International Courts/Tribunals

$18B Enviro Case a ‘Donnybrook’ for Parties’ Law Firms; ‘Both Sides Hate Each Other,’ Law Prof Says

It’s not unusual to see opposing attorneys become friends again the moment a hard-fought case or courtroom argument is over. But unlike many counsel for whom the war of words is something of an act, corporate attorneys at two prominent United States law firms engaged in pitched battle over an…

Oct 7, 2011 12:15 AM CDT

Jailed Ex-CFO Stole Nearly $2.7M from Top Law Firm Over 10 Years, Prosecutor Says

The former chief financial officer at the Adelaide office of a top Australian firm made off with nearly 2.7 million dollars of his colleagues’ money over a 10-year period before he was terminated in June, a prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court today. A routine government tax inquiry drew Minter…

Oct 6, 2011 9:10 PM CDT

Ex-CFO of Top Australian Law Firm is Arrested, Accused of Stealing Six-Figure Sum

The former chief financial officer of a top Australian law firm was held without bail as a flight risk on charges that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Minter Ellison and/or its partners. Federal police arrested Craig Raneberg, 38, at the Sydney airport after he made a quick…

Oct 5, 2011 10:32 PM CDT

Amanda Knox Wins Appeal, Is Cleared

Convicted in late 2009 by an Italian jury and sentenced to 26 years for murdering her roommate in Perugia, while both were students participating in a foreign exchange program, an American woman has won her appeal. After a retrial of the controversial case against Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend,…

Oct 3, 2011 7:53 PM CDT

Woman Is Told She’ll Get 10 Lashes for Driving in Saudi Arabia Before King Revokes Sentence

Updated: A woman who defied a religious and cultural ban by driving in Saudi Arabia was initially sentenced to 10 lashes in a landmark case in the ultraconservative Muslim county. It is the first time a court has upheld the rule against women drivers, which previously had been more informally…

Sep 29, 2011 1:50 PM CDT

Right to Vote Is On the Horizon for Women in Saudi Arabia, But Driving Ban Is Still Being Enforced

After months of campaigning by civil rights activists, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah made a surprise announcement yesterday that women would soon get the right to vote, albeit not for a few more years, according to Agence France-Presse and the National Post. However, the right to drive remains elusive despite efforts…

Sep 26, 2011 10:02 PM CDT

African Adventurer: Jeffrey Krilla, SNR Denton

A prime-cut filet might be the centerpiece of a New York or Chicago meal between law firm partners and business executives, while in Los Angeles they might dine on halibut and baby artichokes while discussing multimillion-dollar deals. And in some parts of Africa, the meal might be made up of…

Sep 26, 2011 1:49 PM CDT

Client Sues Crowell & Moring, Claims Law Firm Can’t Account for $5.5M in Escrow Money

A real estate management company represented by Crowell & Moring sued the law firm today in New York state court. The Manhattan Supreme Court complaint (PDF) contends that Crowell & Moring can’t account for some $5.5 million being held in escrow on behalf of Regal Real Estate and other plaintiffs…

Sep 24, 2011 1:04 AM CDT

Although Crown Counsel Regrets Closing Crime Rhyme, Verse Used as Hammer Put Defendant in Slammer

Presenting his closing argument in rhymed couplets must have seemed like a good idea at the time to John Ramsay. But the Canadian prosecutor apologized today for doing so, saying that he didn’t mean to detract from the solemnity and dignity of the drunk driving case he was trying in…

Sep 22, 2011 11:46 PM CDT

Fearless About Jailing Rogue Police, Brazil Judge Was Slain in Hail of Police-Issue Bullets

When a rogue police officer needed to be dealt with, Judge Patricia Acioli was fearless about wielding a heavy hammer. She jailed more than 60, most for murder, reports the Associated Press. Now she has been shot to death, in a hail of 21 police-issue bullets, in front of her…

Sep 17, 2011 12:03 AM CDT

2nd Circuit Is Dubious re Claim That a Federal Judge Can Strike a Foreign Country’s $18B Judgment

It appears that the plaintiffs may be on the path to victory in a hard-fought international legal battle with Chevron Inc. over environmental damage done to the Ecuador rainforest by a predecessor oil company. During a hearing today, three judges of the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of…

Sep 16, 2011 9:23 PM CDT

Judge’s Holiday-Weekend Civility Class is Cancelled, But Attorney Manners Remain a Contentious Topic

A Delaware Superior Court judge’s plan to hold a holiday-weekend civility course on Sept. 4 for warring counsel in asbestos litigation was canceled by President Judge James T. Vaughn Jr., who reassigned the case to himself, according to the Wilmington News Journal. However, the issue of appropriate attorney manners clearly…

Sep 9, 2011 12:16 AM CDT

Onetime Suspect in Unsolved Aruba Disappearance of Natalee Holloway is Charged With Murder in Peru

A Dutch man who was once the prime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba has now been charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of another young woman found dead in his hotel room in Peru. Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison term…

Sep 1, 2011 10:08 PM CDT

3M Sues DC Law Firm Chief, Says He Ran Defamation Campaign Under Guise of Seeking $30M Settlement

A well-known Washington, D.C., lawyer whose practice combines litigation and media relations work on behalf of clients has been sued by a major corporation for defamation, along with other defendants including his law firm. 3M Company contends in a federal lawsuit (PDF) that Lanny Davis “orchestrated” a “conspiracy” on behalf…

Aug 31, 2011 11:40 PM CDT

Pulled Over While Riding Motorized Plastic Beer Cooler, Man Blows 0.16, Loses Driving Privileges

Add a motorized plastic beer cooler to the list of unusual vehicles that have resulted in convictions for drunken driving. An unlicensed Australian man who purchased one online “for a bit of a giggle” soon found himself facing a serious court case. Christopher Ian Petrie blew a 0.16 on a…

Aug 19, 2011 5:21 PM CDT