New York

Sullivan & Cromwell Sues Electronic Discovery Firm

Sullivan & Cromwell has filed a lawsuit against an electronic discovery firm it hired for a major case that contends the company blew deadlines and made errors in document production. The suit against Electronic Evidence Discovery Inc. says the law firm had to divert staff and resources to deal with…

Jan 7, 2008 12:51 PM CST

Freed Inmate Wants to Pursue Law, Like Lawyers Who Helped Him

A New York man freed from prison after serving 17 years for two murders he says he didn’t commit says he would like to study law to help others who have been wrongfully convicted. The Suffolk County district attorney has decided not to pursue a new trial against Martin Tankleff…

Jan 4, 2008 1:58 PM CST

Former Weather Underground Radical Loses New Trial Bid

The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a new trial order for a radical activist convicted of murder in the notorious 1981 Brinks robbery case. The court ruled that Judith Clark’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel was not violated during her 1983 trial, the Journal…

Jan 3, 2008 9:33 PM CST

Amnesty International Successfully Asserts Reporter Privilege

Using a test that protects journalists from disclosing sources, a New York federal judge has ruled that Amnesty International does not have to reveal the names of lawyers who complained of being videotaped while talking to Sept. 11 detainees at a Brooklyn lockup. Judge Viktor Pohorelsky issued the ruling protecting…

Jan 3, 2008 4:03 PM CST

Judge Offers Reason for Defendant’s Inside-Out Clothing

A lawyer for a homeless ex-convict accused of raping and torturing a Columbia University graduate student asked a Manhattan judge yesterday to note that his client came to court wearing his shirt and jeans inside out. Lawyer Arnold Levine suggested that the getup indicates mental illness suffered by his client,…

Jan 3, 2008 1:45 PM CST

Want to Take the N.Y. Bar Exam? Sign a Waiver

Those taking the New York bar exam on their laptops this February will be required to sign a new, detailed waiver protecting the state Board of Law Examiners from liability if the exam software malfunctions. The test takers will be using new software, following a glitch this summer that lost…

Jan 3, 2008 12:27 PM CST

N.Y. Lawyer Suspended During Probe of Withdrawals from Judge’s Estate

A New York lawyer has been temporarily suspended after she failed to cooperate with investigators looking into her withdrawal of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a judge’s estate for which she was guardian. Emani Taylor will be suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary proceeding, the New York Law…

Jan 3, 2008 11:22 AM CST

‘Law & Order’ Promotes the Real McCoy

While the dramatized version Manhattan’s famed prosecutor’s office is set to get its fourth district attorney in 18 seasons, the city’s real district attorney has stayed put. Robert M. Morgenthau was first elected to the post in 1974 and, according to the New York Times’ City Room blog, easily won…

Jan 2, 2008 9:46 PM CST

Associate Claims Allen & Overy Fired Him for Observing Sabbath

An associate claims in a lawsuit that British-based law firm Allen & Overy fired him for religious reasons. Norman Schoenfeld claims he was fired for observing the Jewish sabbath and religious holidays. His suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges partner Mark Wojciechowski swore at him when he left one…

Jan 2, 2008 11:37 AM CST

Judge Slapped for Sending Threatening Letter

New York’s Commission on Judicial Conduct has admonished a judge for sending a threatening letter to a tenant in an attempt to enforce a landlord/tenant oral settlement that went beyond the judge’s authority. Seneca County’s Junius town justice, Stephen H. Brown, reportedly sent a letter last December to the tenant…

Dec 21, 2007 7:30 PM CST

N.Y. Judge Upholds Air Passenger Bill of Rights

A New York judge has upheld a state law requiring airlines to provide food, water and other amenities to passengers sitting in grounded airplanes for more than three hours. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn of Albany said the law regulates passenger health and safety, and is not pre-empted by federal…

Dec 21, 2007 5:07 PM CST

Prosecutors Question Whether Lawyer Had Role in Witness Intimidation

Prosecutors are raising questions about whether a criminal defense lawyer helped facilitate the intimidation of witnesses who were to testify against defendants he represents, the New York Times reports. The only criminal charge against the New Jersey lawyer, Paul Bergrin, may appear unrelated to those concerns: He is accused of…

Dec 21, 2007 1:52 PM CST

LLP Partners Not Protected in Accounting Suit, N.Y. Top Court Rules

New York’s highest court has ruled that law firm partners sued for an accounting by a lawyer who leaves the firm are not protected from liability because they are organized as a limited liability partnership. The majority decision (PDF) held that the state’s LLP statute was intended to protect partners…

Dec 21, 2007 11:45 AM CST

Refco Lawyer’s Indictment ‘a Wake-Up Call’

The indictment of a Mayer Brown partner in connection with the collapse of Refco has some transactional lawyers worried. Some saw the indictment of Joseph Collins as an indication that other transactional lawyers could face legal problems for their representation of clients in initial public offerings, the New York Law…

Dec 20, 2007 1:38 PM CST

Venable to Double N.Y. Attorneys

The two-year-old New York office of Washington, D.C.-based Venable is growing up fast. Now numbering about 30 attorneys, it may soon have another six to 10 lateral-hire lawyers on the firm roster, and administrators hope to at least double the number of New York attorneys within the next few years.…

Dec 19, 2007 6:00 PM CST