About Carlos Harrison
Carlos Harrison is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, two-time Emmy nominee, and author of 16 books ranging from biographies to legal issues (e.g., The Ghosts of Hero Street, Trained to Kill, and The Memorandum). A graduate of the University of South Florida, his articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Miami Herald, People, and other publications. Several of his articles for Super Lawyers have won awards from the Society for Professional Journalists.
Articles written by Carlos Harrison
Fostering Hope
How Paul Yetter made a federal case out of the state’s foster-care programPaul Yetter was looking to make a difference in his community. Little did he know it would take him 12 years, two battles against class-certification challenges, a pair of clashes over interlocutory appeals, and—after the declaration of a federal judge that Texas’ long-term foster-care system was hopelessly broken—a struggle against yet another appeal by the state to block the appointment of two special masters to oversee reforms. And counting. “I see light at the end of the …
The Balloon Man
Nick Bettinger spends his free time twisting ‘sculptures’ and delivering smilesAs an attorney, Nick Bettinger gets roughly $400 per hour. As a balloon man, it’s slightly better: “50 smiles an hour,” he says. The Fort Worth attorney twists, squeezes and ties his way to every one of those smiles. He’s created balloon sculptures of everything from a 4-foot, flag-waving panda to an American bald eagle with wings that span 6 feet to a car for his daughter, Lauren, on her 16th birthday. Bettinger, who practices personal injury defense law, started his hobby almost a …
Help Your Online Startup Business Dodge Legal Landmines
Thinking of starting an online business? Although you may avoid some of the challenges of a traditional brick-and-mortar business, setting up an Internet-based business entity carries many of the same considerations — along with its own special set of legal issues. “They’re very easy to set up because sometimes it’s just a matter of buying a URL, creating a website, and you’re up and running,” says Bradley Gross, a technology transactions attorney in Weston, Florida. “People …
From Way Downtown
That’s how Sacramento attorney Shaye Diveley helped deliver an arena for the Kings—and just before the buzzerIt was a slam dunk. The fight to build a new arena for the Sacramento Kings brought accusations against the city of violating state regulations, as well as two appellate court battles and a first-ever state-mandated race against the clock to complete all legal challenges. It resulted in a landmark decision on the constitutionality of a law that revamped the state’s sweeping environmental protection statute—and just nine days before the deadline under the new, expedited judicial-review …
Visionary Man
Eugene Pettis’ plan to lift others up the ladderThrough his office window, Eugene Pettis looks out over a changing downtown Fort Lauderdale skyline. There’s a metaphor in that evolving view. Pettis grew up not too far from where his office is now, in what he remembers was then called the “colored” part of town. Black attorneys were a rarity at that time. No African-American had served on the board of the South Florida Water Management District, or in the University of Florida’s student government, and none had been president of the …
Can You Get Sued for Reposting Content Online?
You can get sued for reposting content online without permission if it violates social media terms of service or the owner's intellectual property rights. The unauthorized use of online content can constitute copyright infringement, and the copyright holder can seek statutory damages in a federal lawsuit. If the content creator sends a DMCA takedown notice, you may be able to avoid civil liability for accidental infringement if you remove it immediately. You can avoid financial penalties with a …
‘Never forget where you came from’
His mother’s words inspire Frank Herrera Jr. to help empower the Latino communityWhen Frank Herrera Jr. was a boy, his dad took him to see the opening chapter of a trial that would make history and change the lives of Hispanics across the country. In a courtroom in Edna, legendary San Antonio attorney Gus Garcia was defending a local Mexican-American man accused of murder, in front of an all-white jury. As Garcia anticipated, in 1954 the case would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court—the first Mexican-American civil rights case to do so, with the first Latino …
On Becoming Perry Mason
Rhonda Hunter started out her career as Della Street—but soon realized she could aim much higherRhonda Hunter has a mission: “to end racism in Dallas.” She chuckles. But she means it. Hunter, a family law attorney at Farrow-Gillespie & Heath, was the first minority president of the Dallas Bar Association, and she used her inaugural speech to light a fire under the legal community. “When she gave that speech, I thought that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive,” says Dallas attorney Ron Massingill. “I mean, holy smoke! That was a firebrand speech. It got everybody’s …
A-Plus-Plus
Plaintiff’s attorney Ted Leopold and a ‘perfect textbook case of corporate greed’As a high school linebacker—and later as a coach—Ted Leopold knew you couldn’t be afraid to tackle a larger opponent. As a plaintiff’s attorney, he still practices that. “At the core,” he says, “are my beliefs and strong attitudes toward helping those that are less fortunate or need help against the misdeeds of corporations or individuals.” To that end, he has taken on a city for allegedly not providing proper care for its police, and opposed police accused of using excessive …
If it quacks like a duck …
… It’s probably Lynn Tillotson Pinker & Cox, working its magic on a juryThe ducks, the Grinch and the Beatles: They each have a connection, of sorts, with Lynn Tillotson Pinker & Cox. The Dallas boutique litigation firm, which has taken on Lance Armstrong, defended Visa, and racked up an impressive string of multimillion-dollar victories in its 22 years, won the largest verdict of 2014 in Texas. At $319 million, it was the third-largest in the nation. The total judgment was for $535 million. For that one, thank the ducks. The case involved an alleged …
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