Consumer Law

‘Recession-Proof Practice’: Advising Employers on Layoffs

With news of new layoffs being announced by major companies seemingly on almost a daily basis, attorneys who advise clients in this arena are not short of work. In fact, many say, they’ve never been busier. Marc Mandelman, who heads the practice group at Proskauer Rose, has been in the…

Nov 17, 2008 10:01 PM CST

Possible Cravath Legal Bill in Alabama Discrimination Case: $10 Million

Over the past 25 years, Cravath, Swaine & Moore has been representing plaintiffs in an employment discrimination case against government agencies in Jefferson County, Ala. During that time, the Jefferson County Personnel Board has made one payment to the white-shoe New York-based law firm. It was for $141,042, as reimbursement…

Nov 17, 2008 9:43 PM CST

Sued By Former Client, Denver Law Firm Eventually Wins $300,000

After a five-year litigation saga, a Denver law firm has not only prevailed in its defense of a case initially brought by a former client as a legal malpractice action but won $300,000 in a counterclaim alleging fraud. Ex-client Richard Crowe had contended that Franklin D. Azar & Associates and…

Nov 14, 2008 11:42 PM CST

Practice Tip for Foreclosure Defendants: Make Sure Lender Owns Mortgage

In the midst of a national mortgage foreclosure crisis, those handling the litigation aren’t always as careful as they should be. That, presumably, is how a widow in Lehigh Acres, Fla., came to be served with two entirely different foreclosure suits, each claiming that a different lender owned her mortgage…

Nov 14, 2008 10:23 PM CST

‘Green’ Alternative to Gift Cards May Protect Against Bankruptcy Loss

It isn’t just in an environmental context that going “green” can be considered the best option. People who have been giving gift cards to those on their holiday shopping lists may want to consider giving greenbacks instead, especially if the cards come from struggling retailers facing potential bankruptcy cases, reports…

Nov 10, 2008 9:49 PM CST

Cohen Milstein Name Partner to Colleagues: I’ve Been Expelled

After decades at Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll, a name partner is leaving the firm. The exact reasons why aren’t clear, but on Friday, in an e-mail to some attorneys, Michael Hausfeld said he’d been expelled in an “abrupt and unceremonious” manner, reports the American Lawyer. He joined the 65-lawyer…

Nov 10, 2008 9:18 PM CST

Illinois ‘Choose Life’ License Plates Not Required, 7th Circuit Says

Overruling a federal trial judge, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the state of Illinois is not required to issue “Choose Life” license plates sought by individuals who oppose abortion. “The three-judge panel said a decision by Illinois lawmakers not to authorize the ‘Choose Life’…

Nov 7, 2008 5:51 PM CST

‘Barack Effect’ May Spur Law Students to Seek Government Jobs

The head of a nonprofit group that promotes public interest law sees parallels between John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama. David Stern, executive director of Equal Justice Works, told the National Law Journal that Kennedy was a charismatic lawyer who encouraged public service, and Obama is of the same mold.…

Nov 6, 2008 3:27 PM CST

Free Monitoring for Buyers, $6.5M for Lawyers in Massive TJX Data Breach Case

A federal judge in Boston has approved $6.5 million in attorneys fees to the lawyers who brought a class action over a massive data breach at TJX Cos. that is estimated to have involved as many as 100 million accounts compromised by computer hackers. The cost of resolving the breach…

Nov 5, 2008 6:07 PM CST

Top Fla. Court Ups Lawyer Pay From $8 to $200/Hour in Worker’s Comp Case

Overruling an appeals court decision that a 2003 Florida law limiting the amount of attorney fees in worker’s compensation cases is constitutional, the state supreme court said the appellate court was looking at the issue the wrong way. Without reaching the constitutionality question, the top court read several statutory provisions…

Oct 31, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

$54M Pants Suit Litigant Back in Court

He’s lost his administrative law judge post and his initial efforts to sue the pants off his neighborhood dry cleaner for losing his. But that isn’t stopping Roy Pearson. He was back in court today to appeal the loss of his $54 million case. Pearson is appealing a superior court…

Oct 22, 2008 6:39 PM CDT

WaMu is Being Investigated by FBI

Add Washington Mutual Bank to a list of major corporate failures that are being investigated by the FBI. The FBI had been secretly looking into the bank’s operations for months. However, it went public yesterday with the investigation because WaMu depositors, having already seen the institution become the biggest bank…

Oct 16, 2008 9:12 PM CDT

Not Consulting Client Costs Md. Lawyer a Losing Malpractice Case

Although experts said Donald Sturgill didn’t have a viable medical malpractice claim for ailments he suffered after being treated and released for a boating accident, his lawyer managed to get him a $15,000 settlement. That proved to be a costly experience for attorney Robert Joyce and his former employer, the…

Oct 15, 2008 11:53 PM CDT

Judge Orders Shutdown of Huge Spam Ring Accused of Selling Viagra

A federal judge in Chicago has issued a temporary injunction barring operations of a huge spam network that is accused of selling the active ingredient in Viagra in a pill touted for male enhancement. The operation may have been responsible for sending billions of illegal spam messages, the Federal Trade…

Oct 15, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

Jailed Over Brown Lawn, 66-Year-Old Returns Home to Beautiful Yard

As a struggling 66-year-old Florida homeowner went off to begin serving an open-ended contempt sentence for having a brown lawn last week, the president of his condominium association said Joseph Prudente brought the situation on himself. But strangers showed more compassion for Prudente’s plight—even though he had indeed ignored the…

Oct 13, 2008 11:48 PM CDT