New York

Stuffed Bear Is Banished from Courthouse Lobby

A stuffed bear dubbed “Smokey” made only a limited appearance in the lobby of the Sullivan County courthouse in Monticello, N.Y. Smoky was placed in the lobby on Sept. 2 after a hunter who shot and stuffed the bear offered it to Judge Frank LaBuda, report the New York Law…

Sep 19, 2011 11:00 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

Kasowitz: Associate Who Touted Superior Legal Mind Can’t Claim Ouster Deal Was Unconscionable

A first-year associate fired after asserting he had a “superior legal mind” can’t turn around and claim his separation agreement was unconscionable, according to his former law firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman. The law firm is seeking dismissal of the $77 million suit filed by Gregory Berry, who asserts…

Sep 16, 2011 3:02 PM CDT

Hofstra Gets $20M Gift from Top Grad Who Earned Legal Degree After Age 50, Renames Law School

An unusual law student who earned his legal degree from Hofstra University after age 50 has gifted the school with a record $20 million. The law school is now changing its name to honor Maurice A. Deane, who already had donated generously on numerous fronts, along with his wife, Barbara,…

Sep 14, 2011 6:59 PM CDT

Burger Lover Files Suit Against White Castle, Says Too-Small Booths Violate ADA

A longtime fan of White Castle burgers who weighs 290 pounds has filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan over the size of the booths in the fast-food chain’s restaurants. Martin Kessman, who works as a stockbroker and says he has been eating White Castle burgers in the Bronx since 1959,…

Sep 14, 2011 1:24 AM CDT

Heightened Alert on Sept. 11 Anniversary Led to Courthouse Evacuations in 3 States Today

As many yesterday and today commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a reported credible threat of a plan to set off a bomb in New York or Washington, D.C., led to increased watchfulness nationwide. However, despite concerns about a possible bomb that resulted in evacuations…

Sep 13, 2011 1:48 AM CDT

Rajaratnam Calls Requested 20 Years ‘Grotesquely Severe,’ Says Insider Trading Definition Not Clear

Interviewed by a probation officer for a presentence investigation report, a hedge fund co-founder recently convicted in the biggest insider-trading case in decades said he still isn’t clear on the concept of what is and isn’t permitted, reports Bloomberg. “In my own mind, the line between permissible ‘detective work’ and…

Sep 12, 2011 5:47 PM CDT

Dechert Hires Bank Counsel to Run New Outsourcing Practice; It’s Vivian Maese’s 1st Law Firm Job

A New York lawyer who has until now worked in high-level managerial roles at well-known financial institutions has accepted her first law firm job: as head of a new practice group at Dechert. Vivian Maese will oversee the firm’s new global outsourcing and offshoring practice group. It is intended to…

Sep 12, 2011 5:13 PM CDT

Federal Judge Sides with NJ Solo, Strikes NY Law Requiring In-State Office for Out-of-State Lawyers

A federal judge in Albany has agreed with a New Jersey solo practitioner that a New York law is unconstitutional. It requires out-of-state attorneys licensed to practice in New York to maintain an in-state office if they want to represent clients there. The state argued that the New York office…

Sep 9, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

Citing $350K Bling, NY Judge Gives Ohio Lawyer 7 to 21 Years in $110M ‘Pump and Dump’

Contending that his legal training had not prepared him to recognize a so-called pump-and-dump securities scheme, an Ohio lawyer today tried to persuade a New York judge today not to jail him. But the argument was unsuccessful: James Margulies, 47, was sentenced to a 7- to 21-year prison term for…

Sep 9, 2011 7:45 PM CDT

Dennis Block to Leap from Cadwalader to Greenberg Traurig, Where He Will Chair Global M&A Practice

A leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer is leaving Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft after 13 years for Greenberg Traurig, where he will chair the global M&A practice group, reports the DealBook blog of the New York Times. Dennis Block, 69, “will help move our team into the ranks of the foremost…

Sep 8, 2011 11:19 PM CDT

4 US Open Umpires Sue for Overtime Pay, Allege 100s Were Misclassified as Independent Contractors

Four umpires for one of the world’s most prestigious tennis events filed suit in federal court in Manhattan today seeking overtime pay for themselves and hundreds of others who have worked at the U.S. Open since 2005. The plaintiffs contend the U.S. Tennis Association misclassified them as independent contractors when…

Sep 8, 2011 10:43 PM CDT

Accused by Cal. AG of Misleading Clients, Lawyer Fires Back with Federal Civil Rights Suit

Accused by the California attorney general of misleading clients into paying to participate in mass joinder litigation against major banks that isn’t likely to benefit them, at least one attorney in a group of targeted lawyers is fighting back with a civil rights suit. Mitchell Stein filed suit on behalf…

Sep 7, 2011 6:21 PM CDT

CUNY Incubator Program to Help New Law Grads Go Solo Is Now a Model for Other Schools

When the City University of New York School of Law established an incubator program in 2007 to help new law graduates establish themselves as solo practitioners, it was reportedly the first in the country to do so. But now others are following suit. Already, the University of Maryland School of…

Sep 6, 2011 11:03 PM CDT

NY Deputy Mayor, an Ex-Prosecutor, Resigns After Domestic Assault ‘Misunderstanding’

A former prosecutor who served as New York’s deputy mayor for operations resigned from his post days after his arrest based on allegations he assaulted his wife in a domestic dispute. Stephen Goldsmith resigned on Aug. 4 after Washington, D.C., police arrested him based on an accusation of “simple assault…

Sep 1, 2011 3:43 PM CDT