Published articles, messages, chats about current legal newshttp://www.lawyers.comhttp://editorial.lawyers.com/common/image/favicon.icohttp://www.lawyers.com1616http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/Registry-law-called-unfair-to-homeless--Sex-offenders...-l:818715685.html?method=rss Georgia's sex offender registry law should be struck down because it makes homelessness a crime, a lawyer told the state's highest court on Monday. "The law is fundamentally unfair to homeless sex offenders," public defender Adam Levin argued to the Georgia Supreme Court. Levin represents William James Santos, charged in Hall County for failing to register a new address in the sex offender registry. Because this would be his second failure-to-register offense, Santos faces a mandatory life sentence. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/In-tough-times,-watch-out-for-scams-and-for-surprises-on-your-bill-l:818715684.html?method=rss Your 401(k) plan has been shot full of holes. You're worried about your job. With gas prices topping $4 a gallon, you'll have to spend your vacation rediscovering your backyard. At times like these, it's more important than ever to be on the lookout for scams designed to exploit fear and desperation. Here's a look at some of the latest swindles: *Oil- and gas-drilling schemes. With the price of oil topping $140 a barrel, it's no surprise that con artists are pumping out energy-related scams. Along with shady oil and gas schemes, swindlers are promoting investments in energy-efficient technologies, says Karen Tyler, president of the North American Securities Administrators Association. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/Junk-fax-class-action-lawsuit-results-in-record-settlement-l:818564038.html?method=rss After six years of litigation, the attorneys in a contentious class action lawsuit over "junk" faxes reached a $1.8 million settlement last month - reportedly the largest telemarketing settlement in Massachusetts to date - with the plaintiffs' lawyers now searching for thousands of fax recipients who are entitled to up to $1,500 each. Framingham-based consumer attorney Matthew P. McCue, who filed the case in 2002, says he never expected his efforts to enforce the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act on unsolicited fax advertisements to evolve into such a complex legal battle. "We took a statute that had never been enforced in Massachusetts before, and we had a lot of creative issues come up," he explains. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0400