New York

Afternoon Briefs: Antitrust suit filed against Google; pro se litigant accused of judge death threat

DOJ files antitrust suit against Google The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google on Tuesday that alleges that the tech company maintains a monopoly in search services and search advertising. The suit alleges that Google uses anti-competitive tactics to make itself the default search engine…

Oct 20, 2020 4:23 PM CDT

Amid claims that online bar exam went well, some test-takers have a different view

ExamSoft, the company that provided the software for the two-day online bar exam offered earlier this month, maintains that only a small percentage of test-takers experienced problems with their product. But for those who did, many say there should have been no issues and some suspect the hitches were expected by the company.

Oct 20, 2020 9:28 AM CDT

Judge is removed for alleged sexist and belittling comments, undisclosed income

A family court judge in Broome County, New York, has been removed from the bench for “a pattern of injudicious behavior” that allegedly included sexist and belittling comments to court employees.

Oct 16, 2020 11:51 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Another BigLaw firm pays special bonuses; judge charged with stealing campaign funds

Willkie Farr will pay special bonuses Willkie Farr & Gallagher has announced that it will be paying special bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $40,000, falling in line with a scale set by Davis Polk & Wardwell. The firm also expects to pay year-end bonuses “in accordance with our normal practices,”…

Oct 9, 2020 3:31 PM CDT

Sidley Austin will provide scholarships, internships to law students to settle Labor Department diversity probe

Sidley Austin has agreed to improve its tracking of demographic statistics on summer associate applicants, associate bonuses and staff member promotions to settle allegations that it failed to adequately collect the data.

Oct 8, 2020 10:09 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Texas attorney general’s aides seek probe of possible wrongdoing; legal industry gains jobs

7 aides to Texas attorney general seek probe for potential crimes Seven aides to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have asked law enforcement to investigate whether Paxton violated bans on improper influence, abuse of office and bribery. Paxton denied the allegations and said they were made “to impede an ongoing…

Oct 5, 2020 4:21 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Ginsburg stayed busy before her death; report recommends end to routine traffic stops

Ginsburg participated in SCOTUS cases through at least Sept. 11 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remained busy in the weeks before her death Sept. 18. She reportedly spent a few days in the hospital the previous week and returned home Sept. 11—the same day that the Supreme Court…

Sep 28, 2020 4:28 PM CDT

Private equity firm purchases law practice management platform Rocket Matter

A private equity firm based in New York has acquired Rocket Matter, one of the leading practice management platforms in the legal industry since its launch more than a decade ago.

Sep 25, 2020 1:37 PM CDT

Judge resigns after accusations of unwanted kissing

A judge in Onondaga County, New York, has resigned after he was accused of unwanted kissing of two female staffers. Michael Hanuszczak, 64, resigned on Sept. 21 and agreed never again to seek judicial office, according to a press release by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. A…

Sep 23, 2020 12:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Mueller prosecutor has regrets in tell-all book; federal courthouse is a hurricane casualty

Book by Mueller prosecutor says more could have been done A book by Andrew Weissmann, a former prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller said the office failed to fully investigate President Donald Trump’s financial ties amid fears that Trump would shut down the investigation. “We could have done more,” Weissmann…

Sep 22, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

BigLaw firm is punishing 5 departing partners in bonus clawback dispute, petition says

Five former Nixon Peabody partners allege that their former law firm tried to punish them for jumping to DLA Piper by trying to claw back bonuses and withholding money in support of the effort.

Sep 18, 2020 12:15 PM CDT

Incensed judge orders every federal prosecutor in Manhattan to read her decision

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan of the Southern District of New York is so incensed by government conduct in the prosecution of an Iranian businessman that she has ordered every federal prosecutor in Manhattan to read her decision criticizing the prosecution failures.

Sep 17, 2020 2:53 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump’s census count order blocked; lawyer dies by suicide as cops close in

Court blocks Trump’s census count order A special three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has blocked President Donald Trump’s order to exclude from the census count immigrants who are in the country illegally. The panel said Trump exceeded his authority when he…

Sep 11, 2020 4:12 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Top state court criticizes former justice; more law firms reverse pay cuts

Top state court criticizes disciplined former justice The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized Cynthia Baldwin, a former justice, after she said an affidavit, if true, shows “bias and vindictiveness” in the discipline case against her. The statement by four justices who disciplined Baldwin said their reprimand “was based not…

Sep 10, 2020 4:39 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: COVID-19 outbreak in attorney’s office leads to court suspension; prosecutor killed while cycling

COVID-19 outbreak in Jefferson County attorney’s office leads to court suspension Three criminal court dockets in the Jefferson County Circuit Court in Louisville, Kentucky, will be suspended through Sept. 30 after three prosecutors and another staff member in the Jefferson County attorney’s office tested positive for COVID-19. An additional 16…

Sep 8, 2020 4:35 PM CDT