http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-06-17T23:47:14-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hurricane_sandy/ Hurricane Sandy was over months ago, but it's still a daily reality for a number of New York law firms struggling with the aftermath. Among that group are law firms which were located at 110 Wall Street, where leases were cancelled due to flood damage. Finding new office space is… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Insurance Law, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, Natural Disasters, States, New York Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:14:59 -0500 44672.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_takes_plea_in_4.7m_real_estate_fraud_case/ A New York City lawyer has admitted he participated in a conspiracy with a retired city police sergeant to entice investors to put $4.7 million into a plan to develop a condominium project in the Dominican Republic–a project that doesn't exist. Authorities said attorney Edward Adams and James Monahan almost… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Real Estate & Property Law, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:30:14 -0500 44620.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal_judge_rules_two_fox_interns_were_misclassified_employees_certifies_/ In a ruling that is likely to catch the attention of employers nationwide, a federal judge in New York has ruled that unpaid interns were misclassified employees and has certified a class action against Fox Entertainment Group in which internships throughout the company's corporate offices will be reviewed. Granting, in… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Corporate Law, Labor & Employment, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:30:04 -0500 44614.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aclu_sues_obama_administration_over_nsa_phone-records_dragnet/ In the first step in a process that could eventually lead to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legality of a sweeping telephone records review revealed last week by a former National Security Agency contractor, the American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday sued the Obama administration over its "dragnet"… Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Consumer Law, Cybersecurity, Executive Branch, Media & Communications Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:25:31 -0500 44604.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/former_biglaw_partner_i_faced_incredible_obstacles_that_male_lawyers_didnt_/ A former BigLaw partner who recently settled a lawsuit over the alleged "boys club" at the last major firm for which she worked says it wasn't just Greenberg Traurig where women lawyers face challenges that their male counterparts don't. "At every stage," Francine Griesing told attendees at a Manhattan conference… Careers, Women in the Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, Trials & Litigation, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York, Pennsylvania Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:00:38 -0500 44592.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/legal_recruiter_sues_davis_polk_seeks_1.4m_for_clifford_chance_hires/ A legal recruiter sued Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York state court last week, contending that he was the "procuring cause" for the law firm's hire of a practice leader and a group of 17 lawyers from Clifford Chance and seeking compensation. Alan Metz says he was excluded from… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Contracts, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, Trials & Litigation, States, New York Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:20:49 -0500 44568.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/son_and_lawyer_of_elderly_heiress_brooke_astor_are_headed_to_prison_over_60/ The son of heiress Brooke Astor and her former lawyer have exhausted their appeals in a $60 million fraud case concerning her estate and are headed to prison. The New York Daily News reports that state's highest appellate court on Friday denied appeals by Anthony… Appellate Practice, Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Elder Law, Trusts & Estates, States, New York Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:30:21 -0500 44532.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/criminal_defense_solo_gerry_shargel_becomes_a_biglaw_partner_at_age_68/ Criminal defense lawyer Gerald Shargel is making an unusual move to BigLaw, at age 68. After four decades of solo practice in which he frequently represented business owners and politicians accused of corruption, as well as celebrities in hot water and alleged organized crime figures, he is joining Winston &… Careers, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, States, New York Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:55:05 -0500 44530.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/das_flush_the_johns_sting_put_lawyers_doctors_and_other_professionals_on_ph/ It's commonplace for women and men who work as prostitutes to be criminally charged while those who pay them for sex are treated as witnesses. But it's time to change that approach to the problem, a suburban New York district attorney said Monday as she announced that a monthlong sting… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, New York Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:00:34 -0500 44456.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/due_to_clients_surreptitious_removal_of_file_law_firm_prevails_on_malpracti/ A New York law firm has prevailed against a malpractice claim on statute of limitations grounds over what a state court described as a client's "surreptitious" removal of his file. Plaintiff Kevin Aseel contended in the Nassau County case that his malpractice litigation was timely, because the defendant law firm,… Civil Procedure, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, New York Fri, 31 May 2013 16:20:42 -0500 44438.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_oks_19.5m_settlement_over_claimed_dewey_mismanagement/ A federal judge in New York has approved a settlement between the bankruptcy estate of Dewey & LeBoeuf, an insurer and its former chair over claimed mismanagement of the now-defunct law firm. The insurer, XL Specialty Insurance Company, will pay the lion's share of the $19.5 million settlement approved Thursday.… Bankruptcy Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Fri, 31 May 2013 11:45:08 -0500 44428.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/around_the_blawgosphere_baby_boomers_idea_ownership_justice_gap/ Beware of the Boomers, Boston practitioner Dave Brown writes at Hungry Hungry Lawyers. "As exceptional as the Greatest Generation might have been, they really tanked the endgame, handing a dominant military, a booming economy and atomic weapons over to children whom they had negligently entrusted to… ABA Journal, @BlawgWhisperer, Bar Associations, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Pro Bono, Family Law, Intellectual Property Law, Law Firms, Solos/Small Firms, States, New York Fri, 31 May 2013 08:30:23 -0500 44420.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/docs_filed_in_will_contest_over_heiress_300m_estate_say/ As a September trial looms in a will contest over the $300 million estate of a copper heiress who died in 2011 at age 104, documents filed Wednesday in the Manhattan Surrogate's Court case provide new details about the facts at issue. On March 7, 2005, Huguette Clark executed a… Elder Law, Health Law, Trials & Litigation, Trusts & Estates, States, New York Thu, 30 May 2013 16:02:55 -0500 44419.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/boies_schiller_to_open_london_office_its_first_outside_the_u.s/ Boies, Schiller & Flexner is planning to open a London office, which will be its first outside the United States, in the near future. The 258-lawyer, New York-based litigation powerhouse currently represents banking giant Barclays, among other London-based clients, and has confirmed that it plans to open a London office,… Banking Law, Business of Law, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, International, Europe, United Kingdom, States, New York Thu, 30 May 2013 11:35:32 -0500 44404.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_charged_in_cellphone_robbery_after_police_say_he_accidentally_emailed_h/ It doesn't necessarily take a device-tracking application to find a stolen cellphone in the hands of an alleged thief. Authorities say a New York man made the job easy by snapping his own photo on a stolen smartphone, reports the New York Daily News. The… Criminal Justice, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, New York Wed, 29 May 2013 14:59:44 -0500 44401.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/family_living_in_glass_home_sues_photographer_who_took_pictures_with/ After news that a Manhattan photographer used a telephoto lens to take pictures for an art exhibit of his across-the-street neighbors in an upscale high-rise with floor-to-ceiling windows, at least one family has sued. Others at the Zinc Building are purchasing window coverings, according to Courthouse News… Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Media & Communications Law, Privacy Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, New York Tue, 28 May 2013 15:15:42 -0500 44365.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/feds_charge_7_in_alleged_6b_money-launder_operation/ Updated: In what reportedly may be the largest alleged money-laundering scheme ever prosecuted, the federal government has charged seven men with creating an Internet-based currency for the purpose of washing $6 billion in criminal proceeds. Liberty Reserve, based in Costa Rica, was a "bank of choice for the criminal underworld"… Banking Law, Criminal Justice, International Law, Internet Law, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Tue, 28 May 2013 14:00:21 -0500 44379.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/appeals_court_cuts_unconscionable_estate_legal_bill_from_44m_to_2m/ Citing an "unconscionable" retainer agreement, a New York appeals court has reduced an estate's legal bill from $44 million to what a lawyer for the winning side estimates will be a $3 million final tally. It also is requiring three members of Graubard Miller to return $5 million in gifts… Contracts, Elder Law, Law Firms, Midsize Firm, Partners, Trials & Litigation, Attorney Fees, Verdicts & Settlements, States, New York Fri, 24 May 2013 11:35:48 -0500 44349.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/mentally_disabled_married_couple_gets_housing_but_landmark_civil_rights_law/ Like any ordinary couple, Paul Forziano, 30, and Hava Samuels, 36, were looking forward to sharing a home of their own after they got married in April. But that was almost an impossible dream for the two, who are considered mildly to moderately mentally disabled and reside in separate nonprofit… Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Disability Law, Government Law, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, States, New York Fri, 24 May 2013 08:50:51 -0500 44348.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/if_you_live_in_a_glass_house_you_cant_bring_a_privacy_suit_over_a_photo_dis/ Residents of an upscale apartment building in New York City are in an uproar over a photo display at an art gallery. On exhibit are candid shots of residents taken with a telephoto lens by an artist who lives in a building across the street. Those in the Zinc Building… Media & Communications Law, Privacy Law, Real Estate & Property Law, Tort Law, States, New York Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:25 -0500 44242.abajournal.com