Pennsylvania

Law Firm Develops Intensive Leadership Training

An East Coast law firm with more than 160 lawyers has concluded that its future leaders need more training than the kind offered in management seminars or sink-or-swim opportunities. Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young has developed a two-year leadership program with the help of legal consulting firm Altman Weil, the…

Nov 16, 2007 1:56 PM CST

$1B Class Action Claims E-Filing Group Overcharged

A $1 billion class action lawsuit alleges a group of income-tax software companies charged excessive fees for e-filing. The companies named include H&R Block Inc. and Intuit Inc., the Legal Intelligencer reports. They participated in a group called Free File Alliance, which contracted with the Internal Revenue Service to file…

Nov 15, 2007 1:19 PM CST

Lifer Freed in Challenge to Tough Parole Changes

Inmates sentenced to life in prison are filing constitutional challenges to changes in parole procedures that subsequently made it tougher to win early release. In a Michigan case, a Detroit federal judge ruled that such changes violated the ex post facto clause that bars the government from increasing punishments retroactively,…

Nov 12, 2007 12:56 PM CST

Ralph Nader Takes on Big Pa. Law Firm

Ordered last year to pay $81,000 in court costs after a major Pittsburgh-based law firm successfully sued on behalf of a client to remove him from the 2004 presidential ballot, consumer activist Ralph Nader is fighting back. In a recent court filing, he contends that Reed Smith failed to disclose…

Nov 9, 2007 9:43 PM CST

Asbestos Doc, Now a Defendant, Is Missing

An asbestos doctor accused in a lawsuit of manufacturing asbestos claims is missing, according to the company that is suing him. The suit by CSX Transportation Corp. claims West Virginia radiologist Ray Harron helped manufacture asbestos claims for the railroad’s employees, the New York Times reports. The complaint alleges Harron…

Nov 7, 2007 3:11 PM CST

Eager Job Hoppers May Face Suit for Taking Clients, Co-Workers

Those who switch jobs are increasingly facing lawsuits for trying to poach co-workers or clients before moving to a new employer. And sometimes the plaintiff is a law firm. The suits typically allege breach of fiduciary duty and do not necessarily rely on noncompete agreements, the Wall Street Journal reports…

Nov 6, 2007 3:47 PM CST

Philly Bar Condemns Dismissal of Rape Charges in Prostitute Case

The chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association is condemning a judge’s decision to dismiss rape charges against a man accused of forcing a prostitute to have sex with him and three other men at gunpoint. The judge, Teresa Carr Deni, ruled on Oct. 4 that the appropriate charge is theft…

Oct 31, 2007 12:46 PM CDT

Marketers Sued for Mailings to Bump Seniors from No-Call List

Several states are suing insurance marketers over their attempts to bypass a ban on phone solicitation by mailings to seniors. The marketers are sending mail to seniors asking them to return a so called “lead card” requesting more information about estate planning or other topics, the Wall Street Journal reports…

Oct 26, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

Former AG Says DOJ Politicized Prosecution

After a relatively convivial two-day confirmation hearing last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee concerning President Bush’s nomination of Michael Mukasey to be the new U.S. attorney general, the gloves were off again today in a House Judiciary Committee hearing over alleged improper White House political influence in Department of…

Oct 23, 2007 11:05 PM CDT

Old Issues, New Policy for FBI

A controversial decision by the FBI to require supervisory personnel to rotate every five years comes in conjunction with an eye-popping series of recent cases alleging years-ago misconduct. Currently, a retired FBI supervisor is on trial in Brooklyn for allegedly helping a prized Mafia informant murder four people, as the…

Oct 22, 2007 7:21 PM CDT

PA High Court Race Hits Record $5 M

For the first time ever, candidates competing for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have collectively raised more than $5 million in campaign funds. By mid-September, eight candidates had together raised a total of just over $5 million, smashing a 12-year-old fundraising record, reports the Justice at Stake Campaign…

Oct 12, 2007 4:47 PM CDT

New Vows for Dozens in PA Marriage Mess

A first-of-a-kind case in Pennsylvania has called the validity of an untold number of marriages into question, prompting many committed couples to resolve the issue by simply re-taking their vows even though it hasn’t yet been upheld on appeal. Those who don’t redo their original ceremony face troubling questions about…

Oct 10, 2007 11:15 PM CDT

Ballard Spahr Stumbles in Race to Court

A Philadelphia judge has ruled that a law firm’s attempt to head off a gender discrimination complaint is premature. Judge Gary DiVito ruled Sept. 24 that Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll could not obtain declaratory relief “in anticipation of an action at law by another party,” the Legal Intelligencer reports.…

Oct 10, 2007 12:22 PM CDT

Lawyer’s RICO Suit for Fees Survives

A federal judge has refused to dismiss part of a lawyer’s RICO suit that contends lawyers for her ex-client helped hide money that should have paid his fees. Judge Gene E.K. Pratter of Philadelphia allowed Ellen Marshall to pursue a New Jersey RICO claim against the lawyers but dismissed a…

Oct 10, 2007 10:38 AM CDT

ABA Study Finds PA Death Penalty Flaws

A study released by an ABA group says Pennsylvania’s death penalty system fails to ensure basic fairness and could result in the execution of an innocent person. The report (PDF) calls on the state to preserve DNA evidence, videotape homicide interrogations, and use best practices for police lineups, the Philadelphia…

Oct 9, 2007 3:48 PM CDT