Connecticut

Con Law Scholar to Replace Harold Koh as Yale Law School Dean

Constitutional law scholar Robert Post will replace Harold Koh as dean of Yale Law School, the president of Yale University announced in a e-mail to the academic community today. Post, who is 61, has been on the law school faculty since 2003, following a 20-year stint as a law professor…

Jun 22, 2009 4:44 PM CDT

Feds Intervene in Exec’s Divorce, Argue It’s a Ruse to Avoid $3.3B Restitution

After Walter Forbes sold his Connecticut home to his wife of 27 years for $10, federal prosecutors decided they had to do something about his pending uncontested divorce. They are now seeking to intervene in the Bridgeport Superior Court matrimonial case, contending that the imprisoned former Cendant Corp. chairman is…

Jun 17, 2009 10:21 PM CDT

Dad Becomes Associate in His Daughter’s Law Firm

Greg Bachand is 60 years old and a first-year associate. But that’s not the only unusual aspect of his new job situation: He’s working in his 35-year-old daughter’s Connecticut law firm. The Connecticut Law Tribune explains why. Bachand passed the bar exam in 1974, but he never practiced law. For…

Jun 17, 2009 12:14 PM CDT

Journalist Surprised to Learn She Wasn’t Really Getting a Law Firm Job

Lawyers aren’t the only legal job seekers getting withdrawn or deferred job offers. Freelance journalist Susan Schoenberger writes in a story for the Hartford Courant that she spent $200 on a J. Crew interview suit, and made it through two interviews for a position in a law firm marketing department.…

Jun 16, 2009 5:51 PM CDT

‘Stealth Coop’ Can Smooth Neighbors’ Ruffled Feathers Over Backyard Chickens

Although some neighbors are squawking about a potential farm nuisance in an urban area, backyard chickens are a growing trend in cities throughout the country. Among those now struggling with the issue are officials in New Haven, Conn., who held a contentious public hearing on the issue this month, reports…

Jun 15, 2009 8:53 PM CDT

Day Pitney Sued for Alleged Malpractice in Vanilla Beans Case

A vanilla importer has sued Day Pitney, alleging legal malpractice in a dispute with the company’s insurer over coverage for a tainted shipment of vanilla beans. The suit by International Flavors & Fragrances claims Day Pitney and partner Robert Rose failed to assert IFF’s claims in a timely manner in…

Jun 4, 2009 12:07 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer is Accused of Shoplifting Michael Kors Handbag from Nordstrom

A former Connecticut lawyer who served 15 months in prison for reportedly stealing about $500,000 from her former law firm and clients to help fund her lavish shopping sprees is in trouble again. Elizabeth Zembko, 48, is now charged with shoplifting and burglary concerning two separate incidents over the past…

Jun 2, 2009 9:43 PM CDT

Law Firm Sued in Debt-Collection Class Action Claims Negative Net Worth

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act has been a pitfall for unwary law firms sued on a variety of theories. But Wolpoff & Abramson may have been particularly unlucky in this regard. Under Connecticut law, debt collectors are required to register with the state’s Department of Banking, although the…

May 28, 2009 7:21 PM CDT

PI Attorneys Sue Google Over ‘Adwords’ Sale of Law Firm Name to Competitor

Two Connecticut personal injury lawyers are suing Google, contending that the Internet search engine improperly sold advertising rights concerning their law firm name to a competitor. When Internet users type Stratton Faxon into the Google search engine, say plaintiffs Michael Stratton and Joel Faxon in the New Haven Superior Court…

May 27, 2009 10:01 PM CDT

CEO Owes Ex About $750K in Interest for 12-Day-Late Payment, Conn. Court Rules

He’s the CEO of Credit Suisse Group AG. So investment banker Brady Dougan should have understood the terms of a divorce settlement with his ex-wife, a Connecticut appeals court says. Reversing the trial court and enforcing the agreement, the court is requiring Dougan, 49, to pay his wife of 20…

May 14, 2009 10:02 PM CDT

Craigslist Will Drop Erotic Services Ads in Deal with Three State AGs

Facing pressure from attorneys general in three states, Craiglist has agreed to drop its erotic services advertising. The online classified ad website will replace the category with “adult” listings that will be reviewed by its employees, the Associated Press reports. Craigslist acted after meetings with attorneys general from Illinois, Connecticut…

May 13, 2009 3:40 PM CDT

Judge Rebuffs Request for 230-Year Sentence for Ex-Gen Re Lawyer

A former assistant general counsel at General Re Corp. was sentenced yesterday to a year and a day in prison for his role in a scheme to manipulate financial statements, a sentence far lower than the 230 years in prison sought by prosecutors. Lawyer Robert Graham had been accused of…

May 1, 2009 1:48 PM CDT

Ex-Client’s Overbilling Suit Attaches Seeming Proskauer Internal Memo

A lawsuit brought by Swedish heiress Kristin Lindholm over a stolen Andy Warhol silkscreen has concluded unhappily for both attorney and client. Lindholm never got the $12 million work of art back, although the dealer who sold it served time for theft. And now she is suing Proskauer Rose, which…

Apr 28, 2009 11:57 PM CDT

Batboy-Turned-Lawyer Returns to His Role for 100th Birthday

A batboy who went on to become a lawyer in Hartford, Conn., will get to reprise his boyhood role on Saturday in honor of his upcoming 100th birthday. Arthur Giddon will handle batboy responsibilities during batting practice for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Times reports. Liability issues bar…

Apr 24, 2009 2:54 PM CDT

Conn. Judge Freezes Assets of Madoff Sons, 5 Hedge Fund Execs

Siding, for now, with a municipality suing over the loss of $42 million from its pension fund, a Connecticut judge has temporarily frozen the assets of Bernard Madoff’s wife, brother, two sons and five executives of hedge funds that funneled money into Madoff’s now-admitted Ponzi scheme (one of whom is…

Mar 31, 2009 11:52 PM CDT