ALFA International Publications

The world today is a global village. The rapid advance in technology has only made it easier for companies and corporations to conduct business across the borders of their domestic countries. Trade, transactions and partnerships occur every day between entities from different countries.  Of course, with increased interactions, there can be an increasing number of problems, sometimes resulting in l…

For better or worse, in modern society more and more of social and business interaction is conducted through our cell phones. While we may cringe when looking at data about how many times we pick up and look at our phones each day, or how much time we spend on social media, as business people and legal professionals it is important to recognize how this digital interface drives business and the le…

Generations are defined not only by the time period in which their members were born, but also by the characteristic traits of those members. There are generally five different categories of current generations: (1) the Silent Generation, (2) Baby Boomers, (3) Generation X, (4) Millennials, and (5) Generation Z. Although the boundaries vary, the Silent Generation is typically defined as having bee…

Why There Is a Need for a Wellness Program? As John Williams Davis, an American politician and lawyer, said, “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers…. [But] we take up other [people’s] burdens and by our efforts we make possible” a peaceful life in a peaceful state. Many lawyers have substantial responsibilities that often have major consequences for clients. The demands that flow…

Are extreme jury awards – known as “nuclear verdicts” – the new normal? From 2015 to 2019, the average verdict in the National Law Journal’s Top 100 Verdicts more than tripled from $64 million to $214 million. (National Law Journal’s 2015 and 2019 editions of the Top 100 Verdicts studies). These socially inflated verdicts are creating challenges for the insurance industry, making it difficult to u…

Overview According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use was the cause of  more than 140,000 deaths each year between 2015-2019, or more than 380 deaths per day.[i]  This cost United States citizens more than $259 billion in 2010.[ii]  One of the CDC recommendations for addressing these issues is stringent enforcement of regulations govern…

Background Crimes against persons committed on the premises of retail and hospitality businesses are a major source of litigation in many jurisdictions around the country.  Hotels and stores, shopping malls, apartment complexes, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, nightclubs, parking facilities, dormitories and even churches are commonly named as defendants in lawsuits by Plaintiffs followi…

Watch Out for The Fall Guy:  Preparing Your A-Team  to litigate everything from slip-and-falls to Murder (she wrote)  -- What are Juries Focused on Post-Covid? The pandemic effectively ended most civil jury trials in early 2020.  Jury trials slowly began to resume under strict Covid screening and jury-protection measures. As jury trials resumed, there was speculation as to t…

Running with the Bulls Running with the Bulls: How to Win Top-Dollar Settlements is the title of the 2018 book by nationally recognized plaintiff's attorney, Nicholas Rowley.  Attorney Rowley's websites, nicholasrowley.com and tl4j.com (Trial Lawyers for Justice), state that Attorney Rowley has achieved over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements for his clients, including: $131 million against…

What is “implicit” or “unconscious” bias? Implicit bias is a preference, whether positive or negative, for a group based upon a stereotype or attitude we hold that operates outside of human awareness. It can be understood as a lens through which someone view the world that automatically filters how a person takes in and responds to information.[i] In society, we all have attitudes toward people…