Ohio

Ohio Pledges $30M More to Resolve Youth Prison Litigation

Following a troubling report last year about Ohio’s youth prison, the state has promised to direct $30 million in additional funding and hire 100 more guards to improve the system. The state, in a settlement agreement (PDF), also said it would hire more psychologists, nurses, social workers and teachers, the…

Apr 4, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Nasty Race for Wisconsin Supreme Court Ends With Upset

An expensive, bitter supreme court race in Wisconsin ended Tuesday with the first unseating of a justice since 1967, when Chief Justice George Currie was ousted after he allowed the Milwaukee Braves to relocate to Atlanta. Burnett County Circuit Judge Michael Gableman succeeded in his bid for the high court,…

Apr 2, 2008 6:25 PM CDT

Ohio Offers Free Legal Services for Homeowners Facing Forclosure

As home foreclosure rates continue to reach record levels, Ohio’s political leaders are supporting a program that offers free legal representation to Ohioans making below $54,000 a year for a family of four and are in danger of losing their homes. The Save the Dream program involves a network of…

Apr 2, 2008 6:09 PM CDT

Not Yet Merged with McGuireWoods, 8 Helms Mullis Lawyers to Go Elsewhere

Although an upcoming merger at the end of the month will put more than 100 lawyers at Charlotte, N.C.-based Helms Mullis & Wicker into one of the nation’s largest law firms, not every attorney is looking to practice at a big firm. Among those who prefer to go smaller: eight…

Mar 26, 2008 4:01 PM CDT

Unusual Ohio Custody Case: Did Mom Fake Teen’s Illness?

Is Angie Cox a caring parent with an unhealthy teenager? Or is she an unusual mom who encourages doctors to diagnose nonexistent symptoms and illnesses in order to put herself in the spotlight as the parent of a seemingly ailing child? Those questions are front and center in an unusual…

Mar 25, 2008 9:52 AM CDT

Contempt Upheld for Ex-Lawyer Who Called Judge ‘Delusional’

Disbarred Ohio lawyer Elsebeth Baumgartner lost a 2006 suit accusing her of libel, and now she has lost the latest round in a battle over unsubstantiated allegations of persecution that she made against the judge hearing the case. Baumgartner was held in contempt and required to serve 120 days in…

Mar 19, 2008 4:20 PM CDT

5-Semester Option Saves Money, May Offer Jump on Jobs

A new option of graduating from the University of Dayton School of Law after five semesters instead of the traditional six has definite benefits. Although it requires students to work harder in order to finish six semesters of work in five (apparently supplemented by summer courses), the alternative offers tuition…

Feb 6, 2008 11:25 PM CST

Death of King of Torts Threatens Ohio Law Firm’s Lush Life

The untimely death of one of Cleveland’s best-known plaintiffs lawyers has sparked an ugly court spat that could require dissolution of his super-profitable firm and the sale of its private jets and arena football team. The widow of Michael Kelley, known locally as the King of Torts, has filed suit…

Feb 5, 2008 9:51 PM CST

Pregnant Lawyer ‘Resigns’ from Law Practice

The pregnant Toledo lawyer who pleaded guilty to faking her own kidnapping is admitting to misusing client funds and plans to give up her law license. Karyn McConnell Hancock, who is seven months pregnant and went missing for three days in December, pleaded guilty Tuesday in probate court to embezzling…

Jan 30, 2008 7:25 PM CST

Women Take Majority Status at Ohio Firm

After 40 years in business, a Toledo, Ohio, law firm is getting attention because a majority of its attorneys, including shareholders, are women. “It’s just something that happened naturally over time,” Cary Cooper, one of the founders of Cooper & Walinski, told the Toledo Blade. “Dick [Walinski] and I always…

Jan 30, 2008 6:13 PM CST

Pregnant Lawyer Pleads to Faking Abduction; May Face More Charges

A pregnant Ohio lawyer who claimed she was kidnapped pleaded guilty today to one count of making false alarms. Karyn McConnell Hancock, 35, was missing for three days in December. When she surfaced, she told authorities that a man abducted her outside the juvenile court in Toledo, Ohio, and drove…

Jan 29, 2008 8:29 PM CST

In 15 States, DNA Innocence Claims Die With Prisoner or When Inmate Released

Ohio remains one of 15 states in which the convicted lose their option for DNA testing once they get out of prison or die. In a lengthy feature about innocence claims, the Columbus Dispatch reports that state law requires a person to be alive and in person to qualify for…

Jan 29, 2008 5:45 PM CST

Man Who Stole Salvation Army Kettle Spends Night Homeless on Judge’s Orders

A man who stole a Salvation Army donation kettle containing $250 the week before Christmas was sentenced by a Cleveland-area judge to spend the night homeless. Last Thursday, Painesville Municipal Court Judge Michael A. Cicconetti called Nathen Smith’s crime “despicable” and ordered the 28-year-old to spend the next 24 hours…

Jan 28, 2008 5:51 PM CST

Lawyers Argue Over Right to Autopsy Organs

Lawyers for the parents of a man who died in a van accident argued yesterday they have a constitutional right to the return of his organs removed in an autopsy. Ohio Supreme Court justices were skeptical of arguments on both sides of the issue, the Associated Press reports. The suit…

Jan 24, 2008 3:00 PM CST

Local Officials Suggest New Ideas for Saving on Legal Fees

Local officials have advanced several cutting-edge concepts lately about how to save money on legal fees. However, the lawyers concerned may not be jumping for joy over the innovative ideas. In Milford, Ohio, a newly elected school board member suggested that the group could save money by eliminating their general…

Jan 10, 2008 12:05 AM CST