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Background: This is the first in a series of articles written to address the many medicolegal issues that impact the practice of dermatology. The topic of establishing the physician-patient relationship was chosen as the starting point since it is the cornerstone of every medical malpractice action., Methods: A format of an initial discussion of legal concepts followed by hypotheticals and a review of actual cases was chosen to enhance interactive learning. The subject matter is based on a review of medicolegal literature and actual recorded case law., Results: A physician-patient relationship may be established whether or not there is actual physical contact between the physician and patient, there is gratuitous advice, or there is an academic purpose., Conclusion: The key in determining whether a physician-patient relationship has been established is whether the patient reasonably relied upon advice given or had an expectation of treatment.

There are strict guidelines for dealing with suspected cases of child abuse in Great Britain. Teachers all know this but are often reluctant to call in the authorities, and see a stable family relationship broken, for what might be a trivial misdemeanour. With the help of several examples of pupils in a school in the north of England, and of experiences over several years of teaching, this article presents a variety of examples of abuse and shows how the author dealt with different experiences and problems.

Although lesbians and gay men in education have been an invisible population, modern computer information retrieval techniques provided a mechanism to investigate the history of case law on gay and lesbian teacher dismissal and credential revocation. This legal framework was then augmented by social history gathered from newspapers and articles, and interviews with the parties involved in the legal or political debates. After presenting a history of the emergence of legal rights and political influence, the author discusses current trends in the employment rights and personal freedoms of gay and lesbian educators.