Enron Claims Ruling Overturned

A federal judge in New York has overturned a ruling in Enron bankruptcy litigation that had caused consternation on Wall Street. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that good-faith purchasers of claims against bankrupt companies should not be penalized under bankruptcy laws, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). A…

Aug 29, 2007 6:21 PM CDT

Helmsley Will: Dog Gets $12 Million

Leona Helmsley’s dog, a Maltese named Trouble, is to get the benefit of $12 million under the luxury hotel queen’s will. The money is to be in trust, of course, since animals can’t directly hold funds. Helmsley, who died last week at age 87, also left $10 million to her…

Aug 29, 2007 2:55 PM CDT

Guilty Plea in Extensive Insider Trading Scheme

A former analyst at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has pleaded guilty to insider trading charges in a wide-ranging scheme to get advance corporate information from a Merrill Lynch employee, printing plant workers and a grand juror. Prosecutors say the plot generated $6.7 million in profits. Investigators told the Wall Street…

Aug 29, 2007 2:26 PM CDT

Three-Time Loser Law Struck Down

Another federal judge has struck down New York’s persistent felony offender statute on Sixth Amendment grounds. Two judges have held the state law improperly requires judges rather than juries to determine facts that lead to an enhanced sentence, the New York Law Journal reports. A third judge has upheld the…

Aug 29, 2007 11:50 AM CDT

Prosecutors Seek Reporter Testimony

Prosecutors are trying to force reporters for two New York City newspapers to testify about their interviews with the parents of a 7-year-old girl who was found dead in her family’s home last year. She had been beaten and starved to death. The parents, Cesar Rodriguez and Nixzaliz Santiago, spoke…

Aug 28, 2007 4:13 PM CDT

Dewey & LeBoeuf Is Born

It’s official: Dewey & LeBoeuf is the new mega law firm created through the merger of two New York powerhouses. The firms Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae announced the merger yesterday, confirming early reports of the pending deal. The new firm will have 1,300 lawyers and revenues…

Aug 28, 2007 11:23 AM CDT

Dewey + LeBoeuf = Mega Merger?

Two major New York-based firms – Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae – are in advanced merger talks that would create a firm that ranks in the top dozen in terms of number of lawyers and revenue, anonymous sources have told the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. A formal annoucement of the discussions could come as early as today.

The combined firm would have almost 1,300 lawyers in 12 countries and revenue approaching $1 billion, the Times reports. Mergers of this size – particularly involving New York firms – are very rare, the Journal notes.

LeBoeuf has more than 700 lawyers based in 18 offices, according to the Times; Dewey has 550 attorneys in 12 cities. Last year, LeBoeuf reported $513 million in gross revenue and $1.43 million in profits per equity partner; Dewey had $409 million in revenue and $1.45 million in profits …

Aug 26, 2007 7:26 PM CDT

Law Blogs: Nixon Loses in ‘Winner’ Song Spat

Law blawggers are agog over Nixon Peabody’s claimed response to an unexpected Internet hit—the law firm’s unofficial theme song “Everyone’s a Winner at Nixon Peabody!” Apparently created by law-firm marketers for an internal event celebrating the firm’s inclusion in a Fortune magazine list of the 100 best places to work,…

Aug 24, 2007 10:53 PM CDT

Cell Phone Alibi Rings True

A cell phone alibi has helped win freedom for Eric Wright, accused of murdering a longtime rival. A Brooklyn judge dismissed the charges yesterday at the request of prosecutors, the New York Times (reg. req.) reports. Wright told his lawyer he was in New Jersey at the time the victim…

Aug 24, 2007 6:10 PM CDT

Sham Lawyer Scam Cost Clients $6 M

While a Long Island attorney was away from his law office having surgery and recuperating, his part-time paralegal was apparently busy–very busy. Mohammed Rafikian, 41, pretended to be the attorney for whom he worked, and scammed clients out of $6 million by persuading them to fund phony investments, reports the…

Aug 24, 2007 4:11 PM CDT

Rabbi Sex Suit Barred

A divided New York appeals court has ruled a state statute barring a cause of action for seduction prohibits a woman’s claims against a rabbi who allegedly counseled her to have sex with him. The woman, who had told her rabbi of problems finding a husband, claimed Rabbi Mordecai Tendler…

Aug 24, 2007 12:39 PM CDT

Fake Law Firm Web Site Mirrors Reality

A fake law firm Web site created to promote a new television legal drama at least arguably is uncomfortably close to some real-life versions. Streaming video makes the “Hewes & Associates” site difficult to navigate. The 15-year-old fictional Manhattan firm promotes itself in over-the-top (albeit satirical) terms as “one of…

Aug 23, 2007 8:50 PM CDT

Maid’s Suit Can Raise Model’s Past

A Manhattan judge has ruled that a former maid for Naomi Campbell can introduce evidence of past dust-ups with hired help in her lawsuit against the model. Gaby Gibson claims Campbell hit her and made discriminatory comments when she couldn’t find a pair of Stella McCartney jeans, the New York…

Aug 23, 2007 3:36 PM CDT

Rapper Jailed After BlackBerry Incident

Rapper Foxy Brown has been jailed for violating probation after her arrest on charges she hit a neighbor with a BlackBerry last month. Jack Ryan, a spokesman for New York’s probation department, told the New York Times that the arrest was one of several probation violations. He said Brown also…

Aug 23, 2007 1:26 PM CDT

Bill Targets Stairway Peepers

It’s perfectly legal for someone to stand under a stairway and look up women’s skirts, according to a Queens, N.Y., city council member who intends to do something about it. Peter Vallone Jr. has introduced an ordinance barring nonconsensual voyeurism, the New York Times reports. Penalties for violations can include…

Aug 23, 2007 1:14 PM CDT