Corporate Law

Beautician Wins Major Property Case for Mom, Gets Law School Scholarship

A 23-year-old beautician with no legal training who made headlines by defeating a big British property developer in a High Court case earlier this month is now headed to law school, with the help of a scholarship. Young, blond and apparently underestimated, Georgina Blackwell saved her mother’s home and business…

Nov 30, 2009 10:40 PM CST

Judge: ‘At Any Time I Can Get Killed’

Being threatened with assassination is a routine part of the job for 70 judges in the northern Iraq city of Mosul. In addition to the death threats that regularly slide under the door, gunshots inside the courthouse and a growing list of deceased colleagues emphasize the daily reality of the…

Nov 30, 2009 8:30 PM CST

Not Sending Clients Copy of Retainer a Costly Mistake for Law Firm

Delay in providing clients with a full copy of the applicable retainer agreement for their matter has cost a New Jersey law firm a six-figure sum. Reversing an earlier award of $163,000 to Alpert Butler & Weiss for unpaid legal fees and the cost of pursuing their collection action, a…

Nov 30, 2009 7:54 PM CST

Cops Arrest Record Exec, Claim He Refused to Send Crowd-Control Tweet

Authorities arrested a record company executive earlier this month for allegedly refusing to send out a Twitter message to help restore order among an unruly throng of some 3,000 people waiting to see 15-year-old pop singer Justin Bieber at a New York City area shopping mall. James Roppo, 44, who…

Nov 30, 2009 6:17 PM CST

Like a Dress Code, Social Media Policy Can Prevent Excess Exposure

When potential clients Google your law firm, do you want a paralegal’s MySpace page featuring “unprofessional interests and photos” to be the first hit they get? Obviously, the answer to this question is no. But that’s exactly what happened when attorney Greg Ripple looked up a law firm he didn’t…

Nov 24, 2009 6:01 PM CST

Blind Law Grad Sues Bar Exam Group, Seeks OK to Use Screen Reader

Although she is legally blind, Stephanie Enyart earned her law degree with the help of software that enlarges her computer screen and converts text to audio. And, when the 32-year-old graduate of the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law asked state bar officials for permission to use the same…

Nov 24, 2009 12:10 AM CST

Appeals Court OKs $5M in Punitives for Victim of Phone Hoax Strip Search

A Kentucky appeals court cut from $1 million to $400,000 a punitive damages award to a McDonald’s manager who was fired and charged with a crime after she says she was duped into pressuring a young worker to comply with instructions from a prank caller to submit to a strip…

Nov 23, 2009 7:55 PM CST

Ohio AG: Major Credit Agencies ‘Sold Out’ in Toxic Mortgage Mess

As federal elected officials and administrators mull potential regulatory reform to rein in lenders accused of causing a mortgage meltdown nationwide, the attorney general of Ohio has stepped into the breach and filed a federal lawsuit against the three largest credit rating agencies, Reuters reports. They created a financial crisis,…

Nov 20, 2009 9:35 PM CST

Jury Says Philip Morris Must Pay $300M to Longtime Smoker

A jury in South Florida says Philip Morris USA must pay $300 million, including $244 million in punitive damages, to a 25-year Benson & Hedges smoker who argued that the cigarette company committed fraud by concealing the dangers of smoking from her. Lawyers for Lucinda “Cindy” Naugle, who is a…

Nov 20, 2009 9:15 PM CST

May Employers Monitor Personal E-Mail? Cases Turn on Disclosure

Some courts are siding with employees when companies monitor their personal e-mail without adequate warning. Companies claim they have the right to all keystrokes on company property, allowing them to delve into employees’ personal e-mail sent from work. But some judges are now siding with employees who had a reasonable…

Nov 19, 2009 12:39 PM CST

Chevron Sues Plaintiffs Lawyer for $4M, Alleges Malicious Prosecution

After making headlines several months ago by posting a video on YouTube to bolster its defense of an Ecuador-based environmental mass tort case, Chevron is again trying an unusual litigation tactic in a closely related case. The company has sued a plaintiffs attorney for $4 million in federal court in…

Nov 17, 2009 10:51 PM CST

Russian Lawyer, 37, Dies in Prison After Pursuing Claimed Kremlin Fraud

A Russian lawyer who helped a London-based hedge fund pursue a claimed massive fraud in which Kremlin officials allegedly participated has died in prison, where he was awaiting trial for conspiracy in a related case. Sergei Magnitsky died yesterday at the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center, reports the London Times. The…

Nov 17, 2009 6:47 PM CST

Partners of Mintz Levin and Choate Form New Law Firm

Two Boston partners at well-known law firms are striking out on their own. Lawrence Gennari and Neil Aronson are forming their own firm in Needham, Mass. It will apparently focus on corporate law, including start-up companies, according to the Journal of New England Technology. “We really want to try something…

Nov 17, 2009 6:12 PM CST

More Hackers Target Law Firms, Often ‘Spear Fishing’ in Spam E-Mail

Computer hackers are targeting law firms as a potential motherlode of confidential information, often relying on “spear fishing” attacks in which personalized spam e-mail appears to come from a trusted individual. While the e-mail itself doesn’t pose a danger, clicking on a link within the e-mail can invite malicious software…

Nov 17, 2009 12:18 AM CST

Associate Collected Law Firm’s Legal Fees, Suit Says

Before going solo, Benjamin White worked as an associate attorney at Charleston, W.Va.-based Hendrickson and Long, specializing in social security law. But while he was still there, a lawsuit filed by Hendrickson alleges, he began collecting attorney fees in addition to the salary the law firm paid him, reports the…

Nov 11, 2009 5:35 PM CST