http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-19T10:55:24-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/did_convicted_cold_blood_murderers_in_capote_novel_also_kill_a_florida_fami/ When four members of a Kansas farm family were found dead in their home in 1959, the detective in charge of the investigation thought the culprit must be a local man with a grudge against the head of the family. Authorities hesitated for several days before pursuing a lead from… Criminal Justice, Legal History, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Florida, Kansas Fri, 17 May 2013 14:44:59 -0500 44237.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/former_defense_lawyer_gets_5_years_in_secret_service_money-laundering_sting/ Once a prominent criminal defense attorney, Ronald E. Partee, 66, had little to say as he was sentenced Monday by a federal judge in Kansas City to five years in prison. He will serve the time at a prison camp in South Dakota, to minimize contact with his former clients.… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 10th Circuit Court, States, Kansas Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:08:35 -0500 43973.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/longtime_lawyer_takes_plea_in_secret_service_money-launder_sting/ A prominent Missouri criminal defense lawyer has taken a plea in a federal money-laundering conspiracy case that arose from a Secret Service sting, effectively ending his legal career. Ronald E. Partee admitted in federal court in Kansas on Wednesday that he agreed to help hide the source of what he… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, 10th Circuit Court, States, Kansas, Missouri Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:02:46 -0600 42620.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/both_bachelors_and_jd_degree_can_be_earned_in_only_6_years/ Corrected: Amidst national criticism of the cost of obtaining a law degree, the University of Kansas is offering an option that eliminates a year of tuition. Those who earn both their bachelor's degree and their juris doctorate from KU can do so in a total of six years, instead of… Law Schools, States, Kansas Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:30:55 -0600 42454.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/sperm_donor/ The state of Kansas is suing a sperm donor for parental support of his child, contending that the written agreement he made with a lesbian couple to relinquish his parental rights isn't valid. William Marotta responded in 2009 to a Craigslist ad seeking a sperm donor. He and the two… Contracts, Family Law, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Kansas Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:02:43 -0600 42163.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-navy_lawyer_is_disbarred_for_sending_secret_names_of_gitmo_detainees_to_/ The Kansas Supreme Court has disbarred a former Navy lawyer who mailed a classified list of Guantanamo detainees to the Center for Constitutional Rights. A majority of the court supported disbarment for Matthew Diaz, while a minority would have imposed an indefinite suspension, according to the opinion (PDF).… Legal Ethics, Military Law, Terrorism, Guantanamo/Detainees, States, Kansas Mon, 26 Nov 2012 07:15:23 -0600 41725.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-kansas_ag_kline_tells_judges_he_never_intentionally_lied_in_abortion-pro/ Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline told judges hearing his disciplinary case on Thursday that he never intentionally lied during his investigation of abortion providers. Kline is accused of misleading others, or allowing his subordinates to mislead others, including grand jurors, report the Lynchburg Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Law Professors, Legal Ethics, States, Kansas Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:55:27 -0600 41666.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_orders_paper_to_id_claimed_juror_commenter/ A Kansas newspaper has been ordered to identify to a local court an anonymous website poster who claimed to be a juror in a high-profile felony murder trial in which an attorney was the victim. The Topeka Capital-Journal will not contest the Shawnee County District Court order requiring it to… Appellate Practice, Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Internet Law, Media & Communications Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Kansas Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:44:46 -0500 41382.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-navy_lawyer_who_gave_detainee_names_to_legal_group_fights_for_his_law_li/ A former Navy lawyer who mailed a classified list of Guantanamo detainees to the Center for Constitutional Rights is fighting for his law license. The Kansas Supreme Court will hear arguments today on a recommended three-year suspension for Matthew Diaz, the Associated Press reports. The suspension would… Legal Ethics, Military Law, Terrorism, Guantanamo/Detainees, States, Kansas Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:20:07 -0500 41290.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/attorney_faces_federal_charges_accused_of_handling/ A Kansas lawyer has been charged in federal court in Topeka with stealing more than $463,000 from his client trust account, which he is accused of handling in a manner equivalent to a Ponzi scheme. Robert M. Telthorst, 52, faces charges of money laundering and wire fraud after prosecutors say… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, 10th Circuit Court, States, Kansas Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:30:12 -0500 41157.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/as_law_school_applications_drop_13.7_percent_nationwide_ku_sees_a_19_percen/ As the number of law school applications fell, overall, throughout the country for the second year in a row, a relative handful of law schools saw their numbers increase, sometimes dramatically. Among them was Kansas University School of Law, which says it had a 19 percent increase in applications in… Careers, Law Schools, Law Students, States, Kansas Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:34:54 -0500 40982.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_is_sentenced_to_prison_for_role_in_52m_ponzi_scheme/ A suburban Kansas City, Mo., lawyer has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $34 million restitution for his role in a $52 million Ponzi scheme. James Scott Brown, 67, was sentenced on Tuesday, report the Kansas City Business Journal, the… Criminal Justice, Legal Ethics, States, Kansas, Missouri Wed, 08 Aug 2012 10:54:17 -0500 40093.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/bar_program_in_kansas_promotes_rural_practice_an_increasingly_appealing_cho/ As law grads in the Midwest struggle to find employment, small-town practice is gaining in allure. In Kansas, the state bar association is teaming with the University of Kansas and Washburn law schools to promote rural opportunities for law students, the Bar Associations, Business of Law, Careers, Law Firms, Solos/Small Firms, Law Schools, Law Students, States, Kansas Tue, 17 Jul 2012 07:44:42 -0500 39734.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/as_nation_swelters_law_firm_workers_keep_winter_gear_at_hand_to_deal_with_a/ It may be nearly 100 degrees outside. But for those working inside at law firms, among other businesses, the challenge can be keeping warm rather than keeping cool. Katherine Jackson, an assistant in the Kansas City offices of Bryan Cave, has not only a jacket but gloves at hand to… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Law Firms, States, Kansas Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:50:10 -0500 39585.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/First_Felony_Murder_Trial_Underway_in_Slaying_of_Kansas_Lawyer/ Nearly a year after a Kansas lawyer was shot to death as she returned home after celebrating her 40th birthday, the first trial is well under way in an unusual felony murder case involving multiple defendants. Nine individuals are accused of involvement in the fatal shooting of Natalie Gibson and… Criminal Justice, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Kansas Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:33:56 -0500 39556.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_is_suspended_for_two_years_for_false_claim/ A Kansas lawyer has been suspended for two years for falsely claiming that the judge mediating her divorce appeared to be masturbating under the bench. Kimberly Ireland made the claim in an ethics complaint and a federal lawsuit, according to findings of fact by a hearing panel. At the time… Family Law, Judiciary, Legal Ethics, States, Kansas Thu, 31 May 2012 06:00:42 -0500 39017.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/kansas_attorney_cleared_of_ethics_violation_files_complaint/ An Kansas attorney filed a complaint this week accusing a state legal ethics official of professional misconduct in retaliation for the lawyer’s public revelation of sexual abuse at a state prison. Keen Umbehr, who was cleared in November of professional misconduct allegations for bringing a reporter into a prison to… Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure, Legal Ethics, States, Kansas Fri, 25 May 2012 15:30:38 -0500 38978.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/5_ks_sct_justices_recuse_selves_from_ex-ags_ethics_case/ Five of Kansas' seven supreme court justices have recused themselves from a pending disciplinary case against former state Attorney General Phill Kline. The five justices voluntarily stepped aside, citing a Kansas Code of Judicial Conduct rule that requires recusal when a judge previously presided as a judge over the matter… Judiciary, Legal Ethics, States, Kansas Tue, 22 May 2012 15:22:00 -0500 38911.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_loses_license_for_1_year_represented_both_wife_suspected_of_arson_an/ A longtime Kansas lawyer has been suspended from practice for one year, due in part to his concurrent representation of two spouses. One (the wife) was a suspect in a criminal arson investigation concerning the couple's home and had been videotaped purchasing accelerants on the day of the fire, according… Criminal Justice, Insurance Law, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Kansas Fri, 18 May 2012 12:19:30 -0500 38867.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/reporters_tweeted_photo_leads_to_mistrial_in_topeka_murder_case/ A Topeka judge has declared a mistrial in a murder case because a reporter inadvertently tweeted a photo of one of the jurors. Reporter Ann Marie Bush of the Topeka Capital-Journal was allowed to take photos with a camera phone as long as no jurors were pictured, the Criminal Justice, Internet Law, Media & Communications Law, Trials & Litigation, Juries, States, Kansas Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:07:48 -0500 38272.abajournal.com