Florida

Taking Kids to Work Sparks Lawsuit, as Fla. Jail Guards Reportedly Stun Several

Updated: At least one parent of a Florida schoolchild has sued over “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,” after guards at three separate state prisons zapped visiting children with electronic stun guns on April 24 to demonstrate how they worked. The Florida Department of Corrections has acknowledged the…

May 7, 2009 8:15 PM CDT

Casey Anthony’s Lawyer Was Once Denied a Law License

The lawyer for Casey Anthony has become something of a celebrity, but his path to success wasn’t without some hurdles. Lawyer José Ángel Baez was denied a law license for eight years, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Baez represents the Florida woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony. The…

May 4, 2009 1:08 PM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Disbarred; Alternative Sex-for-Legal-Fees Billing a Factor

A Florida lawyer has been disbarred for a pattern of misconduct, including an alternative billing arrangement under which an 18-year-old client reportedly paid her $2,300 legal bill with sexual favors. James Harvey Tipler, 58, discounted the client’s bill by $200 when she had sex with him, and $400 when she…

May 1, 2009 8:17 PM CDT

10 of 100 Win Representation, as Fla. Innocence Project Selects Cases

As lawyers and students sifted through the latest batch of pleas for help recently at the Innocence Project of Florida, they paused over a one case. A man has been imprisoned since 1995 for the attempted rape of a woman in a drainage ditch behind a convenience store. The main…

Apr 27, 2009 10:49 PM CDT

Judge Rules Saggy Pants Ban Violates Constitution

A Florida judge has ruled a city ordinance banning saggy pants violates the Constitution. Judge Laura Johnson ruled the droopy drawers ban enacted by Riviera Beach voters violates the 14th Amendment, the Palm Beach Post reports. Johnson said there was no legitimate governmental interest in the ban, and the Constitution…

Apr 24, 2009 6:33 PM CDT

Fla. Firm Fielding Drywall Complaints Finds Problem Material in Office

A South Florida law firm that’s been handling complaints from homeowners about Chinese-made drywall has reportedly found that its own office walls are covered in the stinky materials. The Palm Beach Post reports that the firm, Toral Garcia & Franz, is the first office building in the area to complain…

Apr 23, 2009 8:51 PM CDT

Rare Jury Verdict Delay ‘Sheer Agony’ for Bob Bennett & Client Attorney

After days of deliberation, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a verdict on Thursday in a tax evasion case against Michigan attorney Alan Miller. But it wasn’t announced until the jury also reached a verdict on charges against Miller’s tax client, Indy 500 and Dancing with…

Apr 21, 2009 7:36 PM CDT

Fla. Panel Seeks Stricter Bar-Admission Rules, No Second Chance for Felons

A report by a group reviewing Florida bar admission standards for the first time in 15 years has called for a number of changes, including a permanent bar on readmission for any lawyer who is convicted of a felony. At present, lawyers can be readmitted once their civil rights are…

Apr 10, 2009 10:43 PM CDT

Dying Fla. State Law Prof Teaches Students How to Live

Although Steven Gey is in the final stages of Lou Gehrig’s disease, he is still teaching students in the third year of a terminal illness that his doctors expect to end his life soon. And the lessons they are learning from the famous Florida State University constitutional law expert are…

Apr 10, 2009 10:29 PM CDT

Fla. City Manager Fired Over Sex Change Gets New Job—and a Pay Raise

A little over two years ago, when it became public that a longtime city manager in Largo, Fla., planned to undergo a sex change, he was immediately fired from his $140,000-a-year job. A number of people supported ousting him, but others said the incident could be a wake-up call for…

Apr 9, 2009 10:22 PM CDT

Times So Tough, Atty Had to Lay Off Wife; Others See Business Boom

The economy is so dismal that one of the biggest and best-known law firms in Florida, 1,150-attorney Holland & Knight, cut 70 attorneys and 243 staff members in two rounds of layoffs last May and last month. Meanwhile, at one of the state’s smallest practices, Hollywood real estate attorney Fred…

Apr 7, 2009 11:54 PM CDT

Can’t Pay Court Costs? Jail Is Alternative, in Florida & Other States

Most people may think of debtors’ prisons as a relic of history. But they arguably still exist in this country, where judges in criminal cases routinely employ a strong-arm collection tactic concerning court-imposed fees that isn’t available to the most aggressive civil creditor: They put people in jail. As courts…

Apr 6, 2009 11:15 PM CDT

Parrot Appears in Palm Beach Court, Doesn’t Squawk About Justice

Finders aren’t keepers, as far as lost animals are concerned. So a Florida judge today returned an African Grey parrot who flew the coop three years ago to his original owner, after the celebrity bird appeared at a court hearing surrounded by a flock of media, reports the South Florida…

Apr 6, 2009 7:27 PM CDT

Consumer Group Sues Over Fla. Bar’s Client Testimonial Ban

A consumer group has sued the Florida Bar on behalf of an attorney who was told client testimonials on a third-party website violated the state’s lawyer advertising rules. The prohibition, which Boca Raton attorney Joel Rothman unsuccessfully appealed to the Florida Bar Board of Governors, prevents him from participating in…

Apr 2, 2009 7:35 PM CDT

Judge Orders Lawyers to Return $450K in Fees

A retired South Florida cruise ship injury lawyer and his former associate were ordered to return nearly $450,000 in fees collected under a secret deal after the injury lawyer withdrew from a series of personal injury cases. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Herbert Stettin, who supervised Jay Wingate’s withdrawal amid bribery allegations,…

Apr 2, 2009 10:04 AM CDT