Supreme Court Decisions Boiled Down to 17 Syllables

If you’re looking for a succinct summary of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, a couple blogs might be able to help. Something of a haiku trend is hitting law blogs. The Employer Handbook blog has haiku descriptions of the term’s top employment decisions. Bracewell & Giuliani’s bankruptcy blog, Basis Points,…

Jul 11, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Anti-Government Activist Arrested After Trying to Force US into Bankruptcy

An anti-government activist who became involved in the bankruptcy of the Giordano’s pizza chain has been charged in a separate case. Marshall Home was arrested after filing court papers seeking to force the U.S. government into bankruptcy, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Bankruptcy Beat blog and Tucson Weekly. He…

Jul 6, 2011 3:16 PM CDT

Half Off: Nevada Lawyer Bets on Discount Model

Jul 1, 2011 6:59 AM CDT

Fastest-Growing Practice Areas? Health Care, Energy, Financial Services, Report Says

Seven different practice areas are showing growth in fees, billable hours, recruiting and hiring, according to the Robert Denney Associates Inc. consultancy. The Wayne, Pa., firm’s semiannual “What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession” report released this month identified these seven hot practice areas: health care; energy; financial…

Jun 27, 2011 6:30 PM CDT

Dodgers File for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

The Los Angeles Dodgers have filed for bankruptcy following a battle for ownership rights in the divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt. The Dodgers sought protection under Chapter 11, which will allow the team to continue operations during the reorganization, CNNMoney reports. The Delaware filing says the team has between…

Jun 27, 2011 1:57 PM CDT

UK Socialite Who Won $1 Billion Divorce Settlement Files for Bankruptcy

Once dubbed the wealthiest divorcée in history, Patricia Kluge, a British socialite, vintner and former adult-film actress, filed for bankruptcy with her third husband. Although Kluge received the 23,500-square-foot Albermarle House and 3,000 acres of rural Virginia land when she divorced billionaire media mogul John W. Kluge in 1990, the…

Jun 24, 2011 6:18 PM CDT

Chief Justice Quotes Dickens in Ruling Against Anna Nicole Smith Heirs

The heirs of Anna Nicole Smith won’t be able to collect on a tort judgment won against the son of her late billionaire husband because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the authority of bankruptcy judges. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Smith’s estate in a 5-4 decision (PDF)…

Jun 23, 2011 4:18 PM CDT

Attorney’s Failed Dream of Revitalizing Pacific Law Center Leaves Angry Clients, Unresolved Cases

Laura Perry says she paid $2,000 to the Pacific Law Center to handle a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for her. But the law firm, which at the time was reportedly operated by Kerry Steigerwalt, never made the filing, she contends. And, when it last offered her a refund, the 73-year-old tells…

Jun 22, 2011 6:59 PM CDT

Federal Judge’s Unusual Order Puts Well-Known Bankruptcy Law Firm Under Fla. Bar Scrutiny

Briefly banned from practicing bankruptcy law in the Middle District of Florida, after one of its lawyers aggravated a federal judge, an Orlando law firm is now back in the bankruptcy ball game but facing a state bar inquiry. Kaufman, Englett & Lynd, a prominent bankruptcy firm which is also…

Jun 16, 2011 10:15 PM CDT

Bankruptcy of Giordano’s Pizza Chain Complicated by Owner’s Sovereign Citizen Lingo

The owner of the Chicago-based Giordano’s pizza chain has been banned from the premises after getting involved with a figure thought to be associated with the sovereign citizen movement. John Apostolou started as a cook at Giordano’s, got promoted into management and bought the business in 1988, the Chicago Tribune…

Jun 15, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Bankruptcy Court Says Same-Sex Married Couple Can File Jointly Despite DOMA Prohibition

A federal statute barring recognition of same-sex marriage can’t prevent a legally wed same-sex couple from jointly filing for bankruptcy, a group of 20 judges in California has decided. The ruling by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles yesterday found that two men who had married in California before…

Jun 14, 2011 8:56 PM CDT

Howrey Seeks to Convert Bankruptcy to Chapter 11

The Howrey law firm’s bankruptcy is taking a new turn. Howrey is seeking to convert from an involuntary Chapter 7 liquidation to a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to the Am Law Daily and a press release. A statement by the firm’s lead bankruptcy counsel, H. Jason Gold of Wiley…

Jun 8, 2011 1:56 PM CDT

Trustee Picard Will Be ‘Richer Than Madoff’ Once Legal Bills are Paid, Investor Lawyer Says

A lawyer for 800 investors defrauded in Bernie Madoff’s stunning Ponzi scheme complains that trustee Irving Picard will be “richer than Madoff” once his law firm’s legal bills are paid. Attorney Helen Chaitman, who is contesting the latest $44 million bill from Baker & Hostetler, says Picard himself is getting…

May 25, 2011 6:01 PM CDT

$6.3M Settlement Wired to Marc Dreier Is Toast, Bankruptcy Judge Tells Ex-Lawyer’s Ex-Client

A former client has lost a legal battle to recoup a $6.3 million settlement stolen by his then-legal counsel Marc Dreier after it was wired to his attorney trust account. Technology investor Paul Gardi and his company, Alix Interactive Media, are bound by the purported Gardi signature Dreier forged on…

May 24, 2011 7:38 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Gets 5 Years in Fatal Stabbing of ASU Student

Apparently angry about being awakened by a noisy Arizona State University student, bankruptcy attorney and former prosecutor Daniel Gukeisen got into an argument with Garrett Hohn that escalated into a fight. Hohn later died of a stab wound and Gukeisen, who is now 39, was convicted of manslaughter. He was…

May 23, 2011 11:47 PM CDT