22/01/11 (UK): LSC Pulls The Plug on Drugs Case Families who blame an epilepsy drug for causing defects in their children are dropping their case against its maker after the withdrawal of legal aid, their lawyers have said. About 80 families claim that the drug, also known as Epilim, caused a range of birth defects, including spina bifida, damage to the heart, learning difficulties, cleft palate and deformities of the hands and feet.

21/1/11 (USA): Parents Sue Expert Witness Over 'Morphed' Photographs A lawyer in the U.S who serves as an expert witness in child pornography cases may be liable to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil damages for 'Photo-shopping' courtroom exhibits of children having sex.

21/1/11 (UK): Expert Threatened In Therapist Misconduct Hearing The professional misconduct hearing of a psychotherapist who agreed to try to 'convert' a gay man was suspended yesterday after allegations of attempts to intimidate a key witness. Supporters of Lesley Pilkington (pictured), the Christian therapist who faces being removed from her Professional Register, called in police after they said the expert witness was threatened in several 'menacing' phone calls.

17/1/11 (USA): Has The 'Drive-Thru Lawyer' Arrived? It used to be cynically observed that there were two sorts of legal service: a gold-plated service for the rich and an every-day service for the poor. People driving by a sign in Oswego, Illinois, might have good reason to think that some of America's 1,180,386 lawyers have branched out into the newest form of cheap and speedy legal services at the lower end of the market: the drive-thru lawyer.

13/1/11 (UK): Virtual Courts: Law Society President Says No Some legal tribunals, for example Immigration tribunals employ video conferencing into court rather than transport detainees at a cost to the tax payer. The Law Society, however, believes that the same thing is not suitable for the criminal courts, and has said that the system should not be rolled out nationally following a critical Ministry of Justice evaluation of a year-long pilot.

12/1/11 (USA): Experts Testify In Jackson Doctor Hearing A judge has dealt the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death two setbacks, bringing him a step closer to a trial that could end with him being sent to prison and also taking away his livelihood.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor told Dr. Conrad Murray that after listening to six days of testimony at a preliminary hearing, including expert testimony, he thought there was enough evidence to support a possible finding of guilt at trial for the cardiologist to be convicted of involuntary manslaughter.