See the Viral Bar Mitzvah Video in Which a Future Chicago Attorney Dances to Madonna’s Vogue

Nobody knew Shaun D. Sperling was a lawyer when his 20-year-old bar mitzvah video went almost instantly viral on YouTube, with help from Perez Hilton. Family and friends cheer and whistle as the then-13-year-old doffs his suit jacket, revealing a white shirt with an image of Madonna’s face on the…

Oct 18, 2012 4:04 PM CDT

Courtney Love’s Ex-Counsel Loses Round in Libel Suit re Singer’s Tweet, Can’t Depose Love’s Daughter

In what amounts to a victory for attorney Rhonda J. Holmes’ former client, Courtney Love, the attorney has been denied permission by a California judge to depose the adult daughter of the grunge singer and actress in a defamation lawsuit. After filing suit over a comment Love allegedly made in…

Oct 5, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Amazon Takes Tell-All e-Book About Kate Gosselin Off the Market After Lawyers Claim Copyright Issues

A tell-all e-book about reality television star Kate Gosselin has been removed from sale by Amazon after only a couple of days on the market. The action followed a letter from entertainment law firm Lavely & Singer which asserted copyright infringement, reports the Daily Mail. Williams & Connolly also sent…

Oct 1, 2012 6:36 PM CDT

Depo Diaries: How Lil Wayne Introduced Litigator Pete Ross to Rap World

In what TMZ dubbed possibly “the most entertaining legal proceeding” ever, the rap world was introduced to lawyer Pete Ross, whose current claim to fame is being the calm off-camera voice in a deposition of Lil Wayne. Videos from the June deposition were posted by the celebrity news site this…

Sep 27, 2012 2:06 PM CDT

Driver Cleared in Accident That Killed Alan Dershowitz’s Sister-In-Law

A postal truck driver has been acquitted on charges of leaving the scene of an accident that killed the sister-in-law of Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. Ian Clement, 63, was found not guilty by a jury Thursday after less than a day of deliberations, the New York Daily News reports.…

Sep 21, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

The Legal Saga of WC Fields and His Dead Canary

The charge was bird torture, the lawyer was F.C. Bellinger of Coudert Brothers, and the client was W.C. Fields. The comedian was accused when a bird he used in a dentist skit on Broadway 84 years ago met an untimely demise, the New York Times City Room blog reports. Fields…

Sep 12, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

After Going from BigLaw to ABC News, Author of ‘Exit Interview’ Witnessed Seismic Changes

Sep 10, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

Clint Eastwood Declares in RNC Speech that Lawyers Are Too Busy to Be President

Clint Eastwood offered some reasons why lawyers shouldn’t be president in a speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night. In the “bizarre, rambling” speech, Eastwood talked to an imaginary President Barack Obama, the Associated Press reports. Politico has a transcript and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog highlights…

Aug 31, 2012 2:51 PM CDT

Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio Must Stand Trial Over False Arrest Allegations, Appeals Court Says

Controversial Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joseph Arpaio must stand trial on allegations that he had two alternative newspaper executives jailed in retaliation for articles criticizing his activities, a federal appeals court has held. An en banc panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) Wednesday…

Aug 30, 2012 6:45 PM CDT

Appeals Court Refuses to Vacate Guilty Plea in Judicial Corruption Case

A federal appeals court has refused to vacate the 2008 guilty plea of David Zachary Scruggs, son of disgraced former plaintiffs lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, who was implicated in a judicial corruption scheme that sent his father to prison. The younger Scruggs, a law partner at his father’s former firm,…

Aug 17, 2012 6:05 PM CDT

Widow, Girlfriend Square Off in Legal Battle Over Estate of Late Artist Thomas Kinkade

The widow and the girlfriend of the late artist Thomas Kinkade will square off in court next week in a nasty probate battle over who should administer his multimillion-dollar estate. Nanette Kinkade, his estranged wife, and Amy Pinto-Walsh, his live-in girlfriend, are locked in a dispute over the disposition of…

Aug 16, 2012 9:52 PM CDT

Pop Star Noelia’s Secret Wedding Photos Were Private, Federal Appeals Court Rules

In a case that the court said “reads like a telenovela, a Spanish soap opera,” a divided 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a Spanish-language celebrity gossip magazine violated the rights of a well-known couple when it published private wedding photographs apparently stolen by the couple’s driver.…

Aug 15, 2012 11:13 AM CDT

Judge Judy Rules as TV’s Highest-Paid On-Camera Personality, TV Guide Survey Says

Some celebrities may make more per hour of actual work, or bring in bigger bucks when all of their income from various sources is added together. But the top annual total for on-camera television work is the $45 million or so brought in by Judge Judy Scheindlin, according to a…

Aug 8, 2012 10:45 PM CDT

8th Circuit Revives Suit Over Elvis Memorabilia

A federal appeals court has ruled that the heirs to a longtime friend of Elvis Presley can proceed with a lawsuit over a clump of the King’s hair and other memorabilia they claim were stolen and sold at auction. At stake is $250,000 in proceeds from the sale of a…

Aug 2, 2012 8:39 PM CDT

Suit Claims Lady Gaga Reps Delayed Release of Bratz Lookalike, Sought ‘Supermodel-Like’ Tweaks

A toy maker has sued Lady Gaga and her merchandising and management companies for $10 million in a dispute over the release date of a Bratz Doll that looks like the singer. The suit by MGA Entertainment Inc. claims the star wanted to delay release of the doll until her…

Jul 26, 2012 12:44 PM CDT