Connecticut

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

Robinson & Cole Names New MP, Lays Off 11 Attorneys & 19 Staff

A well-known Connecticut-based Northeast regional law firm has just named a new managing partner. Sadly, as Above the Law points out, one of his first tasks was to announce layoffs. Due to the dismal economy, the firm is eliminating 11 associates and counsel and 19 staff members from its roster,…

Mar 31, 2009 7:28 PM CDT

Conn. Lawyers to Sue State Officials Over $2M Transfer from Client Security Fund

The state of Connecticut is being sued by a group of prominent lawyers over its plan to transfer $2 million from the Client Security Fund to resolve a budget shortfall, eliminating the financial cushion that would otherwise be provided for potential claims of lawyer misconduct. The transfer is unconstitutional, according…

Mar 30, 2009 11:15 PM CDT

Fox Rothschild is Acquiring Pastore Firm, Opening New Office in Stamford, Conn.

Three months after some former Dreier lawyers formed their own firm in Stamford, Conn., they are moving to a much bigger platform. Fox Rothschild is acquiring the nine-lawyer Pastore Osterberg boutique, which will establish a 15th office for the 450-attorney Philadelphia-based national firm and convert the former Stamford office of…

Mar 26, 2009 9:16 PM CDT

Lawyers for Woman Injured in Chimp Attack Claim Owner Is Strictly Liable

A Connecticut law firm representing a woman injured in an attack by a pet chimpanzee claims the animal’s owner should be strictly liable for owning a wild animal. Lawyers for the injured woman, Charla Nash, are asking a judge to freeze the assets of the chimp’s owner, Sandra Herold, the…

Mar 25, 2009 2:39 PM CDT

Paul Hastings Warned AIG of Double Liability for Failure to Pay Bonuses

Lawyers at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker warned AIG that it faced double liability if it failed to honor contractual obligations to pay bonuses. AIG confirmed that it was advised by Paul Hastings on bonus obligations, the American Lawyer reports. Hogan & Hartson lawyers were on hand when AIG chief…

Mar 24, 2009 12:10 PM CDT

Postnup’s $43M Divorce Settlement Isn’t Enough, Executive’s Wife Says

Married since 2002 to George David, who is now chairman of the board of United Technologies Corp., Swedish countess Marie Douglas-David is entitled to a $43 million divorce settlement under a 2005 postnuptial agreement between the now-warring spouses. But that’s not enough, she contends, for one who needs $53,000 a…

Mar 18, 2009 6:39 PM CDT

Northeast’s Pepe & Hazard Lays Off 5 Lawyers and 7 Staff Members

Bringing the law firm layoffs total since Feb. 27 close to the 2,700 mark, a regional business firm based in Connecticut has just announced that it is cutting five attorneys and seven staff members. In a written statement, the 61-attorney firm says the move “is the direct result of the…

Mar 10, 2009 10:15 PM CDT

Burned-Out Lawyer Plans to Opt Out, One Among Many on ‘Dark Side’ of Law

When Glen Rosenberg realized he’d let the statute of limitations expire in a personal injury case for the first time in nearly 20 years of practice, he did the right thing. First, he notified his malpractice carrier. Then he told his client, reports the Connecticut Law Tribune. At a grievance…

Feb 17, 2009 9:05 PM CST

Despite Economy, Some Open New Law Firms—and Thrive

Despite the struggling economy, lawyers are opening new firms—some voluntarily, and others as an alternative to unemployment. In both cases, many of the fledgling law partnerships are doing well, reports the National Law Journal. Business is booming for Jason Kohlmeyer, a Minnesota lawyer who opened a new criminal defense and…

Feb 9, 2009 9:41 PM CST

Ex-US Judge Hits ‘Disgraceful’ Pay Snub, Says It’s One Reason He Retired

Former U.S. District Judge Alan Nevas says a pay snub was one reason he retired at the end of January. Formerly a federal judge in Bridgeport, Conn., Nevas notes that Congress gave itself a 2.8 percent cost of living adjustment last year, but gave no corresponding increase to federal judges,…

Feb 9, 2009 1:45 PM CST

Skakel Lawyers: Prosecutors Withheld Evidence in Murder Case

After being convicted in 2002 of a murder committed in 1975 in upscale Greenwich, Conn., when he was a teenager, Michael Skakel has already served six years in state prison. But lawyers for the Kennedy family cousin say in a federal court motion filed late yesterday that he might have…

Jan 10, 2009 12:52 AM CST

‘Lady DUI’ Defends Drunken-Driving Clients and the Billboards that Snag Them

Huge billboards are promoting a Connecticut criminal defense lawyer who calls herself “Lady DUI.” The billboards sport a large picture of 29-year-old lawyer Teresa DiNardi and list her website, LadyDUI.com, and phone number, 888-Lady-DUI, the New York Times reports. DiNardi is a lawyer with Ruane Attorneys, hired out of law…

Jan 5, 2009 7:15 PM CST

‘Gideon’ Sounds Off on Connecticut Criminal Issues, Anonymously

When his co-workers tired of hearing his views about issues related to his job and the law in general, an anonymous public defender in Connecticut found an alternative. He adopted the screen name Gideon and started his own law blog, which has generated as many as 5,000 hits a week,…

Dec 23, 2008 8:44 PM CST

4-Year Saga Ends With Fine, Dropped Charges After Techies Rise to Teacher’s Aid

A Connecticut substitute teacher’s years-long saga, in which she faced 40 years of prison time for a felony pornography conviction that was overturned, ended rather quietly last week. Prosecutors in Norwich dropped the felony counts against teacher Julie Amero in exchange for her guilty plea to a single charge of…

Nov 26, 2008 12:01 AM CST