ABA Journal

  1. Home
  2. Topics
  3. States

States

30037 ABA Journal States articles.

Officer Who Took Lawyer’s Paperwork Reports to Jail

A Phoenix-area courtroom officer who inexplicably took paperwork from a defense lawyer’s files mid-hearing in October has reported to jail rather than apologize. Adam Stoddard self-surrendered at 6 p.m. Tuesday to the Maricopa County jail, reports ABC 15. Stoddard was found in contempt of court for his actions on Oct.…

Dec 2, 2009 6:46 PM CST

A Second Late Appeal Puts Death-Penalty Lawyer on the Hot Seat

The chief judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals faced mounting criticism and ethics charges over her refusal to accept a late emergency death-penalty appeal two years ago. Now the lawyer who wanted to keep the courthouse open to file the documents is facing scrutiny for a second late…

Dec 2, 2009 6:01 PM CST

How Many Postal Workers Does It Take ...

If this sounds like the start of a bad joke, please forgive Philadelphia writer Leigh Deveres for filling in the punch line.

Dec 2, 2009 4:29 AM CST

Lawyer With ‘Couch of Restitution’ Disciplined in Michigan

Disciplinary authorities have sanctioned a Michigan attorney by suspending his license to practice for 180 days after a string of sensational allegations, including that he offered clients a “couch of restitution” to pay off their legal fees. An opinion released Nov. 23 by Michigan’s Attorney Discipline Board (PDF), upholds a…

Dec 1, 2009 10:15 PM CST

Fed Up Court Admin Warns Sparring Lawyers She’ll Hit Her ‘Panic Button’

A court administrator in western Washington is so fed up with the tenor of the verbal sparring between lawyers that she’s threatening to call police next time it happens in her presence. Lewis County Superior Court Administrator Susie Parker sent an e-mail to local attorneys telling them she would contact…

Dec 1, 2009 7:29 PM CST

Lawyer Ponies Up Charity Money In Lieu Of Contempt Finding for Using Profanity in Court

A Texas defense lawyer who in September was slapped with a contempt of court order with the threat of jail time because he used profanity in court, has struck a deal with the judge. Instead of a contempt finding, $1,250 fine and 10 days in jail, Austin lawyer Edmund “Skip”…

Dec 1, 2009 6:54 PM CST

Kansas Ethics Opinion Requires Disclosure on Ghostwritten Pleadings

Lawyers who ghostwrite court documents for clients seeking to hold down legal costs will have to disclose their role in the drafting, according to a Kansas legal ethics opinion. The economic downturn is spurring more penny-pinching clients to ask lawyers to handle only parts of their representation—part of the trend…

Dec 1, 2009 6:53 PM CST

Deputy Who Took Lawyer’s Paperwork Ordered to Jail

A deputy sheriff’s officer in Maricopa County must report to jail today or a bench warrant will be issued for his arrest. Maricopa County Superior Court spokeswoman Karen Arra told ABC 15 that Adam Stoddard must report to the jail in downtown Phoenix. Stoddard had been ordered to hold a…

Dec 1, 2009 5:30 PM CST

Lawyer Scott Rothstein Arrested in Suspected $1B Ponzi Scheme

High-flying South Florida lawyer Scott Rothstein has been arrested on racketeering charges in a suspected $1 billion Ponzi Scheme. FBI agents arrested Rothstein this morning, the Miami Herald reports. A spokeswoman for the Miami U.S. Attorney’s office confirmed the RICO charge and said Rothstein is also charged with mail fraud,…

Dec 1, 2009 2:45 PM CST

Harvard Law Students Clamor for Aid and Public Interest Jobs, Forcing Changes

Updated: Harvard Law School has reinstated free coffee and announced stipends of $35,000 to 12 graduates working in public interest law. But in a year of tight budgets, something had to give. Now on the chopping block: a pilot program announced last year that waived third-year tuition for students who…

Dec 1, 2009 1:11 PM CST

Courthouse Abuzz Over DA’s Blanket Boycott of Longtime Judge

Since being appointed to the state-court bench in 1995, a Southern California judge has presided over numerous high-profile cases and served in a series of leading administrative roles. But San Diego Superior Court Judge John Einhorn isn’t as busy as he was on the criminal side, thanks to a blanket…

Nov 30, 2009 9:12 PM CST

Not Sending Clients Copy of Retainer a Costly Mistake for Law Firm

Delay in providing clients with a full copy of the applicable retainer agreement for their matter has cost a New Jersey law firm a six-figure sum. Reversing an earlier award of $163,000 to Alpert Butler & Weiss for unpaid legal fees and the cost of pursuing their collection action, a…

Nov 30, 2009 7:54 PM CST

Clean & Sober for 6 Years, Lawyer Starts New Solo Practice

Although he pleaded guilty in 1992 to misdemeanor cocaine use two years earlier, Terry Nolan didn’t realize he had a substance abuse problem. He stopped drinking, for good, in 1998, the Michigan defense attorney tells the Muskegon Chronicle. But, fueled with the funds brought in by his successful law practice,…

Nov 30, 2009 7:16 PM CST

Cops Arrest Record Exec, Claim He Refused to Send Crowd-Control Tweet

Authorities arrested a record company executive earlier this month for allegedly refusing to send out a Twitter message to help restore order among an unruly throng of some 3,000 people waiting to see 15-year-old pop singer Justin Bieber at a New York City area shopping mall. James Roppo, 44, who…

Nov 30, 2009 6:17 PM CST

BigLaw Partner Promotions Plummet, Even at Highly Profitable Wachtell

Last year, Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz promoted six attorneys to partner. This year, despite being the most profitable firm in the country, it named only two new partners this month. And it’s far from alone in reducing its ownership ranks. Many BigLaw firms are promoting fewer associates to partner…

Nov 30, 2009 4:28 PM CST

Read more ...

Topics: Career & Practice

Judge's tactics of 'overzealous collection' lead to unpaid suspension

Complete list of topics ...

Your Voice

Lawyers must lead in efforts to preserve accessible, equitable and transparent rule-of-law system

Articles and commentary ...

Podcasts

The Supreme Court is a liberal body—when it comes to legal writing

More podcasts ...
Copyright 2024 American Bar Association. All rights reserved.