Texas

Each Violation of New Barratry Law Could Cost Texas Lawyers a $10K Fine, Plus Attorney’s Fees

Ambulance-chasing lawyers can be forced to pay a $10,000 penalty to each client they sign up in violation of the rules on attorney solicitation, under a new anti-barratry law that goes into effect in Texas on Sept. 1. It also allows such clients to sue for rescission of the representation…

Jul 7, 2011 5:48 PM CDT

Judge Rejects Willie Nelson Plea Deal That Included $500 Fine, Says Singer Got Favorable Treatment

A judge in West Texas has rejected a plea deal in which country singer Willie Nelson would have been fined $500 in exchange for his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Instead, Hudspeth County Judge Becky Dean-Walker told the Associated Press, Nelson should be charged…

Jul 6, 2011 8:19 PM CDT

Donations Help Offset $40K in Court Costs Faced by Ex-Cheerleader’s Family

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by a Texas cheerleader kicked off the squad because she wouldn’t cheer for an athlete she had accused of rape. But her cause is gaining momentum in social media circles as an online campaign via Facebook and Twitter has raised more…

Jul 5, 2011 5:59 PM CDT

Arbitrator’s $22M Award Tossed Because of Social Contacts with Fish & Richardson Partner

A Texas appeals court has overturned an arbitrator’s $22 million award because of his social contacts with the Fish & Richardson lawyer whose client won the case. The court said JAMS arbitrator Robert Faulkner, a former federal magistrate judge, should have disclosed the relationship with the lawyer, Brett Johnson, report…

Jun 30, 2011 1:25 PM CDT

High Court Asked to Stay Execution of Mexican National

Lawyers for a Mexican national on Texas’ death row petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court today for a stay of the inmate’s scheduled July 7 execution. The petition (PDF) has the backing of the Mexican government, which is expected to file an amicus brief in the case later today calling on…

Jun 28, 2011 5:52 PM CDT

Texas Lawyer Slays 14-Foot Gator Weighing Nearly 900 Pounds

A Texas litigator has a new nickname after a recent hunting trip. Levi G. McCathern bagged a 14-foot, nearly 900-pound alligator with a single shot, one of the largest ever captured in the state, WBBH reports. So now folks are saying the G. stands for Gator, he tells the station,…

Jun 23, 2011 7:03 PM CDT

Stanford Law Grad Is Federally Indicted, Allegedly Paid Texas Judge $11K in Bribes

A graduate of Stanford Law School has been federally indicted for allegedly bribing a former Texas district court judge. Attorney Ray Marchan, 54, is accused of paying more than $11,000 in bribes in 2008 to the now-former judge, Abel Limas, of the 404th judicial district, according to Associated Press and…

Jun 22, 2011 8:44 PM CDT

Fast-Growing Burleson Doubles San Antonio Attorney Roster, After Recent Hires Elsewhere

A fast-growing energy boutique has just doubled the size of its San Antonio, Texas, office, by bringing in eight more attorneys there. In addition to the new San Antonio lawyers announced by Burleson in a press release today, the firm also recently added to its attorney roster in Houston and…

Jun 15, 2011 11:34 PM CDT

Thousands Who Lost Money on CDs from Stanford’s Offshore Bank Are Likely to Be Repaid by SIPC

Investors who purchased worthless certificates of deposit from a brokerage unit of alleged Ponzi schemer R. Allen Stanford’s offshore bank are likely to have at least some of their losses covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. Although the SIPC earlier denied such claims, contending that the CDs are still…

Jun 15, 2011 9:58 PM CDT

Lawyer in High-Profile Criminal Case Accused of Drawing Gun on Off-Duty Cop

Friends and colleagues of a Texas criminal defense lawyer are expressing surprise at accusations that he pulled a gun on an off-duty police officer. Lawyer John Young of Sweetwater was arrested early Monday morning and charged with aggravated assault, the Abilene Reporter News reports. He is currently in the news…

Jun 15, 2011 4:28 PM CDT

Suit Seeks Return of Legal Fees in Win Allegedly Obtained Through Judicial Bribery

Family members of an emergency medical technician who died in a Texas helicopter crash allege in a lawsuit that they are entitled to a refund of $5.2 million in legal fees because they obtained favorable rulings in the wrongful death suit through their lawyers’ payment of bribes. The suit was…

Jun 14, 2011 6:59 PM CDT

Bar Owner Admittedly Feeds Feral Cats, Says Higher Authority Trumps City Ordinance: Jesus

In an effort to deal with an estimated population of 80,000 feral cats, Houston has enacted an ordinance making it illegal to feed them. Although a “registered colony manager” program offers a safe harbor for doing so, some don’t see the need to comply with the city’s rules, reports the…

Jun 10, 2011 12:24 PM CDT

Blank Rome Adds 9 Lawyers in Houston via Merger with Abrams Scott Litigation Boutique

Blank Rome will be expanding the attorney roster in its Houston office nearly tenfold on June 30, when it is to merge a nine-lawyer litigation boutique there. Barry Abrams of Abrams Scott & Bickley is to serve as managing partner of the Houston office after the acquisition, Texas Lawyer reports…

Jun 9, 2011 8:31 PM CDT

Former Clark Thomas & Winters Partner Convicted in Bill-Padding Case, Gets 500 Days, Must Pay $222K

A former partner of Clark Thomas & Winters was convicted yesterday by a Texas jury in a case that revolved around the alleged padding of legal bills to obtain money to make secret payments to relatives of board members of a client utility company. Convicted of theft, money laundering and…

Jun 1, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

Ex-Dean Who Led Baylor Law School for 19 Years Dies in Car Crash

A former dean of Baylor Law School died on Sunday in a car crash. Angus McSwain, 87, died when he lost control of his car and it crashed into a house in Waco, Texas, KWTX.com reports. Paramedics said he may have suffered a medical problem before the accident, the story…

May 31, 2011 1:41 PM CDT