Hot Dogs and 5 U.S.C. § 6103

As one who loathed legal research—despite enjoying the benefit of Lexis and Westlaw—throughout much of law school, I am always seeking ways to make learning how to look up statutes and caselaw more entertaining. Were I teaching legal research now, I’d suggest students be sure to pull up a copy of 5 U.S.C. § 6103.

That statutory provision, as those who’ve found it know, designates, among other things, the last Monday in May as Memorial Day. Were I to give an assignment over the three-day weekend, I’d ask students to locate some secondary sources discussing this little provision. If I really wanted to get intense, I’d have students look into this provision’s impact on statute of limitation computation periods or have them determine whether state governments must observe federal holidays. For me, that would beat looking up caselaw about motor vehicle accidents, which was the sort of problem my legal research assignments in law school focused on.

Today, if I were really having fun, I’d have students look up caselaw where hot dogs were discussed. Legal research doesn’t have to be dry—and neither do hot dogs.

—Lori Tripoli

Legal Care in the Time of Obamacare

With the federal government shut down, with the launch of Obamacare state insurance exchanges, with the news that the National Legal Resource Network—part of the Patient Advocate Foundation—has a new director, with the news that a friend with a tiny bit of skin cancer suffered radiation poisoning and now goes for hyperbaric oxygen treatments several times a week, one’s mind can’t help but ponder the intersection of law and healthcare.

The amount of paperwork filled out to get reimbursed for a couple of dentist appointments and a handful of doctor visits every year is ridiculous to begin with. Add a couple of dependents, and watch the workload increase. Add some serious health situations, and, suddenly, having an assistant to reconcile all the paper, the payments, and the bills can now be necessary. Throw into the mix a recalcitrant insurer, out-of-network doctors, any less-than-competent professionals, and a perhaps unsympathetic employer, and a very ill person might now be in very real need of some legal help.

The National Legal Resource Network, almost two decades old, is run by healthcare lawyers who volunteer their time and provide initial case evaluation and consultation pro bono. Referrals are made by Patient Advocate Foundation case managers.

Other nonprofits, such as the National Cancer Legal Services Network, also are seeking to provide legal services to ill people at a moment of serious need.

That these networks exist is fantastic; that we need them, not quite so wonderful. For those working in the legal field, these networks may provide not just volunteer opportunities but prospective career paths, both for lawyers and for others seeking careers in the legal industry. Those with an entrepreneurial bent might think about what other fields could benefit from legal services networks.

—Lori Tripoli