Ohio

Paralegal Guilty in Fake-Libel-Suit Scam That Briefly Won $3M

A credulous paralegal is facing a potential two-and-a-half-year federal prison term after apparently being duped by a convicted child molester into participating in a bizarre alleged civil litigation scheme. Its claimed purpose was to “coerce or fool” the now-adult victim of the molestation into recanting, via a faked defamation suit…

Aug 24, 2009 7:00 PM CDT

Some Staff Layoffs May Follow Dinsmore Acquisition of Woodward Hobson

A growing Cincinnati-based regional law partnership is acquiring a 92-year-old Kentucky firm, enhancing its mass tort and labor and employment practice groups. Although Dinsmore & Shohl will retain all 54 attorneys from Woodward Hobson and Fulton, however, there may be some staff layoffs, Dinsmore managing partner George Vincent tells the…

Aug 21, 2009 8:18 PM CDT

Dayton Law Prof Sang for Sha Na Na at Woodstock

A University of Dayton law professor performed at the Woodstock music festival just before Jimi Hendrix took the stage. Law professor Dennis Greene performed with the 1950s revival group Sha Na Na in a Woodstock performance that offered quite a contrast to Hendrix. Greene called the festival “an amazing moment”…

Aug 14, 2009 2:21 PM CDT

3rd-Years Can Handle Felony Cases, Says Top Ohio Court

It’s long been an accepted practice for third-year law students in Ohio to hone their legal skills by representing defendants in criminal misdemeanor cases. But now, under a rule change approved last week by the state supreme court, they will also be able to try felony cases, too, reports the…

Aug 3, 2009 7:45 PM CDT

Law Schools Offer Food, Massages and Friendly Puppy to Ohio Bar Exam Takers

The atmosphere may be tense inside a Columbus, Ohio, auditorium filled with 1,300 law graduates taking the bar exam, but the outside parking lot looks a lot more like a carnival. There, alumni from all but one of the state’s nine law schools have pitched tents where they offer sandwiches,…

Jul 31, 2009 2:51 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw Associate, 29, Forms Biotech Boutique via Craigslist

When Afif Ghannoum decided to open a biotechnology boutique in Cleveland, the 29-year-old former BigLaw associate advertised for potential partner-level attorneys on Craigslist. He received responses from nearly 100 lawyers in Ohio and another 400 in New York City. To help keep costs low, the firm’s nine lawyers operate out…

Jul 27, 2009 5:54 PM CDT

Buyers of Former Meth Homes Battle Ailments, File Suits

Possibly tens of thousands of homes have been used to make methamphetamine, causing health problems and financial worries for new owners and unsuspecting landlords. The New York Times chronicles the problems of homeowners Rhonda and Jason Holt, whose three babies became listless and struggled with breathing problems after they bought…

Jul 15, 2009 3:18 PM CDT

Text Message May Explain Missing Murder Witness

A chilling text message discovered by prosecutors handling a Cincinnati murder trial is creating problems in the ongoing case. Prosecutors say witness Derrick Johnson sent the suspicious text message to Jonathan Williams on Tuesday, the same day both teens were slated to testify in a murder case against Ravea Garnett,…

Jun 26, 2009 4:38 PM CDT

3 Laid-Off Ohio Lawyers Struggle to Find Work; 2 Others Land New Jobs

How bad is it out there right now for laid-off lawyers seeking new jobs? An article in Crain’s Cleveland Business today paints a depressing picture. Attorney Keith Barton lost his job as an in-house attorney at a nonprofit a few weeks before Christmas. He’s trying to get a solo practice…

Jun 22, 2009 9:13 PM CDT

Frost Brown Todd Launches Apprentice Program

Updated: First-year associates joining Louisville, Ky.-based Frost Brown Todd will have a new title: apprentice. Rather than raking in a full salary, these apprentices will spend their first 1,000 hours learning on the job at lower pay and under stricter scrutiny. The pressure to bill will also be relieved under…

Jun 12, 2009 5:26 PM CDT

High Court Lectures 6th Circuit on Double Jeopardy in Retarded Inmate’s Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court is giving Ohio another chance to prove an inmate should be sentenced to death despite evidence of mental retardation. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in an opinion (PDF) for a unanimous court, wrote that a federal appeals court had “fundamentally misperceived” the application of the double jeopardy…

Jun 1, 2009 3:11 PM CDT

Ohio Lawyer Gets Community Control, Ordered to Apologize in Client Theft Case

An Ohio lawyer who reportedly has a gambling problem, according to his family, has been sentenced to five years of community control in a client-theft case and ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution and apologize in writing to his victims. Charles Bursey II of Dayton pleaded guilty to three counts…

May 27, 2009 10:55 PM CDT

Ohio Lawyer Gets 1-Year Suspension; Bought Jag & Boat, Let Taxes Go Unpaid

When John Large received a $72,000 fee in 2002 for settling a personal injury case, he bought a used Jaguar and his boat. But the Ohio attorney didn’t use the money to catch up on his unpaid income tax, reports the Vindicator. In practice since 1997, Large soon got behind…

May 7, 2009 6:49 PM CDT

2 Lawyers from Small NY Firm Die in Ohio Plane Crash

A name partner and an associate of a five-attorney personal injury firm in Buffalo, N.Y., died in Ohio yesterday when their small plane crashed shortly after taking off from Cuyahoga County Airport. Michael Doran, 51, of Doran & Murphy, was piloting the plane, which he owned, reports NewsNet5, relying in…

Apr 29, 2009 5:50 PM CDT

Judge Unseals Testimony of Hoffa Witness

A federal judge has agreed to unseal the grand jury testimony of a key witness in the indictment of former Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa for obstruction of justice. U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell of Nashville agreed to unseal testimony about jury tampering by Walter Sheridan, a top aide to…

Apr 15, 2009 6:07 PM CDT