Family Law

False Report That Opposing Counsel Was a Drunken Driver Gets Calif. Lawyer Disciplined

A California lawyer with no prior disciplinary history was put on probation for a year by attorney licensing authorities after admittedly calling 911 and falsely reporting that his opposing counsel in a family law matter had driven away from a hearing while drunk. The opposing counsel, who is not named…

Nov 3, 2011 1:06 AM CDT

After Viral YouTube Video Shows Texas Judge Beating Teen Daughter, Probes and Public Outrage

A disturbing video posted on YouTube showing a Texas judge beating his then-teenage daughter with a belt and cursing at her years ago has gone viral, reportedly prompting multiple investigations and a number of retaliatory actions by outraged members of the public. Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams has admitted…

Nov 2, 2011 6:57 PM CDT

ABA Supports Legislation Authorizing US Recognition of State-Sanctioned Same-Sex Marriages

The American Bar Association is supporting repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that denies federal benefits for same-sex couples married under state laws. Thomas Susman, director of the ABA’s Governmental Affairs Office, outlined the association’s position in a letter (PDF) to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Susman’s…

Nov 2, 2011 3:29 PM CDT

Judge Asked to Intervene in Family Dispute over Feeding Tube

A Maryland judge on Wednesday will consider a request for a preliminary injunction requiring doctors to keep a feeding tube in place for an unemployed computer technician who suffered brain damage after a heart attack. The brother and mother of Daniel Sanger say he should be kept alive with a…

Nov 1, 2011 4:52 PM CDT

NY Attorney Who Killed Wife and Kids Left Letter in Law Office Suggesting Suicide, Not Slayings

Before killing his wife, their two children and himself on Oct. 16 or 17 at their upscale home in suburban New York City, attorney Samuel Friedlander left a letter in his law office and sent two others to a family member suggesting suicide. While the 50-year-old lawyer bought a shotgun…

Nov 1, 2011 10:00 AM CDT

A Debt of Gratitude: ABA Pledges to Help Veterans in Overcoming Legal Obstacles

On Nov. 11, some children will delight in a day off from school. Shoppers around the country will head to the mall to take advantage of holiday sales. Libraries, banks and courts will close. But whatever our activities, we should remember and be grateful for all Americans who have made…

Nov 1, 2011 9:40 AM CDT

Patchwork Partnering: States Can’t Agree on the Legal Status of Same-Sex Couples

While same-sex couples are gaining recognition, the variety of such relationships—marriages, civil unions or domestic partnerships—and each one’s rights are creating a mishmash of legal problems. States differ among themselves and with the federal government over what properties each relationship has, forcing lawyers to keep track of which jurisdictions allow…

Nov 1, 2011 8:30 AM CDT

Lawyer’s Mistress to Take Plea in Capital Murder Attempt on Lawyer’s Wife

The mistress of a prominent Texas personal injury lawyer has agreed to plead guilty to solicitation of the capital murder of his wife, in exchange for a 25-year sentence cap, a prosecutor says. But the expected plea by Michelle Cabrera Gaiser, 37, still leaves a number of loose ends dangling…

Oct 31, 2011 11:43 PM CDT

New Lawsuit for Kim Kardashian: 72 Days After $10M Wedding to NBA Star, She Files for Divorce

No stranger to demand letters and litigation, reality television star Kim Kardashian has filed suit against another well-known individual—her husband, basketball star Kris Humphries. The divorce case (PDF) Kardashian filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court comes just 72 days after her $10 million wedding to the NBA player, the…

Oct 31, 2011 10:32 PM CDT

DC Psych Hospital Tells Court It’s Not a Hotel, Seeks Order Requiring County or Mom to Pick Up Boy

A 10-year-old boy known as L.F. who stabbed his cousin in the eye with a pencil has overstayed his welcome at Children’s National Medical Center. According to court papers filed by lawyers for the psychiatric hospital, L.F. has been a patient since Sept. 15 and no one is willing to…

Oct 27, 2011 2:13 PM CDT

Matrimonial Firm Got Zip after Discussing Divorce Case with Both Spouses

Attorney David J. Grund only met with David Newton for an hour or two. And, Grund said, he told Newton not to give him any confidential information, because he wouldn’t represent him in a pending divorce until a contract was signed. But a state appellate court found that the 2007…

Oct 26, 2011 8:35 PM CDT

NY Lawyer Who Killed Self, Wife and 2 Kids Bought Shotgun 6 Months Earlier; Was Crime Spree Planned?

A New York lawyer who beat his wife to death at their Westchester home last week and then used a shotgun to kill the couple’s two children in their beds, before committing suicide apparently using the weapon in the basement, had purchased it legally not quite six months earlier, state…

Oct 24, 2011 10:56 PM CDT

Retired BigLaw Attorneys Embrace New Clients in People-Oriented Public Service Jobs

When he left Dickstein Shapiro in 2004, James Springer was a top antitrust lawyer. Now, working part-time for the D.C. Legal Aid Society, the 77-year-old attorney handles benefits claims. Working on Social Security claims is every bit as complex as his former practice area, he tells the National Law Journal.…

Oct 24, 2011 8:00 PM CDT

Ferret Autopsy Pending in Minn. Domestic Abuse Case

It appears that prosecutors will have to prove the cause of death of a ferret in a domestic abuse case in Minnesota if it is not resolved before trial. Authorities filed felony animal cruelty charges today in Hennepin County District Court against a 23-year-old Minneapolis man who allegedly drowned his…

Oct 22, 2011 12:40 AM CDT

Celebrity Divorce Lawyer Accused of Calling Conn. Attorneys ‘Sleazy’ Is Sanctioned $35K

A New York divorce lawyer with high-profile celebrity clients was ordered to pay nearly $35,000 in sanctions after opposing lawyers claimed he called Connecticut lawyers “sleazy” in a courthouse tirade. Judge Lynda Munro of Middletown Superior Court in Connecticut imposed the sanction last week against lawyer William Beslow but did…

Oct 21, 2011 4:36 PM CDT