By Daniel M. Kotin 

The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released data showing that deaths in pedestrian and bicycle accidents in the United States are at the highest they have been in forty years. The group attributes some of the increase to the rising popularity of trucks and SUVs. But another factor is undoubtedly the increase of essentially silent electric vehicles on our roadways.

I have been driving an electric car for about six weeks now. I have not struck anyone, but I have already experienced a handful of occasions wherein pedestrians have simply walked into my path. It has become enough of a concern that I felt compelled to do some research.

By Daniel M. Kotin

I recently returned from a Chicago Bar Association trip to Dublin, Ireland hosted by my partner and CBA President Tim Tomasik. 

While there, I participated on a panel with Judge Maryam Ahmed and Barrister Remy Farrell, comparing the jury trial system in the U.S. to that in Ireland. We learned that in jury selection, like in America, Irish barristers are given a number of “preemptory challenges” through which they can exclude potential jurors for no stated reason. 

By: Daniel M. Kotin

Here we are in March 2023, and I’m hearing the drum beat of voices in the legal professional lamenting the “new normal” – a world of hybrid work schedules, and all virtual meetings, depositions and court hearings. Combine that with the advent of artificial intelligence technology, and many in our field are beginning to feel that the law practice as we know it is ending.

            These concerns are well-founded. Success in our profession is based upon personal relationships. If the simplicity and convenience of AI and Zoom replace the face-to-face human interactions upon which our professional reputations are based, then there will be little left to distinguish one lawyer from another. But I’ve had a couple of experiences over the past month which gives me hope for our future. They reminded me of the fact that genuine growth and satisfaction in law will always be in-person.

By: Jessica Black

On August 20, 2021, a California judge issued a decision striking down a ballot measure in the state that had allowed rideshare companies to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. The measure, known as Proposition 22, allowed rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft to deny drivers employee benefits and job protections such as the right to sick pay, minimum wage, and health benefits. It also provided a liability shield that allowed Uber and Lyft to evade responsibility for the actions of their drivers.

Ride-hailing and delivery service corporations including Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Instacart, and DoorDash spent more than $200 million attempting to influence Californians to support the ballot measure. Uber and Lyft went so far as threatening to stop providing services in the state if the measure was not passed.

Lyft Inc. is facing a class action lawsuit brought by investors of its initial public offering (IPO). The case, In re Lyft Inc. Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-cv-02690, alleges that Lyft failed to disclose a number of safety issues prior to the IPO. These issues include the pervasive sexual assaults by its drivers and defective brakes that affect its bike share fleet. 

The lawsuit claims Lyft deliberately failed to report the safety information in an effort to market itself as more socially responsible than Uber. Uber is also facing a shareholder lawsuit about its disclosures on passenger safety and other issues ahead of its 2019 IPO.

Both Uber and Lyft have been the subject of immense criticism because they have failed to ensure that passengers are protected against sexual assaults by their drivers. Hundreds of passengers continue to be victimized by rideshare drivers each year.