Patrick M Connors

September 17, 2012 | New York Law Journal

In his New York Practice column, Patrick M. Connors, a professor of law at Albany Law School, writes: Like many effective lawyers, Peter Falk's Lieutenant Columbo had the uncanny ability to conduct himself in a manner that lulled his opponents into underestimating his abilities. . . While exiting from a door, he would turn and interject his trademark line: "Just one more thing." That last point or question often exposed the criminal.

By Patrick M. Connors

11 minute read

January 16, 2013 | New York Law Journal

In his New York Practice column, Patrick M. Connors, a professor at Albany Law School, writes that requiring the plaintiff moving for partial summary judgment on liability to affirmatively establish complete freedom from comparative fault, while allowing defendant to simply contend that plaintiff has committed at least some culpable conduct, appears to tilt the scales too favorably for the defendant.

By Patrick M. Connors

15 minute read

September 17, 2007 | New York Law Journal

Patrick M. Connors, a professor of law at Albany Law School, analyzes a Court of Appeals case, and its progeny, concerned with two important aspects of New York Civil Practice: (1) the CPLR 3126 motion for sanctions based on a party's failure to comply with disclosure obligations, and (2) CPLR 205(a)'s six-month extension for commencing a second action after the dismissal of the first action.

By Patrick M. Connors

13 minute read

November 21, 2005 | New York Law Journal

Thomas F. Gleason, a member of Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O'Shea and an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, and Patrick M. Connors, an associate professor at Albany Law School, write that whether originally misguided or fundamentally correct, the rule intended to prevent the disclosure of the identity of medical malpractice expert witnesses until trial has been compromised by commonly available search engine and database technology. What should be done now?

By Thomas F. Gleason and Patrick M. Connors

12 minute read

November 16, 2004 | New York Law Journal

Thomas F. Gleason, a member of Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O'Shea and an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, and Patrick M. Connors, an associate professor of law, write that many practitioners feel that e-discovery has taken all the joy out of litigation.

By Thomas F. Gleason and Patrick M. Connors

14 minute read

January 17, 2007 | New York Law Journal

Patrick M. Connors, a professor of law at Albany Law School, writes that given the current state of affairs, it would be prudent for any defendant seeking to obtain information from the plaintiff's treating physician to seek it before the filing of the note of issue and through the methods delineated in Article 31 of the CPLR. For the time being, the ability to conduct an ex parte interview with the plaintiff's treating physician is in doubt in all regions of the state.

By Patrick M. Connors

13 minute read

January 12, 2006 | New York Law Journal

Patrick M. Connors, an associate professor of law at Albany Law School, and Thomas F. Gleason, a member of Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O'Shea and an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, write that the fate of too many meritorious cases in New York State is determined based on mistakes made at the starting gate of virtually all New York State Court actions: the clerk's office.

By Patrick M. Connors and Thomas F. Gleason

11 minute read

May 15, 2006 | New York Law Journal

Patrick M. Connors, an associate professor of law at Albany Law School, and Thomas F. Gleason, a member of Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O'Shea and an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, write that every lawyer responding to a voluminous disclosure demand fears the prospect that she will unwittingly produce a document that will harm her case.

By Patrick M. Connors and Thomas F. Gleason

14 minute read

January 18, 2011 | New York Law Journal

In his New York Practice column, Patrick M. Connors, professor of law at Albany Law School, writes that with the emergence of the errant fax, the misdirected e-mail and the pocket text message, opportunities for inadvertent disclosure have dramatically expanded.

By Patrick M. Connors

13 minute read

July 21, 2005 | Law.com

While "cloning" a hard drive's data can be a simple operation, an e-discovery response still requires a content-based analysis to avoid inadvertent disclosure of confidential information. And the nature and manner of computer data storage can make it a severe burden that requires extensive -- and expensive -- professional judgment if a clone is to be safely delivered to a litigation adversary. Thomas F. Gleason and Patrick M. Connors discuss these issues in the context of a nasty New York divorce case.

By Thomas F. Gleason and Patrick M. Connors

10 minute read