States

Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell Is Born

The deal has been formally approved: Texas-based Locke Liddell & Sapp will merge with Lord, Bissell & Brook, a firm with headquarters in Chicago. The new 700-lawyer firm will be called Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell, Texas Lawyer reports. It will have 11 offices and gross revenues of about $400…

Sep 13, 2007 12:17 PM CDT

Judge Challenges Age Limit

A 72-year-old Chicago judge has filed a lawsuit seeking to strike down an age limit for judges seeking re-election. Judge William Maddux, chief judge of the law division for Cook County, is challenging a state law that bars judges from running for re-election after they reach the age of 75,…

Sep 13, 2007 11:35 AM CDT

ABA Accreditation Issue for Ave Maria

Updated: An effort to establish a new law school with a religious mission has been threatened by real estate issues and a faculty revolt. However, the dean of Ave Maria School of Law says faculty concerns are overblown, and he is confident that the Catholic institution will soon be doing…

Sep 12, 2007 11:57 PM CDT

Rutgers Player Drops Imus Slander Suit

A Rutgers University basketball player who was targeted, along with teammates, in racist on-air comments by Don Imus has dropped her defamation suit against the shock jock and CBS Radio. As detailed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, Kia Vaughn claimed libel per se, which eliminates requirements that would otherwise apply…

Sep 12, 2007 11:34 PM CDT

No Abortion Warning By NJ Doc Required

A physician has no duty to warn a woman before an abortion that she is about to terminate a human life, the New Jersey Supreme Court held today. Ruling in the case of a married woman who decided with her husband to abort their baby and then regretted the decision,…

Sep 12, 2007 10:33 PM CDT

Lender Battles Could Cost Homeowners

As if struggling homeowners didn’t already have enough to worry about, insolvent lenders could saddle some with unexpected bills. In a bankruptcy court battle in Delaware between American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. and Freddie Mac, for instance, the U.S.-chartered housing financier says it has seized some $7 million in mortgage…

Sep 12, 2007 10:12 PM CDT

‘Justice’, Law Firm Mule Mascot, Stolen

A distinctive life-size mule mascot that has distinguished a Scranton, Pa., law firm for the past four years has been stolen from its front porch. Police are still looking for “Justice,” as the fiberglass mule is known, and the lawyers at Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski feel a bit lost without…

Sep 12, 2007 7:48 PM CDT

Liberal UC Irvine Dean Hired, Then Fired

Updated: Erwin Chemerinsky, a renowned constitutional law scholar at Duke University, reportedly agreed to be dean of the new University of California law school slated to open at Irvine next year—but was then fired a week later due to his controversial political views. So says a University of Texas law…

Sep 12, 2007 6:57 PM CDT

Lawyer O’Quinn Ordered to Pay $41.4 M

Houston lawyer John O’Quinn owes $41.4 million because he overcharged former breast implant clients, an arbitration panel ruled yesterday. The amount owed climbed from the $35.7 million sum O’Quinn was ordered to pay in July after interest and attorney fees were added, the Houston Chronicle reports. The suit had claimed…

Sep 12, 2007 6:40 PM CDT

EMC Accused of Bias Against Female Reps

EMC Corp. has become a market leader in sales of data-storage systems with the help of hard-driving salespeople. But some women say the male-dominated sales environment was less than hospitable, and even discriminatory. Former saleswomen have filed at least six sex discrimination suits since 2003 against the company alleging unequal…

Sep 12, 2007 2:53 PM CDT

PA Chief Justice Resigns

The chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, who withstood voter anger over his support for a judicial pay raise, has announced he will resign by the end of the year. The announcement by Chief Justice Ralph Cappy surprised colleagues, who said he appeared to love his job but is…

Sep 12, 2007 1:50 PM CDT

Judge in Trouble Over BS Comment

A New Jersey municipal court judge contends he shouldn’t be disciplined for telling a landlord his excuse for failing to show up in court was “a lot of bullshit.” Judge Frank Leanza of Guttenberg, N.J., said he had learned his lesson during a hearing on Thursday before the Advisory Committee…

Sep 12, 2007 1:34 PM CDT

Suit to Seek Pay Hikes for NY Judges

Members of four judges’ associations will file suit today in an effort to force New York lawmakers to give the judiciary a raise. The suit will seek pay hikes retroactive to 2000 and annual cost-of-living raises in the future, the New York Law Journal reports. The complaint was mainly drafted…

Sep 12, 2007 11:57 AM CDT

Lawyer Sues Over Partner’s Alleged Groping

A former nonequity partner at a Washington, D.C., law firm is suing for sexual harassment stemming from an incident at a party. Elisa Eisenberg claims Robert Rider Jr., also a nonequity partner, became intoxicated and groped her at a June 2006 party, Legal Times reports. Her suit says her law…

Sep 12, 2007 11:33 AM CDT

Judge’s Death Leads to Courthouse Mold Fears

A mold problem in a Miami federal courthouse has spurred studies and warnings from the chief judge, who told clerks they should use masks and gloves when handling documents that may be coated with the stuff. Concerns increased after Magistrate Judge Ted Klein died of a respiratory illness last year…

Sep 12, 2007 11:16 AM CDT