New York

Lawyer’s Libel Suit Against Appeals Judge Gets Tossed

A lawyer’s libel suit against a federal appeals judge has been tossed out of court. U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry of Brooklyn dismissed the suit against Judge Robert Katzmann of the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the New York Law Journal reports. Irizarry said Katzmann was…

Jun 17, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Cancer a Chronic Rather than Fatal Disease for N.Y. Lawyer

New York patent lawyer Barry Cooper is one of a growing number of patients who are treating their cancer as a chronic disease rather than a fatal diagnosis. Cooper was diagnosed in 2005 with chronic myelogenous leukemia, the New York Times reports. The disease was once considered a killer, but…

Jun 17, 2008 1:49 PM CDT

Judge Cuts $10M from Leona Helmsley’s $12M Bequest to Dog

The pet dog of deceased Leona Helmsley is losing $10 million of the $12 million that the 87-year-old hotel heiress left him in her will when she died last year, disinheriting two grandchildren. But the elimination of most of Trouble’s trust fund isn’t expected to put a dent in the…

Jun 16, 2008 5:43 PM CDT

New York Judge Orders Lawmakers to Hike Judicial Pay

A New York judge has ordered the state legislature to increase the pay of state judges, which now stands at $136,700 a year for those at the trial level. Judge Edward Lehner of Manhattan ruled the state legislature has abused its power and interfered with judicial independence by failing to…

Jun 12, 2008 12:59 PM CDT

More than 30 Thacher Lawyers Quit in Last 6 Months

Ten U.S. partners and about 24 associates of Thacher Proffitt & Wood have voluntarily left the New York-based firm during the past six months, in advance of an expected drop in 2008 profits. Meanwhile, 60 associates have been laid off by the 220-attorney financial services boutique, whose structured finance practice…

Jun 11, 2008 8:25 PM CDT

Heller Ehrman Sends Chairman to New York, in Something of a Trend

The last big San Francisco law firm to have its chairman full-time in the city has decided to send its leader packing to New York. Matthew Larrabee, chairman of Heller Ehrman, will move to the firm’s New York office this month, the Recorder reports. Larrabee told the publication the change…

Jun 11, 2008 2:12 PM CDT

Spitzer’s Next Gig: Running Real Estate Vulture Fund?

After resigning from office in the midst of a prostitution scandal, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is reportedly considering a career move that would take him out of both law practice and politics. Following in the footsteps of his ailing father, who is a real estate mogul in his…

Jun 10, 2008 11:32 PM CDT

ISPs to Block Child Porn in U.S., France

As a result of an ongoing probe by New York state authorities, three major Internet service providers have agreed to block access to the Web by groups that use the Web to share child pornography, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced today. Although it is with just one state, the…

Jun 10, 2008 9:15 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Eavesdropping on Attorney-Client Chat Seeks Sanctions

Lawyers for a New York school district are seeking sanctions against a lawyer who claims in a lawsuit that the district’s lawyer apparently listened in on her private conversation with a client in a school conference room. Lawyer Susan Burgess of Brockport claims that Buffalo lawyer Jay Pletcher must have…

Jun 10, 2008 4:25 PM CDT

Major Firms Opening in Brazil, ‘the New Middle East’

Two New York-based international law firms are the latest to announce that they are opening offices in Brazil, billed as “the new Middle East” by a legal publication. A boom in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and infrastructure projects is driving the deluge of new law office openings, most recently…

Jun 9, 2008 7:45 PM CDT

Sobbing Bookkeeper Sentenced for Stealing $4.3M From Brother’s Law Firm

Bookkeeper Anthony Galasso was sentenced to 2½ to 7½ years in prison Friday for embezzling $4.3 million from his brother’s law firm. Galasso sobbed and said he didn’t know what he was doing when he took the money from the Long Island law firm, Galasso, Langione, Catterson & LoFrumento, the…

Jun 9, 2008 12:45 PM CDT

Appeals Court Allows Malpractice Suit Against Shearman & Sterling

A New York appeals court is allowing a malpractice claim against Shearman & Sterling by a private investor who contends the law firm failed to make sure he retained superior rights to repayment on a loan he made. Investor James Garten contends he made a $750,000 loan to a Las…

Jun 6, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

Ex-Kasowitz Partner Files $90M Suit Over Claim of ‘Extremely Inappropriate’ Conduct

The former chairman of the intellectual property group at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman has filed a $90 million defamation suit against the firm for issuing a press release that said he was fired for “extremely inappropriate personal conduct.” Jeremy Pitcock contends in his suit that the conduct was nothing…

Jun 6, 2008 12:07 PM CDT

Law Firm Sues Unhappy Fen-Phen Client for Defamation

The class action law firm Napoli Bern Ripka & Associates has sued a former fen-phen client for defamation. The East Coast law firm claims ex-client Scott Spielberg defamed the firm for speaking with a New York Times reporter and asking prosecutors to investigate the law firm’s handling of the fen-phen…

Jun 6, 2008 11:12 AM CDT

Judge Who Jailed 46 Over Ringing Cell Phone Loses Job

Despite pleas for leniency from legal, judicial and civil groups, New York’s highest court has upheld a recommendation that a municipal judge who jailed 46 people over a repeatedly ringing cell phone should be removed from the bench. In an opinion (PDF) released today, the New York State Court of…

Jun 5, 2008 6:23 PM CDT