Paralegals

Paralegal Gets Probation in Manslaughter Resulting from Law Office Fray

A Florida paralegal who said he acted in self defense when he killed a man who had threatened his wife, who is an attorney, near her law office, was sentenced to 42 months of probation yesterday under a plea agreement. James Behanna, 40, of Tampa originally was sentenced to a…

Apr 9, 2010 7:44 PM CDT

As Attorney Went on Trust Account-Funded Spending Spree, Client Slept in Car, He Tells Judge

While she was still in practice, attorney Jessica Miller intended to repay the money she stole from clients, a prosecutor told a Florida judge at her sentencing hearing. But what he described as Miller’s plan to start an exotic animal sales business and borrow against her home to replace the…

Apr 6, 2010 11:52 PM CDT

Attorney Suspended for 6 Months Due to Paralegal’s Alleged Embezzlement of $80K

A New Hampshire attorney has had his license suspended for six months because his paralegal allegedly embezzled $80,000 from clients. Joseph Ritzo breached his duty to safeguard client settlement funds and to ensure that his paralegal was performing her job in compliance with the law, the state Professional Conduct Committee…

Mar 25, 2010 10:01 PM CDT

‘Crockefeller’ Lawyer Says He Was ‘Done In’ by Paralegal

A lawyer in the limelight for his defense of the accused kidnapper who called himself Clark Rockefeller is defending his law license before Massachusetts’ highest court. Boston criminal defense lawyer Stephen Hrones says he was unaware that his former paralegal was practicing law, the Boston Globe reports. He is appealing…

Mar 1, 2010 12:00 PM CST

As Paralegal Gets 46 Months in $1.7M Theft, 2 Law Firm Workers are Indicted in Unrelated Cases

Updated: As a paralegal was sentenced to a 46-month federal prison term this week for stealing $1.7 million from the Connecticut law firm for which she formerly worked, new indictments were also announced in unrelated cases against at least two employees of different law firms in other states. Patricia Baddeley…

Feb 12, 2010 4:52 PM CST

Superb Skills as Jailhouse Lawyer Put Ex-Inmate in Position to Help Top Attorneys

Shon Hopwood was caught and convicted for robbing five banks but later proved to be an amazingly good jailhouse lawyer after hitting the books in the prison library. A 2002 petition for certiorari that he prepared for a fellow inmate, John Fellers, working on a prison typewriter, “was probably one…

Feb 8, 2010 5:59 PM CST

Howrey Lays Off 29 Associates and 65 Staffers

Updated: Howrey has confirmed layoffs of 94 people, including both associates and staffers. Above the Law was the first to report that about 100 people were let go. Fewer associates lost their jobs than administrative staffers and paralegals, the blog said. The law firm later detailed the exact numbers, telling…

Feb 3, 2010 1:47 PM CST

Seyfarth Axes About 40 Attorneys and Staff in Latest Round of Layoffs

In a new cost-cutting move, Seyfarth Shaw announced in an internal memo yesterday that the law firm is laying off approximately 20 attorneys and 20 staff members nationwide. Describing 2009 as “one of the most challenging years in generations for our clients, our peers in the legal profession and for…

Jan 15, 2010 8:10 PM CST

E-Degree

Group seeks standards for discovery workers

Jan 2, 2010 1:39 AM CST

Smaller Law Firms Struggle with Morale Issues in Bonus Decisions

The gossip mill at smaller law firms can lead to morale issues at bonus time. The Connecticut Law Tribune notes the problem. “With just a handful of employees, it’s hard to keep individual bonus totals a secret,” the story says. “That can leave a subset of employees who might be…

Dec 2, 2009 2:44 PM CST

Like a Dress Code, Social Media Policy Can Prevent Excess Exposure

When potential clients Google your law firm, do you want a paralegal’s MySpace page featuring “unprofessional interests and photos” to be the first hit they get? Obviously, the answer to this question is no. But that’s exactly what happened when attorney Greg Ripple looked up a law firm he didn’t…

Nov 24, 2009 6:01 PM CST

Day Pitney Axes 29 Staff in 3rd Round of Announced Layoffs This Year

Day Pitney let 29 staff members go last week, in the law firm’s third round of layoffs this year. The 400-attorney Hartford, Conn.-based Northeast regional law firm also laid off 20 lawyers in May and 66 staff members in February, reports the Connecticut Law Tribune. James Sicilian, the firm’s co-managing…

Nov 9, 2009 6:45 PM CST

Ex-Client on Trial over Alleged Hit on Matrimonial Lawyer; Paralegal Testifies

Unhappy about the result of a motion filed by his matrimonial lawyer in a child custody dispute, a New Jersey accountant allegedly took extreme action. Nicholas Lucarella, now 57, is accused of hiring another state resident to kill his attorney, Peter Paras. But Paras survived an attack by Vancleve ‘Q’…

Oct 27, 2009 8:33 PM CDT

Philly IP Law Firm Offers Reward for Information on Paralegal’s Death

Corrected: An intellectual property law firm in Philadelphia is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the bicyclist who struck and killed a paralegal. Andre Steed, 39, died Saturday, more than a week after he was found on a street bleeding from severe head…

Oct 27, 2009 5:29 PM CDT

Ex-Thelen Employees Try Novel Theory in Suit Against Hiring Firms

Former Thelen employees are relying on a novel legal theory in their $18 million lawsuit against five law firms that hired some lawyers from the dissolved law firm. The plaintiffs claim the hiring law firms purchased a portion of Thelen’s business, and are obligated to pay wages due under the…

Oct 27, 2009 12:05 PM CDT