Maryland

Lawyer is shot in attempted robbery outside his home

A Baltimore lawyer was shot in an attempted robbery Monday evening as he was returning home from his job as deputy solicitor general in the Maryland Attorney General’s office. Lawyer William Brockman is recovering at home after being discharged from the hospital, the Baltimore Sun reports. His wife, Erika Brockman,…

Sep 19, 2013 11:52 AM CDT

Sheriff’s officers seek leads in case of missing 150-pound watermelon

A farmer in Maryland known for his prize-winning giant watermelons is missing a sizeable portion of his crop. The Hartford County Sheriff’s Department is asking locals to be on the lookout for a 150-pound Carolina cross watermelon apparently stolen right off the vine from Bradley Northcote’s farm, reports the Baltimore…

Sep 9, 2013 3:45 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw associate who moonlighted, inflated his title gets tougher sanction in Maryland than DC

A former BigLaw associate accused of inflating his title, charging personal expenses to his firm and moonlighting without permission is getting a stiffer ethics sanction in Maryland than in Washington, D.C. Garland Stillwell, a former associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, received a 60-day suspension for the misconduct in a…

Aug 29, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT

Judge cuts Bradley Manning’s maximum sentence in WikiLeaks case to 90 years

A military judge has agreed to merge some of the counts on which Pfc. Bradley Manning was convicted in a court-martial last week, reducing the maximum prison term to which he could be sentenced in the espionage and theft case from 136 years to 90 years. The Associated Press, Reuters…

Aug 6, 2013 6:55 PM CDT

Sentencing phase of WikiLeaks case begins for Bradley Manning, who could still get decades in prison

Acquitted on the most serious charge he faced, aiding the enemy, which carried a maximum life prison term, Pfc. Bradley Manning still faces a potential sentence on the other 20 charges on which he was convicted Wednesday that could put him behind bars for the rest of his days. As…

Jul 31, 2013 4:03 PM CDT

Military judge convicts Bradley Manning in WikiLeaks case, but acquits him on most serious charge

A soldier in the U.S. Army accused of providing some 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks, in what has been described as the largest such release ever, was convicted Tuesday by a military judge on most, but not all, charges. Army Private First Class Manning, 25, was found guilty of espionage…

Jul 30, 2013 5:17 PM CDT

Prosecutor calls Manning a traitor at WikiLeaks case closing; defense says he was young and naive

Pfc. Bradley Manning is a traitor who joined the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq with the intention of using his computer skills to disclose classified information that he knew would aid terrorist organizations throughout the world, a prosecutor said in closing arguments at his court martial. “He was not…

Jul 26, 2013 5:30 PM CDT

Lawyer who used hidden video cameras to peep on tenants will get psychotherapy rather than jail time

A Maryland lawyer who pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for spying on his tenants “with prurient intent” won’t have to go to jail for the crime. Instead, Dennis Alan Van Dusen of Chevy Chase was sentenced on Tuesday to five years’ probation and fined $2,500, the Washington Post reports. The…

Jul 3, 2013 12:25 PM CDT

Bad experience as immigration client and ‘weird’ website helped lawyer build successful practice

A lawyer from India who has built a successful Maryland immigration boutique from the ground up credits her experience as a client of an uncaring immigration attorney and her website for the Murthy Law Firm’s success, despite her admitted past failings as a boss. Sheela Murthy herself endured a 12-year…

Jun 26, 2013 6:40 PM CDT

Labor Department lawyer accused in stun-gun assault is found dead in his jail cell

Updated: A Labor Department lawyer accused of assaulting a co-worker was found dead today in his jail cell in Washington, D.C. The lawyer, 58-year-old Paul Mannina, was found dead a day after a detective summarized the allegations during a preliminary hearing, the Washington Post reports. Mannina sobbed in court; his…

Jun 18, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Former governor helps establish a clemency clinic

When Robert Ehrlich was governor of Maryland, he took his pardon responsibilities seriously, assigning lawyers to investigate cases and holding monthly meetings throughout his term to consider applications. Now he’s the vision behind a new clemency clinic at Catholic University of America’s law school that aims to help others take…

Jun 1, 2013 9:20 AM CDT

Maryland gov signs bill abolishing death penalty; fate of 5 men on death row is uncertain

Maryland’s governor on Thursday, as expected, signed into law a bill that abolishes the death penalty. The state is the first south of the Mason-Dixon line to end capital punishment, the Associated Press reports. However, still uncertain is the fate of the five men still on death row, who are…

May 2, 2013 5:35 PM CDT

Judge nixes tickets for lack of evidence, as city and red-light camera operator blame each other

It isn’t only those with trial skills, such as attorney Daniel Doty, who are getting Baltimore speeding and red-light camera tickets thrown out of court. The city plans to void approximately 6,000 tickets, amidst an ongoing dispute with the former contractor that oversaw the program, the Baltimore Sun reports. The…

Apr 24, 2013 4:30 PM CDT

Courts closed in at least one county Tuesday after Boston Marathon deaths and bomb threat

All circuit and district court buildings in a county that is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area were closed Tuesday, as sheriff’s officers in Carroll County, Md., investigated a bomb threat. The courts were evacuated after an anonymous call was made to the circuit court at about 8:30 a.m. claiming…

Apr 16, 2013 6:42 PM CDT