Here’s the legal news this week that you may have missed:
Kenneth Bae Moved from Prison Camp to Hospital
Kenneth Bae, the 45-year-old Lynnwood man who was arrested in North Korea in November 2012 and accused of subversive activities against North Korea’s authoritarian government, has been moved from a prison camp to a hospital due to his poor health. This week, The Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper based in Japan, posted a video in which Bae pleaded for the U.S. government to facilitate his release; it was unclear whether he was speaking of his own free will.
Janis Puracal Honored by American Bar Association
WSBA member Janis Puracal is being honored with the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award. Janis recently finished a successful pro bono representation of her brother, Jason Puracal, leading an international campaign to free him of wrongful conviction in Nicaragua. Jason was freed after nearly two years in captivity due to her tireless and diplomatic efforts. Congratulations, Janis!
Paralegals Take First Steps to Be Limited License Legal Technicians
Limited License Legal Technician candidates (LLLTs) enrolling in fall 2013 family law courses can apply for a waiver of some of the educational requirements. Applications are due by Sept. 18; learn more about the LLLT program, how waivers work, and how to sign up for a waiver.
Wait Continues for Recreational Marijuana Usage Rules
The Washington State Liquor Control Board staff is recommending that rules for a legal recreational-pot system be postponed while it takes additional time to consider public feedback. Clarifying definitions, identifying the number and locations of retail stores, and limiting how much pot a licensee can have — called for by the new law — are some of the main revisions the board is reviewing.
Law Schools Ranked by Salary-to-Debt Ratio
The U.S. News & World Report compiled a list of law schools whose grads had the highest salary-to-debt ratio, meaning the students had the highest salaries relative to their debt. See the top 10 schools whose law graduates have the least amount of debt relative to starting private-sector salaries.
New Approach to Drug Sentencing
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. announced on Monday that he was ordering “a fundamentally new approach” in the federal prosecution of many lower-level drug offenders. The announcement is an acknowledgment that widespread incarceration is, as Holder put it, “both ineffective and unsustainable.” Do you agree that sentencing reform is a good idea? Tell us in the comments!
Stephanie Perry. Stephanie is the WSBA communications specialist/publications editor. She edits the “Literary Lawyer” column in NWLawyer. Find more of her reviews and reading lists at www.readerslane.com.
