States

New Law Firm to Focus on Discovery, Document Retention Issues

A new law firm with offices in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., will focus on issues related to electronic discovery, privacy and data retention. The seven lawyers at the new Redgrave firm have experience in major law firms and Fortune 100 companies, the Washington Post reports. One of the…

Sep 7, 2010 12:29 PM CDT

6-Month Suspension Urged for Lawyer Who Claimed to Channel Client’s Dead Wife

Corrected: A hearing officer in Arizona has recommended a six-month suspension for a lawyer accused of claiming that she was possessed by the spirit of a client’s dead wife, then lying about in an unrelated disciplinary matter. The lawyer, Charna Johnson, testified in the subsequent disciplinary hearing on the channeling…

Sep 7, 2010 12:08 PM CDT

NJ Judge Apologizes for Rant Against Pro Se Litigant

A New Jersey judge accused of launching into a tirade against a pro se litigant in court has apologized for his remarks, which he says may have been inartful but were well-intentioned. Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Max Baker, in his response to a disciplinary complaint against him, says he…

Sep 4, 2010 12:02 PM CDT

Defense Firm Says It Was Fired After Saying Client Board Must Be Told of $350K Pact

The head of Cozen O’Connor says the well-known law firm was fired after it insisted that the client’s board be told of a settlement concerning a sexual harassment claim made against its executive director by a female employee. The settlement resolved the third of four cases that could cost a…

Sep 3, 2010 7:44 PM CDT

Sometime Girlfriend Arrested on Suspicion of Murdering Attorney, After Eviction Filing

A woman who reportedly had an on-again, off-again relationship with a California attorney found dead in his home earlier this week has been arrested on suspicion of murdering him. Mark Hafen, 58, had filed an eviction case against Verginia Turner, 42, early this year when she refused to move out…

Sep 3, 2010 6:45 PM CDT

‘Burning Man Barrister’ Offers Free Legal Advice to Festival Revelers

In response to complaints about overzealous law enforcement agents at the annual Burning Man art and music festival in the Nevada dessert, a Palo Alto, Calif., attorney has formed Lawyers for Burners, a legal defense team to aid festival revelers in their brushes with the law. David Levin, aka the…

Sep 3, 2010 6:24 PM CDT

Littering Conviction Overturned for Man Who Supplied Water to Border Crossers

An Arizona man convicted of littering for leaving water in the desert for border-crossing illegal immigrants committed no crime, a federal appeals court has ruled. Daniel Millis, a member of the faith-based group No More Deaths, which provides humanitarian aid to illegal immigrants, was convicted of littering in a bench…

Sep 3, 2010 5:50 PM CDT

Optional Online Bookmaking Operation Still Illegal, WA Court Rules

Online bookmaking operations are illegal, even if they make it optional for losing betters to pay off wagers, the Washington Supreme Court has held. The court, in a unanimous ruling (PDF) Thursday, said Betcha.com, a Seattle-based online bookmaker, qualifies as an illegal bookie because it arranged bets and took a…

Sep 3, 2010 5:34 PM CDT

TV Legal Analyst Pleads Guilty in Drunk-Driving Case, Gets 2 Days in Jail

A Seattle lawyer who is known for her television legal analysis has pleaded guilty in a drunk-driving case and was sentenced to two days in jail. Anne Bremner, 52, had initially claimed the symptoms of a head injury she suffered in a hit-and-run accident that evening were mistaken for symptoms…

Sep 3, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

Pipe Fitter Who Claimed Coworkers Harassed Him Wins $4.2M Against Chrysler

A Jewish employee at an Illinois Chrysler assembly plant, who alleges he experienced religious and ethnic harassment at work, won a $4.2 million federal jury verdict this week. Otto May, who was born in Cuba, claimed that coworkers regularly commented about his birth country, damaged tires on his vehicle and…

Sep 3, 2010 4:05 PM CDT

Firm’s New ‘EZ Ticket’ Defense Site Aims to Help Drivers Keep Records Clean

A San Antonio personal injury lawyer is adding traffic ticket defense, via the Internet, to his practice. Wallace Brylak Jr. set up EZTicketHelp.com, to handle traffic citations given by the San Antonio Police Department. According to KENS5.com, a local television news website, one can visit EZTicketHelp.com, enter the ticket information,…

Sep 3, 2010 3:23 PM CDT

War Funk Band in Battle with Pepsi Over ‘Friends’ Song

Some members of the original soul-funk band War have sued PepsiCo. for using their 1975 hit song “Why Can’t We Be Friends” in a Pepsi Max commercial without their permission. The band members say Pepsi should have negotiated with them even if the company purchased rights to the song from…

Sep 3, 2010 12:41 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues for $700K After His Arrest for Failing to Show ID in Courthouse

A Maryland lawyer in a hurry to file some briefs decided to take a stand when an officer at the appeals court in Annapolis asked to see his ID. Norman Christopher Usiak refused, the Baltimore Sun reports. His resulting arrest spurred Usiak to file a $700,000 lawsuit claiming false arrest,…

Sep 3, 2010 12:23 PM CDT

Lawyer Censured for Punching Restaurant Patron in Music Dispute

A New York lawyer has been censured for punching a restaurant patron over noisy music. According to a New York appeals court, the dispute began when lawyer William Caits “was disturbed by noise emanating from a portable DVD player in a nearby booth” that was occupied by the patron and…

Sep 3, 2010 11:50 AM CDT

Lathrop & Gage to Merge with Denver Law Firm

Lathrop & Gage is merging with Denver law firm Kamlet Reichert, giving it 37 lawyers in the city. The merged firm, which will keep the Lathrop & Gage name, will be among Colorado’s largest 20 law firms, the Denver Post reports. Lathrop & Gage chief executive Joel Voran told the…

Sep 3, 2010 11:24 AM CDT