Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw firm announces layoffs; judge’s TRO blocks Mary Trump book

Katten converts some furloughs into layoffs Katten Muchin Rosenman has decided to lay off some employees it had furloughed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm is laying off some members of the firm’s business administration staff beginning Aug. 1. No lawyers are affected. The firm is paying…

Jun 30, 2020 3:11 PM CDT

State chief justice urges courts to ‘provide equal justice for all’ and join ‘a battle for the nation’s soul’

The first black Connecticut Supreme Court chief justice sent a letter to employees of the state’s judicial system Tuesday, urging them to “double and even triple our efforts to provide equal justice for all those that we serve.”

Jun 11, 2020 10:48 AM CDT

NCBE announces more bar exam dates, and 1 state has allowed supervised practice; will more follow?

While law students advocate for diploma privilege, and a growing number of deans are asking state supreme courts to consider supervised practice for 2020 graduates, the National Conference of Bar Examiners plans to proceed with administering the bar exam.

Apr 6, 2020 3:43 PM CDT

Judge who sealed documents about her beach property gets reversed by appeals court

A Connecticut appeals court has vacated a judge’s order sealing two documents about a beach property that she owned in Maine after a law professor stepped in to argue for their release.

Feb 12, 2020 2:05 PM CST

In husband’s trial, judge allows evidence from slain wife’s Fitbit

A Connecticut judge ruled Monday that prosecutors can introduce evidence from a slain woman’s Fitbit that is inconsistent with her husband’s story about a masked intruder shooting her in the head.

Jan 28, 2020 2:21 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer can’t avoid pro bono appointment, AG Barr wants Apple to unlock gunman’s iPhones

Lawyer appointed to pro bono case can’t avoid representation, federal judge rules A Connecticut lawyer appointed as pro bono counsel in a prisoner’s civil rights case doesn’t qualify for an exception relieving him of the assignment, a federal judge has ruled. Lawyer Michael Satti had contended that the assignment would…

Jan 14, 2020 4:37 PM CST

Meet Paul Skalnik, one of the most prolific jailhouse informants in American history

Paul Skalnik learned about the benefits of being a jailhouse informant when he was in the Harris County Jail in Texas in 1978 for passing bad checks.

Dec 6, 2019 12:15 PM CST

How do the states stack up? Lawyers make the most and least money in these areas

Lawyers make the lowest average salary in Montana and the highest average salary in California, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nov 20, 2019 10:55 AM CST

Suit seeking to hold gunmaker liable in Sandy Hook shooting can proceed after SCOTUS denies cert

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by the maker of the Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle in a suit seeking to hold the gun manufacturer liable for the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Nov 12, 2019 12:20 PM CST

Agreement to destroy frozen embryos upon divorce is enforceable, top state court rules

The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that an agreement to destroy frozen embryos upon divorce is a contract that can be enforced by one of the parties.

Nov 1, 2019 10:18 AM CDT

Legal skirmish pits wealthy town against affordable-housing advocates

For much of the past 13 years, attorney Timothy Hollister has battled local elected officials here on behalf of a developer who wants to build more affordable housing in one of America’s wealthiest towns.

Sep 27, 2019 11:21 AM CDT

Pelvic exams performed without patients’ permission spur new legislation

Sep 1, 2019 1:50 AM CDT

Lawyer arrested for alleged failure to report stolen gun traced to later shooting

Police have seized 19 firearms from a lawyer in Stamford, Connecticut, and charged him with an alleged failure to report the theft of six other guns. Police think one of the stolen guns was used by a suspect who shot at a narcotics officer Tuesday, according to the Stamford Advocate…

Jul 12, 2019 10:41 AM CDT

New York legislature OKs ban on gay and trans ‘panic defenses’

New York is poised to join the increasing number of states that are banning gay and trans “panic defenses” in murder cases. As the ABA Journal reported in January, legislatures have increasingly considered this type of ban.

Jun 26, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Sandy Hook families say Alex Jones’ lawyers sent discovery materials with embedded child porn

Updated: Lawyers representing Sandy Hook families in a defamation suit against "Infowars" radio host Alex Jones say several emails turned over in discovery contained embedded images of child pornography.

Jun 18, 2019 3:37 PM CDT