States

Opinion Opens Door to MDP

A New Jersey ethics opinion gives a boost to law firms that invest in outside businesses. The private opinion, made public in the July 2 edition of New Jersey Lawyer, according to the New Jersey Law Journal, says lawyers may refer clients to investment companies in which they have an…

Jul 9, 2007 2:14 PM CDT

Owners Blame Cities for Bad Homes

As builders throughout the country rushed to profit in the recent construction boom, a number of homes and developments went up that were badly built or otherwise created problems. But in the resulting blame game, many homeowners are now saying municipalities large and small gave builders free rein instead of…

Jul 7, 2007 12:39 AM CDT

CA Attys Sue Over $100 K Average Pay

Contending that lawyers employed by the state of California make significantly less than those working in federal and local government jobs, a union representing 3,500 attorneys and hearing officers has sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The June 29 action seeks the appointment of a special master by a Sacramento County Superior…

Jul 6, 2007 10:49 PM CDT

$160,000 to Start in NYC—and Seattle

An intellectual property boutique has raised its starting pay in Seattle to $160,000, matching the salary its first-years earn in New York City. The move by Darby & Darby is the latest in a series of such salary increases by West Coast law offices, according to the National Law Journal…

Jul 6, 2007 10:13 PM CDT

Young Trial Atty Wins Big Katrina Case

A renowned trial lawyer on the Mississippi gulf coast who had a big influence in the life of novelist John Grisham, attorney Will Denton made a name for himself as a plaintiff lawyer after Hurricane Camille hit the state in 1969. He didn’t live to see the devastation wrought on…

Jul 6, 2007 9:41 PM CDT

City Didn’t Discriminate re Bipolar Atty

A former city attorney in Lake Geneva, Wis., says he won’t appeal a state administrative law judge ruling that he wasn’t discriminated against due to his bipolar disorder. Michael Rielly had contended the city didn’t reasonably accommodate his disability last summer when it fired him from his elected position several…

Jul 6, 2007 9:19 PM CDT

Immigrants Face County Crackdown

Illegal immigrants wouldn’t be able to go to public schools, get free medical care or check out library books if Virginia’s second-largest county approves an anti-immigrant measure that is among the toughest in the nation. Prince William County is likely to approve the resolution on Tuesday, although it could be…

Jul 6, 2007 9:03 PM CDT

Girl, 11, in DUI Case, Clocks 100 in Chase

An 11-year-old Florida girl has been charged with drunken driving after a high-speed chase in Alabama in which she clocked more than 100 mph before sideswiping another vehicle and crashing her family’s car. The girl, whose name wasn’t released because she is a juvenile, also faces charges of speeding, leaving…

Jul 6, 2007 8:45 PM CDT

Armed Attorney Forced Off Murder Case

A Florida attorney who allegedly carried a loaded gun into a Broward County courthouse in his briefcase has been removed as defense counsel in a murder case and charged with carrying a concealed firearm. Stephen Finta, 59, told the judge in the case that he was carrying the .357 Ruger…

Jul 6, 2007 8:15 PM CDT

Musical Chairs in El Paso as Firm Folds

One of the largest law firms in El Paso is dissolving, as roughly a third of its lawyers merge with an Austin, Texas, law firm and other attorneys go elsewhere. Delgado, Acosta, Braden and Jones is breaking up, as partners Alejandro Acosta Jr., Hector Delgado and John Jones, along with…

Jul 6, 2007 6:48 PM CDT

Dry Cleaners Seeks Fees

Owners of a dry cleaners that successfully defended a $54 million lost-pants lawsuit claim the plaintiff was out to destroy their lives and should pay their legal fees. The cleaners seeks nearly $83,000 in fees in a motion filed yesterday. It alleges that plaintiff Roy Pearson submitted “outrageous demands for…

Jul 6, 2007 6:04 PM CDT

Children Kidnap Tot, Mom Foils Plot

Two girls, age 10 and 12, are being held by Enid, Okla., authorities for allegedly breaking into a neighboring home as Sheila Wells slept, kidnapping her 1-year-old son, Brandon, at 5:30 a.m. yesterday and holding him for ransom. The two girls, whose names were not revealed because they are juveniles,…

Jul 6, 2007 5:11 PM CDT

First S.D. Execution in 60 Years Set

An inmate who has asked to die is set to become the first person to be executed in South Dakota in 60 years. Elijah Page, 25, received the death sentence for murdering a robbery victim with two accomplices in March 2000, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors claimed the two men…

Jul 6, 2007 3:41 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused in Escape Plot

A Georgia lawyer is accused of giving a 14-inch pruning saw blade to a jailed client. The indictment charges William Keenan with furnishing a dangerous weapon to an inmate and conspiracy to commit escape, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. The client, Dareon Varner, was later convicted of armed…

Jul 6, 2007 2:40 PM CDT

Older Partner Gets Trial on Pay

A New York appeals court is permitting a trial on whether a lawyer’s partnership agreement with Winston & Strawn entitled him to be paid the same amount after he reached retirement age. The New York Appellate Division, First Department, ruled that the compensation agreement for rainmaking partner Anthony LoFrisco was…

Jul 6, 2007 12:50 PM CDT