ProfessorTommy.Tips

April 1 is supposed to be lighthearted. It's the one day of the year when people expect practical jokes, harmless pranks, and the occasional attempt to fool a friend, classmate, or coworker. But if you're studying for the bar exam, today also presents a useful reminder that a prank can raise serious legal issues. On the bar exam, the label “joke” doesn't control. The real question is whether the facts satisfy the elements of a tort or crime. A good way to think about April Fo

If you’re not a football person (or a pop-music person), here’s the quick context: The Super Bowl is the NFL’s championship game (and one of the most-watched events in the U.S.) At halftime, the league puts on a massive halftime show with a headline performer. This year’s headliner is six-time GRAMMY-award winner Bad Bunny , a globally popular artist whose hits include “ DÁKITI ,” “ Tití Me Preguntó, ” “ Me Porto Bonito ,” and “ Ojitos Lindos .”) So why am I writing about th

Yesterday, climber Alex Honnold completed a ropeless (“free solo”) ascent of Taipei 101 as part of a Netflix-produced event —an undeniably high‑risk feat that instantly sparked the same reaction most people have when watching extreme stunts: “That is dangerous.” I don’t know what the contractual negotiations looked like behind the scenes (permits, insurance, releases, waivers, safety protocols, etc.), including how risk and responsibility may have been allocated among the pr

When it comes to Torts, breach is usually proven the straightforward way. You show what the defendant did (or failed to do), then compare that conduct to the applicable standard of care. But sometimes the evidence you would love to have is missing, unavailable, or locked inside the defendant’s operations. That is when one of the bar exam’s favorite Latin phrases steps onto the stage: res ipsa loquitur , meaning “the thing speaks for itself.” Let's call that what it in the wil

LeBron James recently sent the sports world into a frenzy with what he called “The Second Decision.” Fans and media speculated for days. Was he finally retiring? Changing teams ... again? The buzz built until the reveal: “The Second Decision.” wasn't not a basketball announcement at all, but a new advertising campaign with Hennessy . Some fans felt duped, particularly those who paid premium prices to attend what they believed might be LeBron’s final game. One California resid

It’s Fat Bear Week ! Each fall, Katmai National Park in Alaska celebrates the massive brown bears who spend their summer fishing at...

Football is back, and the season wasted no time reminding us that emotions—and tempers—run high. In the NFL’s opening game Thursday night...

Tonight marks the start of a new NFL season, with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys . Millions of fans will tune in for...

When most people think of Labor Day, they picture a cookout, a parade, or maybe the unofficial end of summer. But at its core, Labor Day...

On Wednesday, Taylor Swift revealed the track list for her upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl during her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s...