Connecticut

Conn. Disciplinary Counsel Targets Website for Lawyer Referrals

Local grievance panels in Connecticut have found probable cause of an ethics violation by two lawyers who entered into agreements with a bankruptcy website that sends potential clients their way. The ethics probe was the result of a complaint by Norwich bankruptcy lawyer Zenas Zelotes, who contends a bankruptcy website…

Jul 27, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

Surviving Dad Seeks No-Contact Order for Defense Counsel in Family Murder

A father and physician who was the sole survivor of a deadly home invasion in Connecticut is seeking a court order barring the suspects and their legal counsel from contacting him. The motion filed this week on behalf of Dr. William Petit of Cheshire seeks a court order barring such…

Jul 17, 2009 9:28 PM CDT

Ask Questions to Avoid Killer Clients, Shrink Recommends

After a courthouse murder-suicide in Connecticut four years ago and an alleged kidnapping of a lawyer and arson earlier this month that apparently was triggered by divorce filings, a state legal publication has sought expert advice on what an attorney can do to spot a potentially violent client and try…

Jul 15, 2009 6:22 PM CDT

How a Kidnapped Conn. Lawyer Managed to Escape

A Hartford, Conn., lawyer held hostage by her husband for more than nine hours on Tuesday managed to escape by unscrewing an eyebolt on a basement wall to which she was handcuffed. Lawyer Nancy Tyler told The Day of New London that she did not expect to survive the kidnapping…

Jul 10, 2009 11:37 AM CDT

Hartford Lawyer, Held Hostage for a Day, Escapes Before Home Is Set on Fire

A Hartford, Conn., medical malpractice defense lawyer managed to escape her home after her ex-husband held her hostage for more than nine hours yesterday. Soon afterward, the home became engulfed in flames. It’s not clear whether lawyer Nancy Tyler escaped or was released by her ex-husband, Richard Shenkman, according to…

Jul 8, 2009 11:23 AM CDT

Ex-Wife Can’t Talk About Divorce to Media—Ever, Conn. Court Rules

The ex-wife of a wealthy skin doctor can’t talk about her divorce with the media—ever, Connecticut’s Supreme Court has ruled. The ruling establishes that private waivers of First Amendment free speech rights are “presumptively enforceable,” the Connecticut Law Tribune reports. Still, the state’s high court said such decisions should be…

Jun 24, 2009 10:54 AM CDT

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