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Who gets a civilian versus a military trial and why? Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other alleged plotters of the 911 attack will be tried as terrorists and criminals in a federal court, the US Attorney General announced today. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who along with four other detainees is accused of planning the 2000 USS Cole bombing in Yemen, will go before a military commission. In addition to wondering what evidence in any of these cases will have to be tossed out due to having been obtained through “enhanced interrogation tactics” that violated international torture laws, many are wondering why some alleged terrorists will be tried in federal court, while others will get a military tribunal....

There’s a lot of money to be made via mobile devices, and small businesses need to embrace the trend to remain competitive. Owning and operating a small business is extremely difficult, and the failure rate is very high. But by embracing the mobile-technology trend, you can increase your company’s chances for success. Here are the Top 5 reasons your company must go mobile: Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+ by clicking here....

Most of us will never see the inside of a courtroom. And if we do, it’s more likely to be for jury duty, or to haggle over a speeding ticket. Those less lucky may find themselves on the other end of a civil lawsuit, which can be a scary proposition. You may not have realized you did anything wrong, and now someone else is claiming you owe thousands or even millions of dollars?...

It’s primary season and the next presidential election is right around the corner, which means the focus will turn to voting rights and access to the polls. You know we live in a democracy, and you’ve probably heard of “one person, one vote.” But what exactly are your voting rights? Do you need ID? And does your boss need to give you time off to vote? We’ve got the answers to these and other questions in our top five posts on voting rights laws....

Turning your dream job into an LLC can make you feel like you finally made it. Or it can feel like a needless hassle that will corporatize your mom and pop shop. Most often, what incorporating your small business will mean is legal protection for both you and your company. So if you’re still weighing your options, or if you’ve just begun the incorporation process, here are seven big questions you’ll want the answers to:...

If he wasn’t famous before this week, Turing CEO Martin Shkreli is certainly infamous now. Shkreli caught the wrath of the Internet and AIDS and cancer patients when his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, jacked up the price for a life-saving medication about 5,000 percent. While reports now suggest Shkreli has reversed course and will lower the price of Daraprim, the price hike left many wondering whether there are regulations in place to ensure the affordability of essential medication....

Cycling in the city is dangerous. Not only do bicyclists have to be aware of cars and pedestrians, but they have to be hyper-aware of that point when car drivers are about to become pedestrians. Any person who has spent time biking in an urban setting has a story of almost or actually getting “doored” – colliding with an open car door as you cruise along a line of parked cars....

The skaters of your youth have turned into adult commuters and they are riding their decks through crowded city streets, which has piqued your interest in skateboard liability. What does this mean in the case of injury and who can be sued in a skateboard crash? Just as in any other type of accident, liability for an injury stemming from a skateboard crash will be considered under the law of negligence....

Car accident liability is a huge area of contention when it comes to multi-car pileups. You’ve got 10 cars, 10 drivers and 10 different stories. Who’s responsible? It all comes down to negligence. Multi-car pileups are governed by the typical negligence laws and the rules of the road. Whose negligent actions set off the chain reaction? Were other drivers speeding or driving too close? Responsibility is thus a product of the facts and not any specific legal rule....

A small plane crashed this morning in Austin, Texas, sending a pillar of black smoke into the air. At least two people are reported injured, as the plane crashed into a government building that housed the IRS. This crash comes at the heels of a similar crash yesterday, in a residential California neighborhood. While yesterday’s crash, in East Palo Alto, seemed purely an accident, today’s crash is suspected as deliberate. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates all airline crashes in the United States....

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. It is summertime. It is time to travel and for family vacations. And time to take a break from the stress of your business. Yet, I find that most small business owners believe that they cannot take a vacation. They think they are too busy or that the business will fall apart in their absence. Or they think that they cannot afford a vacation or to take time off....

If you’re injured, seeking medical treatment for your injuries is certainly the first priority. No less urgent, however: talking to a personal injury attorney. Just as with medical treatment, people who have suffered injuries often wait until they feel it’s absolutely necessary to talk to an attorney. But often with personal injury cases, as the saying goes: You snooze, you lose. Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t wait to call a personal injury attorney:...

You’re losing an employee. Whether the employee is leaving voluntarily or you’re having to cut the employee loose, you’re probably asking what the next steps are, and how you should protect yourself legally. It’s a tough situation to lose an employee. Don’t complicate it further by making some bad legal mistakes. Here are five steps you generally need to take after an employee leaves: Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+ by clicking here....

If your startup’s projections are starting to look bleak, or a re-organization is in order, you may be considering laying off some employees. In a startup environment, conducting layoffs can often be more difficult due to the close knit team environment enigmatic to startups. However, if you are in a larger startup with over 100 employees, you may need to WARN your employees. If you are concerned over legal liability for a wrongful termination claim, get help from an experienced business attorney before starting the termination or layoff process....

You may have an addiction a habit of watching YouTube videos of kittens catching laser pointers. But what you may not realize is that those cat owners may be breaking the law in the most adorable way possible. Nerds and cat ladies alike should have stopped with their laser pointer keychains and questioned: “Are laser pointers illegal?” According to a new study, the answer in most cases is yes. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study shows a majority of the dinky laser pointers on the market exceed the power level limits set by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), reports Slate....

While 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it, the federal government hasn’t. And that can throw a big financial wrench into the workings of any cannabiz. Without access to FDIC-insured banking services – like small business loans, cashless transactions, and even checking accounts – even legal marijuana businesses can struggle to comply with local, state, and federal laws. Last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell acknowledged conflicting federal and state laws on marijuana legalization put bank supervisors in a “very difficult place,” hopefully acknowledging that current federal regulations that deter banks from working with legal growers and dispensaries must be amended....

You are a parent and you want to take your kid with you everywhere. Whether you have a little backpack to carry the tyke or a seat mounted on the back of your bike, yours is a mobile and active baby. Now you are considering getting a bike trailer. Should you do it and what kinds of injuries might occur? Let’s consider. Your baby is your own to raise as you see fit, but you do still have to adhere to state laws....

Bedbugs are taking a bite out of one of the Big Apple’s most well-known, luxury hotels. The Waldorf-Astoria is now the defendant in the second of two bedbug lawsuits to be filed in a few weeks. This suit, filed by a Michigan couple, claims they were attacked by bedbugs during their stay at the New York hotel, the pests then hitched a ride in their luggage and infested their home....

We’re all used to taking off our shoes, belts, jackets, and watches when we go through an airport. And we expect random car searches at the border. But what about your electronic devices? Do you have to hand your phone over to TSA agents and let them do any type of search they want? One federal appeals court says no, border agents need a good reason to conduct certain types of searches your phone....

The BP oil spill may have already cost the oil company billions in its criminal trial. However, the company stands to lose a lot more as the civil trial over the 2010 oil spill begins this week. Previously, BP had pleaded guilty to criminal charges and agreed to pay out a $4 billion fine for the spill. However, for its alleged “gross negligence” in causing the spill, BP could face an additional $20 billion in environmental penalties, reports CNN....