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What Fools These Lawyers Be

On this day devoted to the practical joke, I set out to see what pranks I could find among the ranks of legal bloggers. What I discovered, instead, is that fiction is often difficult to distinguish from fact. Consider some of these posts and decide for yourself whether they are truth or hoax:

• Bloggers sued for breach of contract. Did the editor and contributing editor of Contracts Prof Blog violate their contracts with the Law Professors Blog Network by engaging in blogging activities elsewhere?
• U.S. military thought about recruiting bloggers. A study written for U.S. Special Operations Command suggested "clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers" to build support for the Iraq war.
• The Legal Satyricon kicks off a charity project. Concerned about the rise in violence against Florida's homeless population, Marc Randazza raises funds to purchase .38 caliber pistols so that the homeless can defend themselves.
• No arguments today at the Supreme Court, but a noteworthy day nonetheless: April 1 is the birthday of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who turns 58.
• Federal Circuit says "Rat Zapper" patent invalid as obvious. What else could the court say, given  it similarity to the Gopher Zapper?
• The foolproof route to a law professorship. Best tip: If you did not graduate from a top law school, then serve a clerkship at the Supreme Court.
• Lawyers to dress up as pirates and sing. Tickets on sale today at noon.
• Blogging toilet signs. Who knew there could be so much creative expression in separating the sexes?
• Tort reform inconsistent with conservative values. The money quote: "If our court system did not have the tort law in place to protect each and every of us, citizens would more than likely end up killing each other."
• Jail for light-fingered nun?  Doug Berman wonders what sentence makes sense.
• Battle of the law-firm marketing videos. Marketing is a nasty business, but someone's gotta do it.

There you have it. Ponder those posts and try to sort fact from fiction. But before you wrap up your April 1 blog reading, be sure not to miss the special April Fool's Day appendix to Blawg Review #153. And to put it all in perspective, finish up with a recap of the top 100 April Fool's hoaxes of all time.

Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on April 1, 2008 at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)