Connecticut

Conn. to Close 4 Courthouses, Lay off 452 to Cut $38M from Budget; Expect Civil Case Delays

To meet a required reduction of a little over $38 million in its fiscal year 2012 budget, the Connecticut court system plans to lay off 452 valued employees, close four courthouses and six law libraries, among other facilities, and eliminate another 150 unfilled positions, the state’s chief court administrator says…

Jul 19, 2011 7:54 PM CDT

Conn. AG Probes Groupon on Expiration Dates

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen announced a request for more information about the business practices of Chicago-based Groupon this week. The move was prompted by concerns over the expiration dates imposed on discounts sold by the coupon company to consumers, which may violate Connecticut law, LegalNewsline reports. “It appears that…

Jul 15, 2011 8:17 PM CDT

Most Lawyers at Denver’s Jacobs Chase Are Joining Husch Blackwell

Although they’re not calling it a merger, that’s what it effectively is. Almost all of the lawyers at Denver-based Jacobs Chase, including the two name partners, are joining 600-attorney Husch Blackwell, the Am Law Daily reports. Four of the firm’s 28 lawyers opted for various reasons to pursue other opportunities,…

Jul 14, 2011 11:44 PM CDT

Judicial Marshal Charged with Taking Bribes, Forging Prosecutor’s Initials to Dismiss Tickets

A part-time judicial marshal in Connecticut has been charged with receiving bribes, second-degree larceny and second-degree forgery for allegedly taking money from defendants and dismissing their traffic tickets. James Blakeslee, 43, allegedly concluded the cases by forging a prosecutor’s initials on the dismissal sheets and writing “nolle” on them, reports…

Jul 7, 2011 6:12 PM CDT

Defendant’s Email to Wife Wins Conviction Reversal: Because Sent to His Lawyer, It Was Privileged

An email from a husband to his wife discussing trial strategy in his criminal case has won a reversal of his conviction in a divided ruling from the Connecticut Supreme Court. Because the email was forwarded by the defendant to his attorney, it was privileged. And, although a prosecutor apparently…

Jul 6, 2011 7:18 PM CDT

State Budget Crisis Kills Conn. Child-Welfare Law Firm

A small Connecticut law firm considered a model at providing services to children who are victims of abuse and neglect is closing its doors after losing the $1.1 million state contract that was its only source of funding. Founded three years ago by attorneys Tammie Gildea, Priscilla Hammond and Michael…

Jun 24, 2011 1:05 PM CDT

Ex-Inmate Earns Yale Law Degree, Gets Ready to Take Florida Bar Exam

A former drug dealer who used his prison time productively, getting a high-school equivalency diploma and reading prodigiously so he was ready to enroll in college after his release, has now passed another milestone. Andres Idarraga earned his law degree from Yale University last month, and is now getting ready…

Jun 16, 2011 9:44 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: yFrog Flaw Behind ‘Weinergate’?; Han Solo Practice; Marler’s Yard Birds

Hacking into yFrog We’ve all heard the story: New York Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Twitter account posted a photo of “a man’s bulging underpants” over Memorial Day weekend; Weiner says that his account was hacked. And, indeed, Ars Technica’s Law & Disorder blog notes that the image and video hosting service…

Jun 3, 2011 2:42 PM CDT

Lawyer with $160K in School Debt Develops Student-Loan Practice Niche

A Connecticut lawyer has developed a practice niche counseling college and law graduates who are having trouble paying off their student debt. Joshua Cohen of Hartford has some personal experience: He borrowed $160,000 for school and he’s using his practice to help pay it off, the Hartford Business Journal reports.…

May 26, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Ex-White House Lawyer Headed to Trial for Attempted Murder After Plea Negotiations Fail

The former White House lawyer accused of trying to strangle his wife and beating her with a flashlight is apparently headed to trial after a breakdown in plea negotiations. An assistant state’s attorney in Stamford, Ct., announced Thursday that plea negotiations had ended in the prosecution of John Michael Farren,…

Apr 29, 2011 1:34 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Tip Led to Theft Charges Against Woman for Lying to Get Son into Better School

A lawyer’s tip has led to felony charges against a Connecticut homeless woman accused of lying to get her child into a better school. Police investigated Tanya McDowell after a lawyer for the Norwalk Housing Authority contacted authorities, the New York Times reports. The Housing Authority alleged that McDowell had…

Apr 28, 2011 12:59 PM CDT

Omission on HUD-1 Form Leads to Lawyer’s Guilty Plea in Federal Mortgage Fraud Case

A Connecticut lawyer is facing possible prison time of perhaps six months after pleading guilty in federal court in Bridgeport to omitting information from a mortgage form in a real estate transaction. John Bryk, a 61-year-old Bridgeport practitioner, knew that the terms of his clients’ mortgage for the Westport home…

Apr 18, 2011 11:37 PM CDT

Law Firm Loses $78K in Massive Malware Scheme That Was Disabled by Feds

Updated: Federal authorities say they have disabled, with the help of Microsoft Corp., a massive “botnet” that is believed to have been operating for a decade and infecting nearly 2 million computers in the United States alone. A botnet is defined by PC Magazine as “a large number of compromised…

Apr 14, 2011 2:07 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer and Lawmaker Convicted with 3 Others in Mortgage Fraud; Jury Hangs re Attorney-Rabbi

An 82-year-old former lawyer and state representative has been convicted by a federal jury in Hartford, along with three other defendants, of participating in a mortgage fraud scheme. It involved some $10 million in mortgage money obtained on dozens of Connecticut homes in transactions involving shady sellers, straw buyers, fraudulently…

Apr 13, 2011 2:48 PM CDT

Wealthy Gambler Makes Creative Legal Arguments to Defend Nonpayment of $1.2 Million Debt to Casino

Jerome Powers, CEO and co-chairman of Plum TV, refuses to pay the $1.2 million he owes a Connecticut casino. Powers appears “to be swimming in dough,” ABC News reports. But like so many gamblers, he welshed on his debt. Powers amassed the debt while playing blackjack at the Mohegan Sun…

Mar 23, 2011 10:16 PM CDT