Natural Disasters

Disaster response news from the ABA Journal, American Bar Association legal resources, volunteering opportunities and disaster helplines.

Lawyer suspended for charging inflated and fake fees to real estate clients; did everybody do it?

Updated: A New Jersey lawyer has been suspended after an audit found that she overcharged clients in real estate transactions by collecting fake fees or fee amounts that were higher than the actual expenses incurred.

Nov 13, 2023 9:49 AM CST

Former Baltimore state’s attorney convicted for claiming pandemic hardship to get retirement cash

Federal jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland, convicted former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby on two counts of perjury Thursday for lying about COVID-19 pandemic hardship to take early withdrawals totaling $90,000 from her city retirement fund.

Nov 10, 2023 9:39 AM CST

Lawyer suffering from pandemic stress censured for accessing judge’s computer, changing clerk’s time card

A New York lawyer has been censured for accessing a judge’s computer while she was experiencing mental health issues that partly stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 4, 2023 8:51 AM CDT

US pressure on social media over misinformation likely unconstitutional, 5th Circuit says

Updated: The U.S. government likely violated the First Amendment by pressuring social media companies to block COVID-19 misinformation and other content, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Sep 11, 2023 10:42 AM CDT

FDA’s ‘tweet-sized doses’ of ivermectin advice can be challenged in lawsuit, 5th Circuit says

Doctors who prescribed the human version of a drug called ivermectin to thousands of their COVID-19 patients can sue the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 5, 2023 11:09 AM CDT

Want to help survivors of the Hawaii wildfires? The ABA has options for you

The ABA is calling on attorneys to join the response to the Maui wildfires in Hawaii, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people and displaced thousands more earlier this month.

Aug 30, 2023 12:08 PM CDT

Louisiana man’s jokes about sheriff’s department are protected free speech, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Louisiana man who was arrested after posting on Facebook that a local sheriff’s department had ordered its deputies to shoot people who were infected with COVID-19.

Aug 28, 2023 11:43 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS asked to hear high school admissions case over race; utility company faces suit after Hawaii wildfires

Supreme Court could hear high school admissions case involving race

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday was asked to hear a Virginia high school admissions case over race. The Coalition…

Aug 25, 2023 2:09 PM CDT

Federal initiative recovers over $836M in stolen COVID-19 relief funds, DOJ says

From May through July, the U.S. Department of Justice led enforcement actions against 718 individuals for offenses involving more than $836 million in alleged COVID-19 fraud.

Aug 25, 2023 11:42 AM CDT

Alston & Bird resolves dispute over legal advice during pandemic

Law firm Alston & Bird has resolved a federal lawsuit over its regulatory advice on the imports of hand sanitizing wipes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug 21, 2023 10:55 AM CDT

Are law firm leaders having second thoughts on remote work?

Recent headlines suggest the flexible working arrangements many take for granted are not so settled in the minds of corporate CEOs and law firm leaders. Postings for remote work positions are waning despite high demand from applicants. That, combined with a softening economy, has some wondering if companies have newfound leverage to demand workers to come in.

Aug 1, 2023 2:40 AM CDT

Thanks to the pandemic, law firms have embraced remote e-discovery

Three years after the reviews went home, law firms are discovering that the remote model they once viewed with great suspicion can enhance rather than endanger their projects. As a result, reviews are showing no signs of ever returning exclusively to the back room.

Aug 1, 2023 2:30 AM CDT

Return-to-office push prompts law firms to reconsider child care benefits

As calls for a return to the office grow, the stressor of juggling child care weighs heavily on working parents at law firms—namely for those whose livelihoods are often tied to billable hours.

Aug 1, 2023 1:20 AM CDT

Congressional budgeting error could slash funds for federal public defenders

Federal public defenders may have to lay off as many as 500 people as a result of a congressional budgeting error in pending spending bills.

Jul 20, 2023 11:25 AM CDT

Lawyer’s RICO suit seeks to force fossil fuel companies to pay for hurricane damage

A small-town Illinois lawyer who once sued oil companies over contaminated land has turned her attention to climate change and the companies allegedly fueling the problem.

Jul 19, 2023 3:40 PM CDT