Last year, and the year before (with more bravado than good judgment), I sent out some really silly e-newsletters during this time of affection and romance.  For better or worse, they are among the most popular of all the LEGAL TRENDS newsletters.  So here we are back for Round Three.  

     So sit back, pick some roses, eat some chocolates and contemplate this light-hearted contemplation of Love and Litigation!

  

Have you scheduled a "Court Date"?

The romanticCol. Jessup

     Sure, you can see some schmaltzy romance flick where everyone talks with an English accent OR you can really "get in the mood" by viewing one of your favorite classics of the courtroom!  Check out the ABA list of the top 25 lawyer movies and TV Shows. 

      Can anything light the old romantic fires like Paul Newman cold-cocking Charlotte Rampling in The Verdict or Jack Nicholson

 shouting "You can't handle the truth!" in A Few Good Men?

     Some things just never get old.

     (And after you are done, you can dance to Jackson Browne's hit "Lawyers in Love" ...which, of course, isn't really about lawyers or love...)

 

And you thought the chocolates and roses were expensive? 

         That's nothing compared to the cost of a lawyer defending a lawsuit because someone in the office expressed a little too much affection.   Employment lawyer Daniel Schwartz from Connecticut warns us to avoid the temptation of sending an overly affectionate note to a co-worker.  In his employment law blawg, he discusses several bad scenarios during this season of (not-in-the-office!) love.

  

Nothing could be finer than to sue in Carolina... 

     Are ya sayin' ya got "Heartaches by the Numbers"?  

     Well, here in North Carolina you may be able to change those "numbers" into dollar signs by bringing a "Heart Balm" lawsuit against someone who's "done ya wrong.".  The Tar Heel State remains just one of six states that still recognize old common law that a husband maintains a property interest in his wife. (Seriously.)  

     Ergo, when someone violates that "property interest" by committing adultery (aka, engaging in "Criminal Conversation") he/she can be sued for "Alienation of Affection."

 

 

     In whatever state of romantic bliss you find yourself, I do hope you'll keep in touch and let me know if you have any legal questions or concerns.  As I always say, even if I can't help you, I'm glad to point you in a good direction.