the unbelievable story of Khristina Henry and leave a comment below.

"After midnight on a cool September morning three years ago, Khristina Henry and her boyfriend stepped out of the El Dorado Bowling Alley near LAX. Nearby, a group of about 20 young men stared hard as the pair of 17-year-olds walked to their car."

Full LA Times article.

HS Football, too dangerous for kids?

In the wake of a recent passing of a high school freshman while playing football, Legal Help Live wants to know: Is high school football too dangerous for our children?

Take look at the article and post your response in the comment section below.

"Spencer Juarez collapsed on the sidelines after carrying the football in the final minutes of Friday's game. The straight-A student ran the L.A. marathon and was a 'curious' observer of the world."

Full LA Times article.

Protecting Yourself from Illegal Contractors

With any natural disaster comes rebuilding, unfortunately many out there seek to capitalize on that at the expense of those who already can't afford it. In an LA Times article titled "Authorities Seek to Warn Station Fire Victims about Illegal Contractors" the question of how to protect you, the home owner, from unscrupulous contractors is raised.

Here's what Legal Help Lives Stephen Jamieson had to say:

It irks me (legal phrase, given I am lawyer) that people are out there to victimize the victimized in these times of great strife and tragedy. this is especially true when it occurs during a horrible recession and people are likely at their most vulnerable position even before the fires. Contractors always need to be licensed. If they are not licensed they are not entitled to be paid. That is the law. Don't pay them in advance and don't hire them unless and until they are confirmed to be licensed and insured. No exceptions!

LAUSD and the Private Enterprise Model

In response to the LA Times article "Votes could open 250 L.A. schools to outside operators" Legal Help Lives Stephen Jamieson had this to say:

There is no reason that public school should be struggling, yet it is. There is no reason that with the resources of the government and the requirements imposed on public school teachers and administrators that they should be under-performing, yet in many cases they are under-performing. While there should never be change for change's sake alone, operating outside one's comfort zone can be beneficial to expose inefficiencies and complacency - which are never good qualities. The LAUSD should try using a private enterprise model. There are enough good, caring teachers and administrators that it will temper a for profit type system that is otherwise judged solely on competitive edge so that students will reap the benefits rather than the corporate structure itself. And, isn't that what we all want, better student performance?


For the full LA Times article click here.

Do we need another law on alcohol sales to minors?

In response to an LA Times article from 7/8 titled "Alcohol sales to minors a problem with self-service checkout" Ralph Saltsman of Legal Help Live had this to say:

As to AB 1060 which would disallow self-checking of alcoholic beverages at retail stores, according to Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control statistics, programs implemented in the mid-1990’s have diminished sales of alcohol to minors significantly. That may be why the ABC does not support the pending legislation. Existing law strictly prohibits sales to minors. The seller is faced with misdemeanor prosecution. The licensee is faced with a substantial fine and if the offense is repeated twice within 36 months of the date of the first violation, the license will be revoked. Revocation means forever.

Since the ABC began its program of funding local police departments to set up decoy programs throughout the state in 1995, sales to minors have dropped. Can a kid outwit a self-checkout system? Of course. Can that kid also outwit a trained clerk who is armed with electronic scanning devices? The answer is still yes.

As the law firm which represents ABC retail licenses statewide and which litigates disciplinary proceedings brought by the ABC against licensees, I believe we have some insight which may contribute to the analysis of the controversy between self-checking and clerical checking. Our observation is that there are no systems which cannot be circumvented, but the legislature’s, the state agency’s and retailers’ mutual obligation is to minimize sales to minors without destroying a significant part of the state’s economy at the same time. Statutes on the books now and the diligent oversight by the ABC with local police together with in-store systems and training seem to be addressing the age-old problem of the under-aged obtaining alcohol. Why interfere with a system that seems to now be making things better?

Has Harvard Law Gone Soft?

MSNBC's Carlos Watson asked Legal Help Live for our take on the matter and a response to The Stimulist article "The Pamper Chase."

Here’s what LHL’s Stephen Jamieson had to say:

There is something both endearing and beneficial to the development of young lawyers in the Socratic system of teaching.

To the extent that Harvard is moving away from that intense, on the spot, staccato method of learning by questioning, rather than lecturing, the legal system will suffer.

Harvard was and is expected to be the gold standard for training our legal scholars, litigators, trial attorneys, and counselors. The phrase was always law school will train you to “think like a lawyer”. Passive listening to lectures, with no competition to slice and dice what issue is being addressed, does not produce the best ability to analyze problems and “think like a lawyer”.

Coddling students by settling into a non competitive atmosphere is not beneficial to engineers, historians, scientists, and is certainly not beneficial for lawyers. Lawyers must think on their feet and be able to analyze issues and arguments from all sides. Testing those skills, learning the ability to analyze in the face of adversity, sharpens our ability to serve our clients.

Faculty that is responsive to students, and a physically comfortable atmosphere to enable the process of educating students to be lawyers: yes. Non competitive atmosphere with no way to compare one’s performance against others: no

Legal Help Live wants to know, what do you think? Post a comment below or find us on Twitter , Facebook , or YouTube .