Author Archives: Sherona

For life

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For life is an American legal drama television series. It was written and created by Hank Steinberg . The series was released on February 11, 2020 and is now on its second season. It is about a man named Aaron Wallace who was a nightclub owner that was wrongfully accused and framed of being a Drug Kingpin. This series is based on a true story of Isaac Wright jr who while in prison studies the law and fights to get his case overturned. While in prison facing a life sentence for a crime that he did not commit , Aaron Wallace becomes a Lawyer and fights cases for other prisoners. Many of these cases he won and his clients were able to be free. After serving nine years, Wallace was able to prove that within his case there was illegal cover ups, secret deals made with defense attorneys to have witnesses lie under oath and also his star witness was paid to flee the country. Aaron Wallace was exonerated of the charges but because of a prison riot he was apart of he also had three years of probation. While out of prison, Wallace continued his lawyer career.

Based on what I learned about ethics in intro to Paralegal, I watched how the antagonist District attorney Glen Maskin (who was running for State attorney) perform many illegal and unethical moves to keep Aaron Wallace from receiving justice. Maskin orchestrated many misconduct including, abuse of power, perjury and obstruction of justice. Also, Aaron Wallace did a few unethical things to help free his clients, like have his wife write false letters with forged signatures. Also, his wife was a nurse so he would have her look for medical documents which violates HIPPA . He also played dirty so he would also black mail the people with power to get what he wanted.

In the series ,I found it interesting that Wallace was able to receive his law degree while being in prison. I believe in real life that obtaining a degree while in prison is incapable of happening considering one can not take the bar exam if they are a felon. Isaac Wright Jr was actually a paralegal and helped many lawyers win cases for innocent inmates. I do believe that all the corruption displayed in the series could be accurate and happen in the real world because in real life people step on toes to get far in life. Maskin broke the law because he wanted to become the first prosecutor in that state to convict someone under the Drug Kingpin Statue. With that being said , I recommend this series although it is a fiction , a person still gets insight of the things that go on in the court and also behind the scenes.

 

Court observation

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The court case that I observed was “Matter of Marian T (Lauren R.)” From October 2020 . It was discussed/argued about the mental capacity of an adult adoptee on whether she was able to consent to her adoption. It was said that she had an intellectual disability and that 2 psychologist believed that she was incapable of making decisions on her adoption. The other party argued that the people she lived with, in their care it seemed as though she felt loved and happy.

Although it seemed as though the party who wanted the case dismissed was very aggressive during her argument, some of her points did not seem valid enough. She talked about the adoptee not being able to inherit assets and the judge strikes a valid point that she can inherit assets from her adoptive parents. Also, she claimed she wouldn’t get medical benefits, but I don’t see how it matters who her parents are in order to be medically taken care of. I believe the judges were very firm and asked valid questions to both parties. Also, I found it surprising that someone over 18 can get adopted.

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/ctapps/arguments/2020/Oct20/Video/49.html

Megan Thee Stallion

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Megan Thee Stallion : Why I speak up for Black Women

By Megan Thee Stallion , New York Times , October 13, 2020

“The most unprotected person is the Black woman ” – MLK

In this well written,well addressed article, Megan Thee Stallion ( Female rapper) expresses how unfairly black women are treated. After Many years of fighting for equal rights,black women are still the most disrespected and disregarded when it comes to almost every aspect of life. Megan was shot by a male rapper named Tory Lanes .Megan and Tory lanes were not in an romantic relationship but were close friends. After the incident Megan chose to be silent worrying about the safety of all parties who were on the scene that night. Although Megan was the victim, she felt as though she was still doubted and faced slander. Megan believes that women are treated like subjects . Black women are stereotyped as “the angry black women” in every scenario that draws the narrative that anything that happens to us in a negative way is warranted. She also talks about a lot of great black women who made a difference in this world who were never given the right recognition.

I believe that black women need to be seen, heard and understood. Too often black woman are scared to speak up because they fear a negative outcome or it would probably be a waste of time. That is why i’m so glad that Kamala is the first black woman vice president. It gives hope for many black little girls to believe that things can happen , they just have to stay strong.

Annoying ways people use quotes

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In Stedman’s essay I learned various ways in how and how not to use quotes. One thing I did not know is that people really use a lot of quotes and according to Stedman “It takes over the writers authority”. This he refers to as “Uncle Barry and his encyclopedia of useless information”. Also, I learned that everything does not have to be quoted and it could be paraphrased as an alternative. When thinking about why this is very important when it comes to legal source or legal writing is because when it comes to court decisions most likely the judge, attorney or Paralegal would need to research for a better understanding and outcome.

In my source entry on teenage abortion, I quoted “Each child is an individual person, not merely an adjunct to this world; children are neither supplements to the lives of adults or accessories to surrounding adult. Children are not merely passive recipients of environmental and parental impact.” And also “A mature child’s right to make her own decision regarding abortion and contraception is constitutionally protected from state or parental interference.” In Stedman’ essay referring to “I cant find the stupid link” applies here because I used no citation at all. What I should have done was reference the author so a reader would know where to look for the source.

Legal source :Abortion

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Have you ever found it to be baffling that in some places adolescent females are not able to make decisions on their own about abortions, but can make certain legal consent decisions like sexual intercourse, receiving contraception/birth control,going through childbirth and becoming a mother or giving up the baby for adoption? I find this topic to be of interest because as a teen I always wanted to become a mom. Thankfully, I am glad that God had other plans for me and I was able to graduate high school and go off to college.I had my child at 21 and still I faced the pressure of responsibility it takes to care for yourself and another person.Motherhood is not easy, so I can imagine what it is like for a teen, especially if they did not feel like they were ready to become a mother and is forced by the government to have a 3rd party make decisions for her.

Pangburn, K. (Winter 2019). ITS NO “MINOR” ISSUE : REFRAMING TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF MINORS’ RIGHT TO BODILY AUTONOMY AND FREEDOM OF SEXUAL DECISION – MAKING.

In this law review, the writer indicates many valid reasoning on why she felt teenage girls should have their own saying when it involves life changing decisions such as terminating a pregnancy.In some places, teenagers are forced to get consent or notify their parents if they wanted to get an abortion. In many cases, going to a parent could be inconvenient. Some teenagers did not live with parents, and some parents were even alcohol and drug abusers, how could they make such decisions ? Also, if a minor wanted to prove to a judge why she felt she did not want her parents to grant her permission, the judge was able to waive the parental permission, this was referred to as a Judicial Bypass. The Judicial Bypass did not work in favor for some, because it can leave a minor in danger if they face domestic and sexual abuse in the home from the parent. In the article , it was said that in 2010 , teen pregnancies and child birth cost U.S. tax payers 9.4 billion for increased health and foster care, increased incarnation rates for children of teen parents and lost tax revenue due to lower education and income of teen mothers*166. As you can see, the decision is left to a third party who did not have to bare the responsibility of caring for the child and to live a struggle life if they denied her option to abortion.

A pregnant persons decision is between her and her doctor.In my opinion, I feel as though if a person does not want to have a child, they should grant that person that right. Many children grow up in abusive homes from parents who were not mentally or financially ready to bring a child into the world. Many woman suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which leaves a heavy weight on the child.The person who has to deal with the consequences of bringing a child into this world should be able to make her own choices on whether she wants to do so if she is capable of making other mature decisions.

“Each child is an individual person, not merely an adjunct to this world; children are neither supplements to the lives of adults or accessories to surrounding adult. Children are not merely passive recipients of environmental and parental impact.”

“A mature child’s right to make her own decision regarding abortion and contraception is constitutionally protected from state or parental interference.”

 

election day

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https://www.pix11.com/news/election-2020/nyc-bracing-for-possible-election-day-unrest

Days before election day , many store owners are boarding up there stores worried about the possible outcome due to the election results. Trump insists that the violant ,negative behaviors of his supporters are “an patriotic act and they are doing nothing wrong”. Many BLM protestors have been waiting to go up against the Trump Supporters in NYC , but they never showed. All the chaos going on around election day has left many including myself in anxiety. To know that this is what it comes down to, to People in fear of the outcome  to a presidential race is outrageous.

time keeping

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Wednesday October 7, 2020 1:15 pm -5:15 pm

1.0 – Taking a shower and getting dressed.

1.0 – Washing and drying laundry

0.50- Folding clothes

0.50 – walking to and from the Pizza shop

0.75 – Grocery shopping

0.25 – walking to and from picking up my daughter from school.

I thought this experience was kind of cool because I am a person who likes to keep track of everything I do. I am always writing things in my notes and in my calendar to make sure things are organized. Knowing in the back of my head that I had this assignment to do made it easier to stay on task.Within those four hours it was constantly on my mind to keep track of what i’m doing and the time i’m doing it.

 

 

RBG

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Although this might sound insane for a person and woman who is majoring in law and paralegal studies, I have never been aware of Ruth Ginsberg’s existence. She was the 2nd women appointed to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court.To find out that a lot of things in my life I wouldn’t have been able to reap the benefits of , if it was not for her fighting for many of women equality is mind blowing ; but I am glad to have learned about her and her countless efforts to give women and men equality.

Ruth Ginsberg was a fighter ! She fought for what she believed in. Some of those things she fought for was : Woman to be able to be admitted into state funded schools, the right for women to serve on juries, for woman to be able to have bank accounts and sign mortgages without needing a male co-signer, women equal pay, pregnant women in a workplace, and she played a part in abortions and so much more.

Not only did Ruth Ginsberg fight for women equality, she fought for men equality as well, especially when it came to childcare. She wanted both men and women to be able to play the same roles, which I one hundred percent agree with. We are both people and no one should get more or less treatment in any predicament.

I believe she was a hero and I aspire her. Rest in Peace Notorious RBG.

law office

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A law office that i would be interested in working in is called “The law offices of Frederick Brewington”. It is a litigation firm and one of the largest African American owned law offices located in Long Island at 556 Peninsula Blvd , Hempstead New York, 11550.

The reason I am compelled to work within this firm is because of the tremendous attention it devotes towards civil rights.They fight for issues concerning police misconduct, voting rights , wrongful death, employment discrimination, medical malpractice and personal injury just to name a few.

As a black woman , I am very passionate when it comes to fighting for equality and making sure minorities get the justice they deserve. On a day to day basis, people of color face racial discrimination and I find it extremely admirable that there is an entire firm dedicated to being apart of the solution. Protesting for our rights is just one way towards making a difference ; but if I were able to work in a law firm where i can physically be involved in cases fighting right at the front line, I would indefinitely-without a doubt deem myself as successful.

Brewingtonlaw.com

Amy Tan response

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In My mothers tongue , one of the legal issues that i seen is when Amy talks about when her mother tries to speak the English language . she talks about how people wouldn’t give her good service , or act like they don’t understand her or hear her. The legal issue is discrimination,or even a hate crime.