Legal Book » attorney

Pa. Jury Awards $1.8 Million in Legal Malpractice Suit

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:34:38 +0000

A Philadelphia jury has awarded nearly $1.8 million in a legal malpractice case in which the plaintiff alleged her attorney failed to plead all of the relevant theories in her medical malpractice case, leading to the necessity of settling her case for $1 million, despite having received a $2.5 million verdict. The jury found that attorney David M

Same-Sex Couple Cannot Get Divorced in Texas, Appeals Court Rules

Master — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:59:21 +0000

A Texas appeals court has sided with the state office of the attorney general, ruling that a same-sex couple cannot get divorced in Texas. The panel said the trial court erred in holding that Texas law violates the Equal Protection Clause, and found that state law “recognizes that only opposite-sex couples are naturally capable of producing children,” and gives them the option of legal formalization “with the legitimate legislative goal of encouraging such formalization and thereby promoting the well being of children.”

Zach Scruggs Wants Fraud Conviction Tossed

Master — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:22:15 +0000

Zach Scruggs is asking a federal judge for a chance to clear his name in a judicial bribery scheme that toppled his attorney father and other prominent attorneys and officials. In court documents, Scruggs said a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision shows he didn’t violate the “honest services” fraud law.

Suit Alleging Sex Discrimination at Guantanamo Bay Survives Hearing

Master — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:11:06 +0000

A Boston federal magistrate judge has denied a government motion to dismiss an FBI agent’s suit alleging that she contracted a tropical disease at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, due to discriminatory housing conditions. The agent sued Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., claiming that, while serving at the U.S

2nd Circuit Finds Attorney Violated Drug Document Order in Zyprexa Suit

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:21:43 +0000

New York federal Judge Jack B. Weinstein had every right to block a lawyer who was not involved in the Zyprexa product-liability litigation before him from disseminating documents that were subject to a protective order, the 2nd Circuit ruled Thursday.

California’s Best Best & Kriger Subpoenaed as Clients Run for the Door

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:21:58 +0000

California’s Best Best & Kriger Subpoenaed as Clients Run for the Door

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:21:58 +0000

California Attorney General Jerry Brown Jr. has subpoenaed records from Best Best & Krieger in an investigation of the pay packages for city officials in Bell, Calif., where a scandal involving high salaries has spiraled into possible civil and criminal actions and raised questions among officials in other nearby cities. Lawyers at the Riverside, Calif.-based firm serve as city attorneys in at least 30 municipalities in Southern California — several of which are now ending their relationship with Best Best.

Recession Strikes Harder at N.J. Top 40 Second-Tier Firms

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 05:54:40 +0000

Just as New Jersey’s Top 20 firms took it on the chin last year, their colleagues in the next tier felt the effects of the Great Recession — and worse so.

N.Y. Governor Committed No Crimes in Response to Assault Accusation Against Aide, Says Judge

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:31:22 +0000

New York Gov. David Paterson committed no crimes but showed a lack of judgment when he contacted a woman who had accused one of the governor’s top aides of domestic violence, retired Chief Judge Judith Kaye concluded in a report released Wednesday

9/11 Trauma Influenced Lawyer’s Misconduct, Court Finds

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:21:31 +0000

A New York appellate court has overturned a finding that a personal injury lawyer had misappropriated client funds with dishonest or fraudulent intent, citing post-9/11 trauma the attorney blamed for his conduct. The panel approved a one-year suspension for Frederick W. Salo, but dismissed a charge that he had engaged in dishonest or fraudulent conduct, crediting psychologists’ opinions that he inadvertently tapped the funds as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder he suffered following the terror attacks.

Michigan Attorney General Ratchets Up Pressure Over Ariz. Immigration Law

Master — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:11:58 +0000

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox plans to file a legal brief supporting Arizona’s immigration law and sent a letter Monday asking other state attorneys general to join him. Cox, one of five Republicans running for Michigan governor, said in the letter that the U.S.

How to Make Law Firms’ Compensation Systems More Fair

Master — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:43:14 +0000

An extensive study released this week surveyed more than 700 female partners about pay disparities at law firms. The Project for Attorney Retention was one of two groups that undertook the study

Court Rejects Gucci’s Privilege Claim Over Unlicensed Chief In-House Counsel

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:28:04 +0000

Gucci cannot “cloak itself under a veil of ignorance” to avoid handing over to a competitor communications with its former chief in-house counsel, an attorney not licensed to practice law, according to a magistrate judge. After Guess Inc.

Divided 9th Circuit Cites Watergate Judge in Confrontation Clause Ruling

Master — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:15:24 +0000

The 9th Circuit has fractured on a case pitting the attorney-client privilege against the Confrontation Clause, with a plurality finding that a defendant wasn’t entitled to habeas relief even though his chief accuser at trial had previously exonerated him in a letter.

Utah Attorney General Stands by Twitter Announcement of Execution Order

Master — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:37:37 +0000

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff defended his use of Twitter on Friday to tell the world that he had given the Department of Corrections the go-ahead to execute a condemned man by firing squad. Shurtleff’s tweet shortly before Ronnie Lee Gardner was shot to death Friday has drawn criticism from other Twitter users and on comment boards from those who found the AG’s use of the microblogging site distasteful.

Where’s the Evidence? Judge Asks Proposition 8 Supporters

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:48:26 +0000

Charles Cooper, the attorney defending a federal challenge to Proposition 8, delivered his closing argument on same-sex marriage Wednesday. But Chief Judge Vaughn Walker made it feel more like a cross-examination

Equity Firm Loses Bid to Stay Arbitration With Gibson Dunn

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:41:51 +0000

An Israeli private equity fund has failed in its attempt to have a Manhattan court stay an arbitration with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher over $1.3 million in unpaid legal fees. Markstone Capital Partners had sought to block the arbitration on the grounds that two of its three partners had not signed Gibson’s engagement letters when it took on representation of the fund’s former chairman during an investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo into a pay-to-play scandal at the New York State Retirement Fund.

High Court Lets Government Take Fee Awards for Clients’ Debts

Master — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:51:55 +0000

Attorney fee awards under a major federal fee-shifting statute are paid to the client, not to the attorney, and can be offset to pay a client’s debt to the federal government, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday

Felony Charges Dropped Against Law Firm Founder in Road Rage Case

Master — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:56:51 +0000

A Florida special prosecutor has dropped all charges against Diaz Reus & Targ founder Michael Diaz Jr. related to a road rage incident last December. Two plaintiffs who accused Diaz of attacking them outside a supermarket parking garage refused to testify against the attorney after reaching an undisclosed civil agreement with him, prosecutors said.

Opposing Counsel in Chinese Drywall Trial Spar Over Alleged ‘Deal’ to Hide Defects

Master — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:01:25 +0000

Florida jurors heard opening statements Tuesday in the nation’s first trial involving a domestic distributor of defective Chinese drywall as a Miami couple claimed the supplier covered up problems while making a deal with the manufacturer to replace unsold sheets. An attorney for distributor Banner Supply told jurors the company takes responsibility for the damage to the couple’s home and is willing to pay for repairs

Justice Department Weighs Criminal Probe of Gulf Oil Spill

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:53:55 +0000

In his most wide-ranging remarks on the Gulf Coast oil spill, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said Tuesday the Justice Department is considering both criminal and civil penalties against those responsible for the disaster. Holder spoke in New Orleans after spending the day meeting with state attorneys general and U.S.

Justice Department Wants to Keep Pardon Data Under Wraps

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:03:42 +0000

The Justice Department is fighting to keep secret the names of more than 9,200 people whose applications for pardons and commutations were denied by President George W. Bush

Stroock Wins Reprieve on $16 Million Escrow Release

Master — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:36:27 +0000

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and its developer clients won a reprieve last week on New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s bid to force the firm to release some $16 million from an escrow account for a luxury condo project in Manhattan. Several condominium buyers who wanted their deposits back because of a one-digit typo made by a Stroock lawyer that altered a closing date in the project’s offering documents were backed by the state attorney general, who ordered the money released from escrow.

NBC Brings Down Gavel on ‘Law & Order’

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:04:31 +0000

The venerable police-courtroom drama “Law & Order” has been axed. NBC announced Friday that the show would end its historic 20-season run on May 24, with a season finale that was never meant to close out the saga. Creator Dick Wolf used now-retired Manhattan District Attorney Robert M

Legal Training Requires More Than the Socratic Method

Master — Fri, 14 May 2010 05:13:37 +0000

For generations, law schools have used the Socratic Method to teach their students how to think and write “like lawyers.” Attorney Jaime N. Doherty notes that real-world demands on lawyers for fast results require that law students today get more practical training as well.