UC Berkeley School of Law to offer its first interactive online course

Andrew Guzman and Susan Gluss quoted in The Daily Californian and The Wallstreeter, April 8, 2014

“The material (will be) analogous to a physical classroom and in many ways will resemble the same classes one would expect to take at Boalt,” said professor Andrew Guzman, associate dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law’s advanced degree program, who was deeply involved in the project’s development. “However, the form in which it is done will be quite different.”

“Online education is new and still developing, and the field is changing quickly. We don’t know yet how extensive our program might be,” said Susan Gluss, a spokesperson for the law school, in an email. “But we do know that online education has the potential to greatly increase access to education. It’s a tool to help us reach new students in the U.S. and worldwide.”

Plug-in vehicles edge toward the mainstream

Ethan Elkind interviewed by KALW-FM, City Visions, April 7, 2014

There was a push in the ‘90s that got some of the first versions of electric vehicles on the road. But, more recently, it has a lot to do with California policies. California has been a leader in air quality issues in general, but has also made zero-emissions vehicles a priority.

California crime victims have trouble accessing needed services

Heather Warnken interviewed by KPCC-FM, April 7, 2014

“Many victims of violence, including repeat victims of some of the most extreme violence that does have some of the most severe reverberating social and financial consequences, never access trauma recovery services,” says Heather Warnken.

The ‘superpredator’ scare

Barry Krisberg interviewed by The New York Times Retro Report, April 6, 2014

“This country went into a moral panic about ‘superpredators.’ But the calculations were wrong. They made it up…. It was a myth, and, unfortunately, it was a myth that some academics jumped onto. The fear of the ‘superpredator’ led to a tremendous number of laws and policies that we’re just now recovering from.”

Changing legal culture, involvement of foreign companies make lawsuits more likely in China

Rachel Stern quoted in Inside Counsel, April 4, 2014

“I don’t think there is a culture of ‘aversion to litigation’ – Chinese people are plenty willing to sue, if they think their dispute will be resolved fairly and efficiently,” Rachel Stern … said in an e-mail. “The bigger problem is that the courts routinely screen cases and turn away cases that are politically sensitive. And then, once the cases are in court, judges tend to be wary of large payouts.”

National Labor Relations Board official’s ruling may impact UC Berkeley athletes

David Rosenfeld quoted in the Daily Californian, April 4, 2014

While UC Berkeley law lecturer David Rosenfeld, a practicing labor lawyer, supports the ability of college athletes to unionize, he acknowledges that organizing will be difficult because “every four years the workers leave and they don’t have a long-term interest.”… He said collegiate athletes at public and private schools could refuse to play before a game, demanding that their union is recognized by the university.

San Bruno explosion case against PG&E could be hard to prove

Jesse Choper quoted in The Christian Science Monitor, April 2, 2014

“It is certainly not unheard of to find a corporation guilty of an offense and impose fines. It is much less common to impose fines or prison sentences on directors, officers, or employees of a corporation,” says Jesse Choper…. “The court or jury would have to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt of a specific federal offense.”

Will the Supreme Court promote innovation in TV?

James Tuthill writes for San Francisco Chronicle, April 2, 2014

The greater issue is whether or not the court will uphold the obligation of broadcasters to provide “free” over-the-air television. The broadcasters (or their predecessors) received their valuable broadcast spectrum for free in exchange for providing free over-the-air television programming. Now they are seeking to effectively renege on that bargain. The Supreme Court will decide whether or not they can.

Cole Haan Pinterest shoe contest draws FTC’s ire

Ted Mermin quoted in Slate, April 2, 2014

“I would say that this serves as a caution to retailers working in the social media space about the importance of disclosing any potential motivations other than interest,” says Ted Mermin …noting that the FTC decided against taking any enforcement action. “This is part of the same general campaign they are engaged in with respect to Kim Kardashian being paid to endorse chapstick,” says Mermin. “It’s a different piece of it. It’s probably closer to the line.”