California

Calif. Labor Commissioner Sues Law Firm, Says It Fired Receptionist Called for Jury Duty

A California law firm known for its work representing plaintiffs in workplace discrimination suits is now a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the state labor commissioner after allegedly firing a receptionist called for jury duty. Areva Martin, a lawyer who is often seen on television discussing discrimination issues, serves…

Jan 12, 2012 11:19 PM CST

Baker’s San Diego Outpost Continues to Shrink; Is Office Closing a Possibility?

Corrected: The San Diego office of Baker & McKenzie has only eight lawyers remaining after two of its intellectual property litigators jumped this week to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. Partners Howard Wisnia and James Conley are making the move, the Daily Journal (sub. req.) reports. At one…

Jan 12, 2012 1:40 PM CST

Wilson Sonsini CEO to Step Down, Will Be Replaced by Two Managing Partners

The chief executive officer of a Silicon Valley legal powerhouse firm is stepping down and will be replaced by two senior partners working together to do the job. Douglas Clark, a member of the policy committee at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and John T. Sheridan, who heads the firm’s…

Jan 10, 2012 5:54 PM CST

Longtime Legal Assistant Bypasses Law School, Passes the Bar

Jennifer O’Brien is now a California lawyer, even though she never attended law school. O’Brien had worked for 15 years as a legal assistant to lawyer Chris Neary in Willits, Calif., before taking the bar exam for the first time this summer, the Willits News reports. In November, O’Brien learned…

Jan 6, 2012 2:19 PM CST

Reserve Deputy Who Arrested Arson Suspect Is a Real Estate Lawyer

Shervin Lalezary is a 30-year-old Beverly Hills real estate lawyer and something of a hero for his arrest of a man suspected in a Los Angeles arson spree. Lalezary, a reserve sheriff’s deputy, joined hundreds of law enforcement officers last weekend looking for a van matching one driven by the…

Jan 4, 2012 12:25 PM CST

SEC Targets Mortgage-Fraud Fighter Lawyer in Criminal and Civil Cases re Corporate Counsel Role

A California-licensed lawyer known for his efforts to combat mortgage fraud has been indicted and arrested in a federal securities-fraud case in Florida. Mitchell J. Stein, who has a home in Boca Raton, Fla., and whose California law firm has an office there, is facing charges including mail and wire…

Dec 21, 2011 12:12 AM CST

Claimed Lack of Prenup, 10-Year Marriage Could Cost Kobe Bryant Mucho Bucks

Updated: After more than a decade of marriage to the man who is now pro basketball’s highest-paid player, Vanessa Bryant can expect to get big bucks in their divorce if, as her mother said several years ago, there was no prenuptial agreement before she wed Kobe Bryant. After 10 years,…

Dec 20, 2011 8:34 PM CST

700 Lawyers Apply for 12 Openings at DA’s Office; Harvard Law Grad Likes the Job

The District Attorney’s office in California’s Santa Clara County is in the midst of a hiring boom, and it’s able to exercise some selectivity. The office hired 14 lawyers in the past year, and it has 12 additional openings, the Recorder reports. Seven hundred people have applied. The openings are…

Dec 20, 2011 2:10 PM CST

Sued Over ‘Like’ Ads, Facebook Calls Users Public Figures to Whom Right of Publicity Doesn’t Apply

A new Facebook feature this year that allows an advertiser to broadcast a user’s “like” of its product to others in that individual’s circle is being challenged in California. A federal judge in San Jose on Friday nixed a motion to dismiss the suit, which contends that such Facebook ads…

Dec 19, 2011 6:54 PM CST

Sold as a Slave to US Family, Egyptian Girl Grows Up to Become a US Citizen

Sold as a slave by her family in Egypt and smuggled into the United States, at age 10, to work for a Cairo family living in California, a young girl has grown into a young woman with a bright future. Shyima Hall, now 22, was rescued at age 13 by…

Dec 16, 2011 11:04 PM CST

Barry Bonds Gets Probation, 30 Days House Arrest, Both Stayed During Appeal, in Obstruction Case

Famed baseball slugger Barry Bonds got 30 days of home confinement and two years of probation today, both stayed while he appeals his federal conviction earlier this year for obstruction of justice. The all-time home run leader also was ordered by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to perform 250 hours…

Dec 16, 2011 8:31 PM CST

Judge Issues Tentative Decision Tossing California Lethal Injection Procedure

A California judge issued a tentative decision on Thursday finding prison officials failed to follow the law when adopting new state procedures for lethal injection. If the judge’s decision is upheld, the Associated Press reports, it will “throw California’s stalled capital punishment system into further doubt.” Judge Faye D’Opal of…

Dec 16, 2011 1:57 PM CST

Paralegal Used Forged $285K Law Firm Check to Take Private Jet to NYC for Spending Spree, Police Say

A paralegal at a Newport Beach, Calif., law firm allegedly stole a check for $19,500 written to her employer, had the amount altered to over $285,000 and then made the check payable to her roommate. After the check was deposited into a joint account for paralegal Alexa Johzen Polar, 34,…

Dec 13, 2011 4:52 PM CST

Suit by Fired Lawyer Claims Law Firm Encouraged Fraud with 3,000-Hour Billable Quota

A California lawyer who says he was fired from his law firm because he couldn’t meet a quota requiring 3,000 billable hours a year has filed an employment bias suit over his ouster. The former associate, Richard Unitan, claims the unrealistic requirement forced lawyers to lie about their hours, the…

Dec 12, 2011 6:37 PM CST

Allegedly on the Lam for 5 Years with Up to $1M in Client Funds, Colo. Lawyer Is Arrested in Calif.

Updated: A Colorado real estate lawyer who disappeared nearly five years ago after allegedly stealing up to $1 million in client funds has been arrested in California as he was crossing the border into the U.S. from Mexico. Royal “Scoop” Daniel III is being held at the San Diego Central…

Dec 8, 2011 9:17 PM CST