Practising Law Institute: A Brief Overview By Theodore H. Friedman

Practising Law Institute (PLI) is a not-for-profit organization that provides continuing education to lawyers and other legal professionals. Founded in 1933 and associated with the State University of New York, PLI has a trusted, eighty-year record of expanding opportunities for continuing legal education nationwide. The Institute’s goals are to supply up-to-date information for those who already are established in their careers, and to offer education and mentorship to those who are just starting out in the field.

One of PLI’s most important functions is to provide lawyers with practical information about their profession. PLI uses the legal experience of seasoned attorneys and disperses it across the discipline and across the country in the most cost-effective ways. The Institute sends instructors to lecture and teach not only at their headquarters in New York and California, but also in an ever-expanding range of locations, including Georgia, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Texas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

About the Author

Theodore H. Friedman is a successful attorney with over thirty-five years of experience. He was one of PLI’s better-known instructors during the 1980s and 1990s, when he taught courses there in trial preparation and the conduct of trials.

An Overview of Oxford University’s Wolfson College by Theodore H. Friedman

Wolfson College, one of Oxford University’s 38 constituent colleges, is the largest graduate college in Oxford. Known for its egalitarian approach to education and informal, multicultural atmosphere, the college encourages students to freely engage with Fellows and welcomes a diverse body of international students.

With programs in the humanities and sciences, Wolfson offers interdisciplinary “research clusters” that allow students to draw on several areas of study. Many pursue research programs in such fields as the ancient world, quantum foundations, and South Asia research.

Close to 50 scholarships exist to help Wolfson College students, including the Charlie Perkins Scholarship, which waives tuition fees, and the Clarendon-Wolfson Scholarships, which cover up to three years of study. More information can be found at www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk.

About the Author:
A Harvard Law School graduate and an attorney for more than 35 years, Theodore H. Friedman was appointed Visiting Fellow and Scholar of Wolfson College at Oxford University in 2002. He has taught at the Hebrew Law School and has been invited to lecture at Columbia Law School.

Clarinet Concerto by Eino Rautavaara at Carnegie Hall, by Theodore H. Friedman

As a lover of classical music, I have a special appreciation for Finnish orchestral music. In my opinion, it reached its first high point at the turn of the 20th century, proclaiming a clear doctrine of Finnish nationalist sentiments, and a second high point with the works of Eino Rautavaara.

To share my appreciation, I engaged Rautavaara with the proposition of playing a concert, and, in 2000, he decided upon the idea of the Clarinet Concerto in New York. He’d come to see his Eighth Symphony performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and he soon met Richard Stoltzman, who would play solo clarinet. The two met repeatedly in Helsinki, Finland, afterward.

To my great pleasure, the Clarinet Concerto was first played in Carnegie Hall at the Kennedy Center, and was conducted by Leonard Flatkin. It has since been played all over the world. Having commissioned the concerto, I took no greater pride than in having it performed for my mother, Mary Kerewsky Friedman.

More about the author: An attorney with over 36 years of experience, Theodore H. Friedman owns his own law firm in New York City. As an attorney, he has focused much of his attention on personal injury cases and trial law.

Common Incidences of Personal Injury on Boats and Ships

Theodore H. Friedman is a New York-based lawyer with more than 35 years of experience. He is particularly focused in personal injury law. Here, Mr. Friedman provides expertise from his first job after graduation from law school, where he worked with injured seamen following injuries aboard ships.

 

Trans Ocean Ships

Ships and boats are not only recreational vehicles, they are also places where people are employed, a method of accommodation, and a transportation vehicle. In these contexts, boat owners or employers risk receiving claims for compensation following personal injury on board.

The most common boating accidents involve water and movement. Slipping, tripping, and falling cases are seen regularly, as well as injury from the movement of an unsecured object, exposure to asbestos, and food poisoning. Assault by other passengers or employees on board is also a common cause of claims. Additionally, professional seamen are exposed to noise and other dangerous working conditions, some of which may lead to a personal injury suit.

Claims for compensation are time limited, which may vary according to where the incident occurred. The specific rules applying to vessels outside their registered territory, and the rules regarding cases occurring in international waters, complicate the application process. Consultation with a specialized, experienced lawyer is recommended prior to filing a personal injury action.

Exam Schools Benefit Working Class Students

According to a recent piece in the New York Times, exam schools such as the Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School benefit working-class students. This assertion wouldn’t come as a surprise to New York attorney Theodore H. Friedman. Friedman, whose mother worked as a union organizer in New York’s garment district, attended the Bronx High School of Science in the 1940s.

Friedman then worked his way through an undergraduate program at the University of Michigan and through law school at Harvard. Now a successful New York attorney, his experience is not unique. Most exam-school students come from middle- or working-class homes, and minorities and immigrants are overrepresented among their classes. For many, exam schools are the only possible escape from failing neighborhood schools.

In general, these schools accept only the top 1 percent of U.S. students. Many applicants fail to make it through the screening process, as space is limited. The article in the New York Times argues that this should encourage us to open more of these schools. A common counter-argument is that bright children will succeed wherever they are, but are these children really succeeding if they’re not allowed to reach their full academic potential? Or could New York see more success stories like Theodore H. Friedman?

Theodore H. Friedman on The Inner Circle of Advocates

Established in 1972, the exclusive Inner Circle of Advocates is a group that unites 100 of the country’s best plaintiff attorneys and allows for a forum in which members share ideas, techniques, and information about their experiences as trial lawyers. Membership, however, is by invitation only, and it entails adherence to a strict standard of criteria.

Plaintiff attorneys must possess substantial experience, including completion of 50 jury trials, to be considered for membership; furthermore, they must have at least three verdicts of $1 million or one verdict exceeding $10 million.

Those seeking membership must also boast a positive reputation, reflected in judicial references and peer evaluations. Moreover, The Inner Circle seeks active courtroom lawyers who show a willingness to learn, teach, and share among a group of professional colleagues.

About the Author:
Theodore H. Friedman, an attorney with more than 35 years of experience, served as a member of The Inner Circle of Advocates for 25 years. He has tried over 200 cases.

Working through College Can Improve Grades and Professional Prospects

By Theodore H. Friedman
Attorney-at-Law

Many parents and guardians believe college students should have the opportunity to earn their degrees without the bother and worry of paying bills for rent, utilities, and tuition. Research, however, shows that maintaining a part-time job benefits a student’s long-term career goals, as well as his or her short-term academic success.

A 12-year study of undergraduate academic records indicates that students who worked as much as 20 hours per week had grade point averages well above the level of students who did not work. Those who worked more than 20 hours each week, however, demonstrated significant shortfalls in their grade point averages compared to students who worked fewer hours.

Experts recommend that college students work at least 10 hours each week to finance their own entertainment and other incidental costs. Working students tend to experience fewer problems associated with excess spending and credit card debt than those whose bills are paid by their parents or guardians. Because they are required to be at a job for a certain time period each day or week, working students may prove more capable in dealing with time-management issues than those who do not work or those who have to work too many hours to cover their bills.

About the Author:

A New York native who completed the rigorous coursework at the Bronx High School of Science, Theodore H. Friedman earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics with honors from the University of Michigan and his law degree from Harvard Law School. Although he attended college and law school on scholarships, he worked to pay for rent and other living expenses. Considered an exceptional personal injury lawyer, Theodore H. Friedman currently practices in New York City.