International Courts/Tribunals

Guilty plea ends record $38M fraud case that doubled assessments for British Columbia lawyers

After nearly five years of legal battle, a former real estate developer pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud in a Vancouver, B.C., court Friday, putting an end to a record $38.4 million Canadian lawyer-fraud case that doubled the client-compensation assessment payments for attorneys in the Law Society of British…

May 6, 2013 6:35 PM CDT

‘Wicked and selfish’ mom pushed teen daughter to get pregnant so she could raise baby, judge says

Thwarted when she tried, as a single mother, to adopt a fourth child, a “domineering” American woman living in Great Britain tried another approach. She used her influence on her then-14-year-old daughter to persuade the teen to get pregnant and provide the baby she wanted, so she could raise it…

Apr 29, 2013 6:24 PM CDT

Picking up stones on beach gets American tourist criminally prosecuted in Turkey

In the latest example of the pitfalls that can potentially await a foreign tourist unfamiliar with the laws of the land he or she is visiting, an American tourist who says he indulged his hobby of pocketing stones on the beach while traveling with his wife in Turkey is now…

Apr 17, 2013 8:22 PM CDT

After Pentagon computer security issues, defense lawyers ordered not to email or draft docs online

After the disappearance of multiple documents and intrusions into the Pentagon computer system used by lawyers representing terrorism defendants, both military and civilian attorneys have been ordered not to use their computers for drafting confidential documents or email. “I honestly don’t know how bad it is. All I know is…

Apr 11, 2013 8:00 PM CDT

53 dead in suicide attack on Afghan court intended to free 15 Taliban prisoners headed to trial

At least 53 people died Wednesday in an attack by suicide bombers on a court in Western Afghanistan. They reportedly sought to free 15 suspected members of the Taliban who were headed to trial in the Farah courthouse, according to Al Jazeera and the BBC News. It isn’t clear whether…

Apr 3, 2013 6:15 PM CDT

Cloudy opinions: Online activities are still in the Wild West of regulation

Experts warned that cloud computing would trigger countless stormy disputes, and a body of case law is already beginning to emerge. The verdict, according to a panel at LegalTech New York 2013? Laws, regulations and policies are being written to protect businesses, but the efficacy of those tools has been…

Apr 1, 2013 7:40 AM CDT

Arab Spring brings no thaw for women’s rights

The overthrow of several regimes in the Middle East over the past two years hasn’t produced much progress toward achieving equality for women, according to former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. And if women and girls in the region do not gain basic rights, Hutchison told lawyers gathered for the…

Apr 1, 2013 6:10 AM CDT

Doc charged in 7 murders may have slain 300 to free up hospital beds, Brazilian investigator says

A doctor has been charged in what authorities are calling seven murders of terminally ill patients at a hospital in Brazil and could be responsible for as many as 300 deaths, an investigator says. Dr. Virginia Soares de Souza is charged with seven counts of aggravated first-degree murder. She is…

Mar 28, 2013 6:40 PM CDT

Japanese trial of claimed Somali pirates raises interpretation issues

When defendants speak Arabic, Chinese, English, Hebrew, Korean, Swahili or Tagalog, interpreters in Japan’s courts are ready to help them understand and be understood. But a lack of Somali interpreters among the 4,067 listed in a directory kept by the court system has posed a problem as Japan tried four…

Mar 20, 2013 9:49 PM CDT

Lawmaker’s ex-wife who blew whistle on 2003 speeding ticket switch also faces likely jail term

Both a leading former U.K. lawmaker and his ex-spouse are now looking at likely jail time over a 2003 speeding ticket, after Vicky Pryce was convicted by a London jury this week of perverting the course of justice. Pryce, who is a prominent economist, appeared shocked by the verdict in…

Mar 7, 2013 9:59 PM CST

Bin Laden spokesman who talked of 9/11 attacks on video extradited to US

A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, who is accused of playing a major role in al-Qaida as a spokesman and propagandist, has reportedly been captured abroad and extradited to the U.S. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is in federal custody in New York City and is expected to appear there at a…

Mar 7, 2013 7:45 PM CST

Seeking justice in the killing fields

Even as Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city, hurtles into the future, it can’t quite escape the past. At rush hour, the city’s tree-lined boulevards are clogged with Range Rovers and rusted bicycles alike. But not even the noise of Phnom Penh’s madcap traffic can compete with the sound of construction.…

Mar 1, 2013 11:00 AM CST

Defendants shot deputy at courthouse, escaped in sheriff’s prison transport van, authorities say

An apparent altercation Tuesday among prisoners being held just outside a courtroom in a small town in Alberta, Canada, led to a sheriff’s deputy being shot in the hand and a subsequent escape by two defendants in the sheriff’s prison transport van. The two were soon captured, and no one,…

Feb 28, 2013 4:35 PM CST

Lawmaker’s wife who took rap for hubby’s speeding ticket, then blew the whistle, wins mistrial

A London judge blasted a jury after a mistrial this week in the latest chapter of a 10-year-old speeding ticket saga that has mesmerized newswatchers in the United Kingdom. Initially, the wife of the British lawmaker who received the ticket took the blame. But, after former energy minister Chris Huhne…

Feb 21, 2013 9:09 PM CST

Claimed bank loan for $540K Dewey capital payment a ‘fabrication,’ says ex-partner in suit

Sued in the United Kingdom for allegedly defaulting on a Barclays Bank loan to finance his $540,000 capital contribution to Dewey & LeBoeuf, a former partner of the now-bankrupt law firm has fired back by filing a federal lawsuit in New York. In it, Londell McMillan, who was in charge…

Feb 20, 2013 4:57 PM CST