Magistrate Filing Costs and Fines for 2017

No. 1,294 The following costs and fines have been established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for Magisterial District Judges beginning January 1, 2017. 29.402. 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725.1. Costs. (a) Civil cases. â€” In calendar year 2017, the costs to be charged by magisterial district judges in every civil case, except as otherwise provided […]

Landlord-Tenant: Domestic Violence Exception to 10-day Appeal Limit in Eviction Cases.

No. 1,293 STEPHANO BROS. REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT ASSOCIATES v. DEBORAH WILLIAMS, NOS. 2571 EDA 2015, 2629 EDA 2015. Superior Court, filed November 2, 2016 In this non-precedential decision, the Superior Court construes a little-known provision in the Landlord and Tenant Act regarding appeal of a landlord-tenant case involving recovery of possession of the leased premises […]

Shot Across the Border kills someone in Mexico — is there civil liability in US Courts?

No. 1,292 Is there civil liability for death caused by a shot fired across the Rio Grande? Some think that the US Supreme Court will probably take the case.

Christmas Card for Tenants

No. 1291

Trump’s secret was hiding all along in plain view.

No. 1,290 In the past two days, I have read a ton of articles and watched an army of talking heads expound upon various theories to explain the Trump triumph at the polls. Undoubtedly, many stars had to come into alignment to create this remarkable constellation. But one beacon outshines them all. Trump had the […]

Confession of Judgment and Political Advertising

No. 1,289 The TV advertising on both sides of the Pennsylvania Senatorial race has been an abomination of untruth, half truth and true but irrelevant statements. So perhaps one more wrong allegation doesn’t matter very much. In fact, some of the claims are so outrageous, that even a child could see through them. Nevertheless, the […]

Vote Yes on the Judicial Retirement Constitutional Amendment

No. 1,288 Two newspapers on the other side of the State have editorialized against the ballot initiative to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75. The principal reason why they are against this measure is that the ballot doesn’t state that the current retirement age is […]

How to Effectively Cross Examine an Expert Without Discussing His/Her Opinion.

No. 1,287 Here’s avery good post in the California Education of the Bar Blog that is worth a read by trial lawyers demonstrating the indirect questioning of an expert witness. You never challenge the conclusion, but bring up undeniable truths. The Art of Cross Examination, by Francis L. Wellman, an old classic, told about a […]

Trend: Lower Cost Legal Services — How Will It Happen?

No. 1,286 There has been a lot of discussion of the future of the legal profession. A post in Lawyerist.com, a nuts and bolts blog for lawyers, summarizes conclusions in a book by a futurist named Suskind. He concluded that lawyers in private practice were being marginalized by, among other things, non-lawyers and technology. Suskind […]

Trend: Increased Free or Low Cost Legal Counsel for Tenants

No. 1,285 The New York Law Journal reports that New York City is likely to establish a program to provide free legal counsel to low income tenants. This trend is also evident for some time in Allegheny County, where the Bar Association Pro Bono organization has sponsored its Landlord-Tenant Project for several years. In addition, […]

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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.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

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

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