District of Columbia

Admin Law Judge: HUD Interfered with My Cases After My Disability Claim

It began with an administrative law judge’s request for a disabled parking space near the building where he works for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. But now Judge Alexander Fernandez is claiming that HUD not only refused to provide him with an appropriate parking…

Feb 9, 2010 11:01 PM CST

Alston & Bird Clean Energy Group Chief Flies Coop, Lands at Cooley Godward

The clean energy practice chief at Alston & Bird has left for Cooley Godward Kronish, along with another firm energy partner. An another 10 to 12 attorneys from the Atlanta-based law firm are expected to follow R. Thomas Amis and Nik Patel to Cooley in upcoming months, reports the Blog…

Feb 5, 2010 9:10 PM CST

‘Birther’ Attorney Orly Taitz Files New Obama Suit, Mulls Run for Calif. AG Seat

After being sanctioned $20,000 in another jurisdiction over her “wild accusations” in a case that challenged the nation’s president’s authority to govern, attorney Orly Taitz, one might think, would be ready to slow down a bit. But the woman one judge equated with Alice in Wonderland—noting that “simply saying something…

Jan 29, 2010 10:37 PM CST

Ex-Staff Lawyer Can Proceed With Disparate Impact Claim Against Covington, Judge Says

A former staff attorney of Covington & Burling can proceed with her federal discrimination claim over the law firm’s policy of assigning work, based on a disparate impact theory. However, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that Yolanda Young had waited too long to bring a similar claim that the…

Jan 29, 2010 8:56 PM CST

Secretary Gets Probation for Using Law Firm Credit Card for Exotic Dancer Trip

A former legal secretary at Saul Ewing in Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to probation for using a law firm credit card to finance a trip involving her male exotic dancer business. Jarriette Richie was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $56,000 in restitution, according to the…

Jan 25, 2010 12:34 PM CST

Execs & Gen’l Counsel Among 22 Nabbed in 1st FBI Foreign Bribes Sting

In what one observer described as a case of “compliance roulette” marking an apparent new era of federal enforcement concerning illegal foreign bribes, 22 people—including corporate executives and at least one general counsel—have been arrested in what is reportedly the first FBI undercover sting operation concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices…

Jan 19, 2010 11:57 PM CST

Star Wizards Guard Pleads Guilty in Felony Gun Case, Could Get 6 Months

A star Washington Wizards guard pleaded guilty today in a felony gun possession case concerning a much-publicized locker-room incident in December. A conviction on the charge qualifies for a sentence of as much as five years in prison, but a plea agreement calls for Gilbert Arenas to get no more…

Jan 15, 2010 10:02 PM CST

Star Wizards Guard Charged With Gun Felony in Locker-Room Incident

Already in hot water with the National Basketball Association over a Dec. 21 incident in which he admittedly brought unloaded guns into the locker room in apparent violation of league rules, star Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas is now facing a felony gun possession charge over the situation. Filed this…

Jan 15, 2010 12:45 AM CST

Growing Midsize Firm Pays Big Bucks, Targets ‘Core Industries’

As a number of BigLaw firms have struggled over the past year to deal with the global economic downturn, one of their midsize competitors has been enjoying record revenue and expanding in selected markets. Loeb & Loeb, a five-office national firm with some 300 lawyers on its attorney roster, anticipates…

Jan 7, 2010 6:00 AM CST

Accused Holocaust Museum Shooter Dies in Prison Hospital

The 88-year-old suspect accused of fatally shooting a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on June 10 has apparently died in a federal prison hospital in North Carolina. Citing an unidentified government official, Fox News reports that James Von Brunn died while awaiting trial. He has…

Jan 6, 2010 7:58 PM CST

BigLaw Partners May Be Worth Top Pay, But What About Associates?

Amongst those at the top of the BigLaw ladder, partners at the 10 highest-grossing law firms in Washington, D.C., have been earning seven-figure annual incomes and some of the top players are billing over $1,000 an hour. Are they worth it? The answer may be yes, according to a lengthy…

Jan 5, 2010 11:55 PM CST

Lawyer Briefly Detained in Snowball Incident Waxes Philosophical on Rule of Law

A lawyer who analyzes environmental policies achieved his 15 minutes of fame last weekend when he was briefly detained by a detective in what is being dubbed The Great Snowball Incident of 2009. It all began when lawyer Daniel Schramm responded to a text message inviting him to join hundreds…

Dec 23, 2009 2:44 PM CST

Judge Says Street Gangs More Deadly than Some Gitmo Detainees

A federal judge speaking today at an ABA breakfast said he’s not worried about the court system’s ability to handle the trial of Guantanamo detainees. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, the chief federal judge in Washington, D.C., said street gangs are “more murderous” than some Guantanamo detainees, the Associated Press…

Dec 17, 2009 3:47 PM CST

Partnership Vote Clears the Way for ‘Truly a Different Kind of Firm’

A partnership vote has cleared the way for the transatlantic merger of the British firm Lovells and U.S.-based Hogan & Hartson. When the merger takes effect next May, the new Hogan Lovells will enter the global top 10 with 2,500 lawyers and revenues of about $1.8 billion, Legal Week reports.…

Dec 15, 2009 3:02 PM CST

Probe Asks if Some Colleges Keep Gender Balance by Favoring Male Applicants

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will be investigating at least a dozen universities in the Washington, D.C., area to see if they favor male applicants in an effort to keep gender balance at the schools. More women than men apply to most colleges in the D.C. area, the Washington…

Dec 14, 2009 7:43 PM CST