Ex-Michael Jackson Lawyer Disbarred for Commingling Funds to Evade Creditors

A former lawyer for Michael Jackson has lost his law license, in part because he commingled personal and private funds in an effort to evade creditors. The California Supreme Court recently denied an appeal of a state bar ruling against the lawyer, Brian Oxman, report the Associated Press and The…

Jul 9, 2012 2:22 PM CDT

Lawyer Recounts Travails of Representing Courtney Love in Lawsuit re Alleged $400K in Unpaid Fees

Apparently, singer Courtney Love may not have been the easiest celebrity client for a lawyer to represent. She refused to meet in person, wanted to communicate in late-night phone calls and sent hundreds of texts that were “difficult and time-consuming” to try to understand, contends attorney Keith Fink in a…

Jun 26, 2012 7:56 PM CDT

Federal Jury Sides with Kevin Costner in Stephen Baldwin’s $17M Suit Over Oil Spill Cleanup Machines

Kevin Costner. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com Stephen Baldwin. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com A federal jury in New Orleans sided with Kevin Costner in a lawsuit brought by fellow actor Stephen Baldwin over his investment in an oil spill cleanup machine venture that earned millions for the Field of Dreams, Bodyguard and Dances…

Jun 15, 2012 5:37 PM CDT

Singer Lauryn Hill Faces Tax Case re Allegedly Unfiled Federal Returns

Grammy-award winning singer Lauryn Hill faces a federal tax case. In a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., she is accused of failing to file returns with the Internal Revenue Service for 2005, 2006 and 2007 while earning millions in income, reports Bloomberg. The fact that…

Jun 7, 2012 4:12 PM CDT

Judge in Roger Clemens Trial Snaps at Defense Lawyer, Blasts His Intimidating Look

The judge overseeing the perjury trial of former pitcher Roger Clemens lost his patience with defense lawyer Rusty Hardin on Wednesday. The dustup occurred during arguments on a motion to limit the scope of testimony by Eileen McNamee, the estranged wife of Clemens’ former strength trainer, report USA Today, the…

Jun 7, 2012 11:33 AM CDT

Trial Looms in Legal Battle of Actors Kevin Costner and Stephen Baldwin re Oil Spill Cleanup Machine

Kevin Costner. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com Stephen Baldwin. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com An invention spearheaded by actor Kevin Costner, who invested millions of dollars of his own money, had something of a Hollywood ending when a major oil company purchased his oil cleanup machine in a $52 million deal after the Deepwater…

Jun 1, 2012 5:15 PM CDT

The Lawyers of Watergate: How a ‘3rd-Rate Burglary’ Provoked New Standards for Lawyer Ethics

On June 26, 1973, the growing Watergate scandal was already a year old, and John W. Dean III, President Richard M. Nixon’s former White House counsel, was in his second day of testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee when Herman Talmadge, a Democrat from Georgia, directed his attention to exhibit…

Jun 1, 2012 10:20 AM CDT

A Moment in History: Big Names Stage Retelling of Fight to Defeat Gay Marriage Ban

Jun 1, 2012 9:00 AM CDT

Talking 2012 & Beyond: Techshow Highlights Access to Justice, Ben Stein and Zombies

Jun 1, 2012 7:40 AM CDT

Lawyer Sues Gloria Allred, Claims She Stole Clients Who Accused John Travolta

A DUI and sexual harassment lawyer from Pasadena has filed a lawsuit against Gloria Allred claiming she stole two massage-therapist clients who accused John Travolta of groping and sexual harassment. Lawyer Okorie Chukwudimm Okorocha sued Allred in Los Angeles County superior court on Monday, CNN reports. He alleges intentional interference…

May 22, 2012 12:13 PM CDT

OJ Simpson Habeas Petition Blames Football Great’s Ex-Counsel for Armed Robbery Conviction

In a habeas corpus petition filed Tuesday, appellate counsel for O.J. Simpson says the NFL Hall of Famer was so poorly represented by defense counsel in his armed robbery case that he should get a new trial. However, the filing in Clark County District Court maintained Simpson’s factual defense, contending…

May 16, 2012 10:59 PM CDT

Two Jurors in Clemens Case Are Dismissed for Sleeping During Testimony

Last week, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton warned lawyers in Roger Clemens’ perjury trial that they were dragging out the case and boring the jurors. The trial is now in its fifth week, and two jurors are gone. They were dismissed after they were caught sleeping during the testimony, the…

May 16, 2012 12:03 PM CDT

Walter Gordon Dies at 103; A Mentor to Many, He Represented Billie Holiday and Ordinary Folks

When Walter L. Gordon Jr. hung out his shingle in 1937 in Los Angeles, there were, he once estimated, only about 29 other black lawyers in the state. Then, and for many years afterward, white law firms didn’t hire black attorneys, and there was even a “whites only” clause in…

Apr 30, 2012 6:58 PM CDT

Meet Judge Judy’s Longtime Bailiff, Byrd, the ‘Kato to her Green Hornet’

A bailiff on the hugely popular Judge Judy reality courtroom television show was actually, years ago, just like “Judge Judy” Scheindlin herself, the real thing. Both she and Petri Hawkins Byrd worked in Manhattan Family Court in New York when she was a supervising judge, reports the Los Angeles Times…

Apr 20, 2012 8:55 PM CDT

Lead Counsel in OJ Simpson Case Sues 3 Lawyers for Claimed Slander in Legal Fee Dispute

An out-of-state lawyer heading O.J. Simpson’s defense team in a 2008 armed robbery trial in Nevada that ended with the former football great’s conviction has fired back in a legal fee dispute with local counsel. Miami attorney Yale Galanter of sued three attorneys for slander in a suit filed Thursday…

Apr 20, 2012 3:50 PM CDT