Contract Cases and Lyrical Learning

R.B. Caswell's youtube channel features songs about cases in Contracts Law. What a great way to introduce or wrap up a concept or case discusssion!

Here is another youtube channel with a similar idea.

Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon from R.B. Caswell's perspective:

"Frivolous" Lawsuit Stories Exposed by Cracked.com

The website Cracked.com reports on 6 Famous "Frivolous Lawsuit" Stories That Are Total BS. Undergraduate students are very familiar with the Cracked website which provides a healthy dose of humor and sarcasm to the youger generation.  Warning! Cracked does not hesitate to express its ideas in language that you would otherwise try to avoid in class. So, I wouldn't put this up on the projector, but I might assign it on a syllabus.

A sampling of other Cracked articles of interest:
5 Awesomely Sarcastic Supreme Court Decisions
7 Bullshit Police Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)
The 5 Most Wildy Illegal Court Rulings in Movie History
7 Brilliant Movie Lawyers (Who Suck at Their Job)
6 Judges Who Went Completely Insane on The Bench

Guest Blogger - Henry Lowenstein: Proximate Cause or Cable Remote?

Henry Lowenstein from Coastal Carolina University shares the following video resource:

A colleague of mine (Professor Mark Mitchell, Marketing) passed on some of the new TV ads being run by DirectTV to encourage consumers to switch from cable TV to their direct service.  They are hilarious.  The one below had me thinking on the issue of "proximate cause" when we teach about torts in our legal environment classrooms.  Who really is responsible for injury?  Who really should pay?  What are the limits of the logic?  Is the cell phone company responsible for the distracted driving that leads to an accident or is it the maker of the device itself, or the road, or the car company who didn't warn not to look at the GPS screen while driving?  The road to netting potential tortfeasors could be endless and only the courts, juries and legislators put some limitations on it.  Common sense and personal responsibility often get lost in the legal "static." 

The big complaint about the U.S. legal system and raised in debates on tort reform is the expansion of tort theories, by plaintiff attorneys seeking new ways of making cases and cashing-in for "victims" and themselves.  So the DirectTV might be a funny way to approach the topic.   Is the cable tv company the proximate cause of this individual's "assault."  Does he have a cause of action against his cable company for various forms of tort liability and compensation?

Editor's Comment: Maybe this guy could sue Direct TV for not speedily convincing him to switch from cable?

Mildred and Richard Loving Photos Released

Newly discovered photos of Mildred and Richard Loving taken in 1965 have been made public. The Lovings were the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case that struck down Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws. The photos were discovered during the making of a documentary, The Loving Story, due for release in February.  Click here to see the newly released photos.

Featured case: Loving v. Virginia.

The video below is a new release of a live performance of Nanci Griffith's musical tribute to the Lovings.

Law Music Video: We The People (Constitution Song)

This week's installment in the "Law Music Videos" series is We the People (Constitution Song) written and produced by Sandy Wilbur and performed by sonme talented youngsters from Cambridge Central School (NY?). Law music videos played before your class starts will positively contribute to learning.

The Negotiable Paper Bunch

It's a writing
Pay to order or bearer
Signed by the maker or the drawer
An unconditional promise to pay
A sum certain
In currency
On demand or at a definite time

It's a writing
Pay to order or bearer . . .
Oh, well - you'll get it after you watch the video.

Thank you, Sabrina Ursaner, for sharing you ditty with us on the internet.  Please visit Sabrina's YouTube channel and her Blog.



Brday Bunch theme:



Another Negotiable Instrument Song:

Law Lessong - Employment-at-Will

The next installment in the “Law Lessong” series is Employment -at-Will Song.  This simple video and song from a Power Point presentation helps students consider the issues of the Common Law doctrine of employment-at-will. Reference is made to the limited whistleblower protection under the Common Law  and the public policy exception to Employment-at-Will.

Learn more about Law Lessongs from the post found here.  More videos may be found at my youtube channel. Please feel free to use them in the classroom or as assignments or in any way that they work for you as an educational resource.