Blog

The Thanksgiving Holiday has traditionally been associated with giving thanks---thanks for our families, for the food that will be lovingly prepared and shared, and for other things we consider dear and important. But what happens after the dinner is finished, the football games watched, the family members departed to return to their distant homes?

Are we changed in any way? Have we caused change in any way? Or was our Thanksgiving, however sincere, a mere one-off nod to what we’ve received and enjoyed?

Senior Partner Marc P. Weingarten discusses the first outbreak of Legionnaires Disease and what we have learned 40 years later in his article for the Newsletter for the International Practice Section of the American Association of Justice. The summer of 1976 saw more than 200 individuals sickened and 34 deaths due to this disease. Over the years, this event has led to better detection and prevention, greater cooperation across health departments and more rigorous inspection codes. The article originally appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. To learn more about the American Legion convention of 1976 and where we are today, read the full text here:

The lawyers at the Locks Law Firm are single-minded in their dedication and devotion to zealous representation of our clients. However, we also believe that in the course of our zealous advocacy of our clients, it is important that we scrupulously adhere to the Rules of Professional Conduct, which is the code of ethics that governs all aspects of an attorney’s practice. I have always believed that it is possible to get great results for my clients and yet not cross the border into any practices which even remotely seem to be unprofessional or lack an ethical foundation.

As I was replacing some of my business cards in my wallet this morning, I noticed the words “Attorney At Law” beneath my name.  In itself this wasn’t surprising, since I have been actively practicing law for nearly 25 years, but it got me to thinking: am I more “attorney” at law, or “counsellor” at law?  And: is there a difference?

In the not-so-distant past, families had a trusted lawyer, a counsellor, who administered to all or most of the family’s legal needs.  That lawyer wrote wills, managed real estate transactions, advised about business ventures and handled criminal and other matters as they arose.  Often, the lawyer would be called on discuss other sensitive matters, and asked to offer advice on the best way to proceed.

Today, Locks Law Firm was honored to receive the Summit Award for employers of distinction, providing opportunities for people with disabilities from The Sierra Group. We are the inaugural winner of this award and are proud of the partnership with have formed with The Sierra Group, offering internships and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

October is National Disability Awareness Month. To learn more about how you can support those with disabilities, contact the Sierra Group (http://www.thesierragroupacademy.org/). To learn more about our partnership with them, please see the attached article from the Philadelphia Business Journal.

On October 6, 2016 I was honored to speak at the Seminario Internacional do Amianto: Uma Abordagem Socio-Juridica (International Asbestos Conference: An Approach to Social Justice) in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The conference brought together doctors, attorneys, prosecutors, judges, scientists and victims advocates from Brazil, Portugal, Italy, the United States and other countries, in order to discuss the health hazards of asbestos, asbestos civil and criminal actions in various national and international legal systems and the efforts to ban the mining and use of asbestos in Brazil.

On Monday, September 26, thirty one (31) former NFL players filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court to review the NFL Concussion settlement, joining the estate of Cookie Gilchrist, who also filed an appeal earlier in the month. While the attorneys at Locks Law Firm feel that the court is unlikely to hear the case and thus this is just a further delay in getting much needed settlement payments to those who are suffering debilitating neurocognitive diseases, there are no guarantees. In that light, let’s take a quick look at the process by which a case is either granted or denied their petition with the Supreme Court.

Today's tragic New Jersey Transit train crash at the Hoboken terminal is a stark reminder of the importance of safety and security on our rail systems. Amtrak and the many commuter rail systems along the Northeast corridor are vital to efficient transportation along the east coast for daily commuters, business travel and tourism. Expansion of these systems is an important concern as we deal with current and future pressing environmental and energy challenges.

However, as we learn more about the cause of the most recent incident, we should not lose sight of the need to assure for the safety and security of the trains and rail systems that millions of commuters in the region depend upon every day.

What happened this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is shocking. An unarmed, lone African-American man, walking slowly with his hands in the air, was shot and killed by one of several police officers who were following him. What is unusual about this incident is that two police videos showed the incident. One video was taken either from a police car or a body camera, and the other was taken from a helicopter circling overhead. Without the videos, the country would not have seen this incident and would not be shocked.

We at the Locks Law Firm are actively investigating and prosecuting cases of personal injury for persons who have been infected with the Legionella bacterium. Legionella is a type of bacterium found naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams. It can become a health concern when it grows and spreads in human-made water systems like hot tubs, hospital or other large water systems, cooling towers (used in air conditioning systems in large buildings) and public fountains or water displays. Legionella thrives best in warm water, and is spread usually through the ingestion or inhalation of droplets in which the bacterium is present.