New York

Law firms may bill for work of unpaid interns, ethics opinion says

Some labor and law-student groups are criticizing a New York ethics opinion that says law firms may bill clients for the work of unpaid student interns. The Committee on Professional Ethics of the New York State Bar Association issued the opinion in March, the New York Law Journal (sub. req.)…

Aug 25, 2016 9:15 AM CDT

Criminal trials have become so scarce that federal judge had only one in his 4 years on the bench

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman of Manhattan has been on the federal bench for more than four years, but he has presided over just one criminal trial during that time. Furman’s experience is not unusual amid a nationwide decline in both criminal and federal trials, the New York Times reports.…

Aug 11, 2016 7:45 AM CDT

Lawyer is charged in Connecticut bank robbery

A New York City lawyer has been charged with the robbery of a Greenwich, Connecticut, bank. Lawyer Meighan Marie McSherry, 46, was arrested in a car near the bank shortly after the robbery on Thursday, report the Hartford Courant, Greenwich Time and the New York Daily News. McSherry was charged…

Aug 8, 2016 9:27 AM CDT

Wrongly convicted man sworn in to the New York State Bar

Jarrett Adams, who at age 17 was sentenced to 28 years in prison for an alleged rape he didn’t commit and went to law school after being exonerated, is beginning law practice in New York City, CBS Chicago reports. Sprung from prison through efforts by the Wisconsin Innocence Project, Adams…

Jul 20, 2016 2:02 PM CDT

Federal judge tosses drug evidence because DEA didn’t get warrant for StingRay cellphone tracking

A federal judge in Manhattan has suppressed narcotics evidence because the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration didn’t get a warrant to use a cellphone tracking device that led them to the suspect’s apartment. The decision by U.S. District Judge William Pauley appears to be the first time a federal judge has…

Jul 13, 2016 12:31 PM CDT

New 2-year law program will get grads to job market quicker, save them tuition costs, dean says

Albany Law School has announced a two-year JD program that shaves a year’s worth of tuition off the price. The 24-month program is scheduled to start in January 2017, according to the school’s website. It includes two summer terms, and students need 87 credits to graduate. Annual tuition at the…

Jul 12, 2016 11:35 AM CDT

Judge fines DLA Piper partner $10K after concluding he violated her order and lied about it

A federal judge in Manhattan has fined a DLA Piper partner and a former lawyer with the firm after concluding they apparently lied about violation of her court order. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest imposed a fine of $10,000 on DLA Piper partner Brian John Pendleton Jr. and a fine…

Jul 6, 2016 10:54 AM CDT

Judge bars Macy’s from detaining and fining alleged shoplifters

Manhattan Judge Manuel Mendez has blocked Macy’s from holding suspected shoplifters and demanding payment for damages in exchange for their release. Mendez granted the preliminary injunction Monday in a class action complaint filed against the retail giant. According to the New York Law Journal and the Guardian, Cinthia Orellana and…

Jul 1, 2016 12:50 PM CDT

Law360 settles state AG probe, will stop requiring new editorial hires to sign noncompete agreements

Law360 has settled a New York state attorney general probe by agreeing not to require new editorial hires to sign noncompete agreements. The online legal publisher, which is part of LexisNexis Group, said it “voluntarily collaborated with the New York attorney general’s office and reached a mutual agreement regarding the…

Jun 15, 2016 12:00 PM CDT

Harvard law grad’s suit alleges lack of bar exam accommodations devastated her BigLaw career

A Harvard law grad alleges she lost her job at Ropes & Gray because she wasn’t granted all her requested disability accommodations the first and second time she took the New York bar exam, causing her to flunk both times. The June 10 suit (PDF) by Tamara Wyche claims the…

Jun 15, 2016 10:19 AM CDT

Man acquitted of wife’s murder after four trials now charged with stalking police investigator

Last month, after being tried for the fourth time in his wife’s presumed homicide nearly 15 years ago, a New York businessman was acquitted on May 24 in a bench verdict. But the Tioga County resident now faces a misdemeanor stalking charge, concerning an alleged incident Thursday outside the Oneonta…

Jun 13, 2016 4:14 PM CDT

Indicted investor waives potential conflict posed by his BigLaw lawyers’ grand jury appearance

A federal judge on Wednesday allowed wealthy investor Morris Zukerman to waive any potential conflicts posed by his white-collar defense lawyers’ required appearance before a federal grand jury to testify about their conversations with Zukerman. The lawyers are James Bruton III and James Fuller III of Williams & Connolly, the…

Jun 9, 2016 8:36 AM CDT

First-year associate pay will be $180K at multiple BigLaw firms following Cravath’s lead

Updated: Pointing the way to higher pay for other BigLaw associates in major cities, Cravath Swaine & Moore announced Monday that the New York law firm is increasing its starting salary to $180,000, effective July 1. The unusual midyear pay raise has already been matched by at least 16 other…

Jun 8, 2016 5:40 PM CDT

Eleanor Alter leads 6-attorney Kasowitz team to new matrimonial boutique

Sought-after matrimonial lawyer Eleanor Alter has exited Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman, along with five other lawyers, to form a new family practice boutique. She said her decision to establish Alter Wolff & Foley last week after 20 years at Kasowitz Benson had “nothing to do with money” and cited…

Jun 3, 2016 12:25 PM CDT

Anderson Kill adds 10-attorney firm known for representation of HOA boards

Anderson Kill has added to its ranks a 10-attorney New York corporate firm known for its real estate work, as well as the representation of the boards and management companies of condominiums, cooperatives and homeowner associations. The New York-based Anderson Kill, announced the acquisition in a Wednesday news release, which…

Jun 2, 2016 11:15 AM CDT