Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

1410 Posts and Counting

Those Disclaimers at the end of emails — worse than nothing.

The truth is, when a privileged matter is disclosed by accident, there is a very good chance that the privilege has been waived. If the transmission is privileged, you had better protect the privilege by taking measures in advance not to disclose it to the likes of me. Like encryption.

Yes, encryption. If a message is encrypted, the accidental recipient cannot read it. Think about that.

A Time to Step Forward.

The country was confronted with the first great constitutional crisis in its short history. The presidential election of 1800 had been thrown into the House of Representatives. The Constitution provided that if no candidate achieved a majority in the Electoral College, the election would be decided by the House of Representatives. But after numerous votes, the House proved to be deadlocked.

From the Blogroll

No. 666 Time Management Ninja: What You Should Have Done Last Night. My Shingle : Century Solo. 22 Tweets: David Morgan, LLB. Nutmeg Lawyer:  Incorporating QR Codes into Your Practice. Real Lawyers Have Blogs:  Lawyers Can Establish Trust With Their Target Audience Online. That’s Church: State of the Bandwagon.   CLT         […]

Return from the Dead.

A lawyer I know once described disbarment as capital punishment for lawyers. Very apt. Nevertheless, some lawyers do find their way back. The Newsletter of the Disciplinary Board of Pennsylvania recently printed the following comment.

No More Foreclosures by MERS.

No. 664 Mortgage Electronic Recording System (MERS), a private corporation,  announced that it will no longer permit mortgage foreclosures or Bankruptcy claims to be filed in its name.  MERS was established to hold record title to mortgages as “nominee”, enabling them to be assigned privately without the need to file assignments. However, the standing to […]

Small Task, Big Damages

Those of us who have zoning practice are required to do it all of the time: make a list of the names and addresses of all property owners whose land is adjacent to the property in question. Not too difficult. Yes, you should include properties across the street. And if the tax map shows properties almost touching, include them too. But other than that, its just a little map reading exercise.

Is September 11 Just an Ordinary Day Yet?

The Country had been in shock. People sat in front of their televisions, gaping in disbelief, for days. It took a month for life to return to normal. But it did, and now we are approaching ten years out.

Goldbeck Case Update

In the post reprinted mmediately below you will find the Post from December discussing the case of Loughren v. Bair, GD 10-021437. Since the post below was written in December, PO’s were filed, followed by an amended complaint whereby Loughren, who filed the original complaint, became the representative party in a class action. Robert F. Dailey of Pierce & Pierce has taken over as counsel for the plaintiff. The Defendants are represented by James Schadel of Weinheimer Schadel & Haber, Pittsburgh.

Encore Post: Goldbeck Case.

No. 660   Goldbeck, McCafferty & McKeever PC is one of a handful of law firms in Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania that has handled thousands of mortgage foreclosures throughout the State.  However, the firm was delivered a severe blow in Bankruptcy Court this week.  Coverage of that matter brought to light a suit recently filed […]

Marcellus Shell Games.

With over 150 years of experience in gas production, you would think that our region would be pretty comfortable with the subject. But apparently not. The recent boom in Marcellus Shale gas leasing and operation has stirred a lot of controversy. South Fayette Township recently joined a growing list of municipalities that are adopting comprehensive ordinances seeking to regulate the industry within its borders. Although the State has comprehensive regulations which would seem to pre-empt local ordinances, the courts have permitted local regulation. And the City of Pittsburgh and, recently, Wilkinsburg Borough have entirely banned Marcellus drilling from their jurisdiction. This is due to environmental concerns, including fears that fracking fluids will pollute our drinking water.

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Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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