International Law

New Haiti Child Custody Turmoil: Dad Says Son Kidnapped, Jailed US Volunteer Says Tot Died

In the latest clash between Haitian authorities and American aid workers trying to help out in the wake of the devastating earthquake earlier this year, a United States citizen volunteer has been jailed as a dispute over a 15-month-old boy is investigated. A distraught father blames Paul Waggoner and his…

Dec 16, 2010 11:52 PM CST

Drug Tunnel Led from Mexico to Nogales, Ariz., Metered Parking Space, Authorities Say

A 13-foot drug tunnel discovered this week led from the Mexican side of a border fence to a metered parking space in downtown Nogales, Ariz., authorities say. There vehicles with holes cut in the bottom would park to accept marijuana deliveries from the 10-inch-wide tunnel opening, according to the Associated…

Dec 16, 2010 5:01 PM CST

WikiLeaks Founder Assange Gets Bail in UK, But His Release Is Delayed as Swedish Prosecutors Appeal

In a British court hearing that was live-tweeted, with the permission of the judge, the founder of the WikiLeaks whistle-blowing website was granted bail today. However, the release of Julian Assange, who is being held on an Interpol warrant in a Swedish sex-crime case, has been delayed while Swedish prosecutors…

Dec 14, 2010 8:35 PM CST

Acquitted in ‘96, Man Is Convicted of Murder Today in UK, Where Double Jeopardy No Longer Applies

In 1996, when Mark Weston was tried for the murder of a 30-year-old mother who was attacked while walking the family dog, he was acquitted in 50 minutes. Afterward, the jury foreman wrote to him wishing him well and urging him to seek compensation due to the lack of evidence.…

Dec 13, 2010 8:01 PM CST

Madoff Trustee Sues ‘Criminal Soul Mate’ Banker, Seeks $59B (Yes, Billion) in RICO Suit

A “criminal soul mate” of convicted super-swindler Bernard Madoff masterminded a 23-year conspiracy, utilizing European and offshore banks, hedge funds and other financial entities, that made it possible for him to operate a record-breaking Ponzi scheme, contends a bankruptcy trustee who filed a lawsuit today that seeks nearly $59 billion…

Dec 11, 2010 2:03 AM CST

Jailed WikiLeaks Founder Put in Segregation, as 1st Individual Is Detained in Hack Attacks

Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denies, through his legal counsel, that he had anything to do with recent hack attacks on organizations perceived as hostile to his website. And he asserts that WikiLeaks is a news publishing site, not a hack site, Australian Broadcasting Corporation News reports. However, the 39-year-old…

Dec 9, 2010 10:58 PM CST

Seeming Hack Attacks Hit Prosecutors, Opposing Counsel & Credit Card Co. re WikiLeaks Case

After news that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being held without bail in the United Kingdom on a Swedish arrest warrant in a sex case, seeming hack attacks hit websites for Swedish prosecutors and the opposing counsel representing his accusers in the sex cases. Mastercard Inc., PayPal and Swiss bank…

Dec 8, 2010 10:57 PM CST

WikiLeaks Cites New Woes for Site & Founder as Officials Warn US Workers & Students to Stay Away

After last week’s refusal by Amazon to continue hosting WikiLeaks in the wake of a massive U.S. State Department data dump by the secret-spilling website, as well as news that its founder, Julian Assange, 39, is being sought by Interpol for questioning concerning alleged sex crimes, both the site and…

Dec 6, 2010 6:52 PM CST

Interpol Seeks WikiLeaks Founder Assange for Questioning in Swedish Sex Case

The founder of the WikiLeaks whistle-blower website is being sought by Interpol for questioning in a Swedish sex case. Julian Assange, 39, has made headlines recently for publishing some 250,000 classified U.S. State Department documents on the site. But, in a move that he claims is in retaliation for WikiLeaks’…

Dec 1, 2010 10:33 PM CST

Relieved Pa. Attorney Says He Dodged a Bullet in Alleged $32M Bad-Check Scam Targeting 80 Law Firms

A $32 million alleged bad-check scam reportedly victimized 80 attorneys in four states. And the defendants in a federal wire-fraud case in the Middle District of Pennsylvania are accused of trying to bilk another 300 law firms out of $100 million more. But a relieved Pennsylvania personal injury attorney says…

Dec 1, 2010 5:38 PM CST

U.S. Lags Behind Other Wealthy Nations in Rule of Law Index

Preliminary versions of the Rule of Law Index already had signaled that its final report would not be encouraging for the U.S. justice system. But the results in the official version of the index released Oct. 14 still paint a surprisingly stark picture of this country’s standing compared with other…

Dec 1, 2010 6:22 AM CST

Chevron Claims Patton Boggs Conflict, Due to Lobbying Link, in $27B Environmental Case

In the latest unusual twist in a hard-fought legal battle between Chevron Corp. and individuals in Ecuador who allege environmental damage in a $27 billion class action, the oil company is contending that a new attorney for the plaintiffs is conflicted out because his law firm recently acquired a lobbying…

Nov 30, 2010 3:54 PM CST

US Rep: Use Terror & Spy Laws to Probe WikiLeaks & Founder re Site’s Dump of 250K State Dept. Docs

After a dump of some 250,000 U.S. State Department cables by WikiLeaks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today called the incident an “attack” and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder promised a criminal investigation of those responsible for the release of the classified documents. But the expected incoming chair of a…

Nov 30, 2010 12:34 AM CST

Starting Pay for UK BigLaw Attorneys Down 10% Since ‘09, Bonuses Rise, Says PwC Survey

The top 10 law firms in London have cut starting pay for newly qualified attorneys by about 10 percent this year. In U.S. dollars, at the current exchange rate, they are now getting about $92,000 when they start work, compared to about $100,000 in 2009. But at the same time,…

Nov 29, 2010 5:25 PM CST

Top 20 UK Law Firm to Outsource All Support Staff Work & Bring Local Integreon Office In-House

In what is being billed as a first-of-its-kind move by a top 20 London-based law firm, partners of CMS Cameron McKenna voted this week to eliminate its entire “back office” of some 200 support staff and put a legal process outsourcer in charge of performing this work. While the staff…

Nov 23, 2010 7:28 PM CST