District of Columbia

Motion to Acquit Ex-Partner of Arent Fox in Obstruction Case Over Lawyer’s Death Is Denied

A judge hearing an obstruction of justice case against a former partner of Arent Fox and two other men involved with him in a three-way romantic relationship has dismissed some charges but denied a motion to acquit the defendants at the close of the prosecution’s case. Judge Lynn Leibovitz today…

Jun 17, 2010 7:14 PM CDT

DC Reveals About 400 People Convicted Based on Faulty DWI Tests

Nearly 400 people in Washington, D.C., have been convicted of driving while intoxicated based on faulty breath tests that calculated blood alcohol levels about 20 percent higher than the reality. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the problem was caused when a police officer set improper baseline levels on the…

Jun 10, 2010 11:46 AM CDT

New Law Firm Formed with 15 Lawyers from LeClairRyan

Fifteen lawyers form LeClairRyan are striking out on their own. The group is forming the law firm Murphy & McGonigle to advise financial services clients facing securities litigation, the Washington Post reports. One of the new co-founders, Thomas McGonigle, told the Post that he and five other lawyers in the…

Jun 7, 2010 11:59 AM CDT

Hospital Treats Patients By Pointing Them to Legal Help

The rats kept scurrying through Idrissa Munu’s home in Washington, D.C., for several years, even after he killed three with a baseball bat and took them in a plastic bag to the property manager’s office to complain. But after a doctor at the Children’s National Medical Center connected the rodents—and…

May 27, 2010 10:59 AM CDT

Ex-Administrative Assistant Pleads Guilty to Stealing $400K from Law School

A former administrative assistant at American University’s Washington College of Law is scheduled to be sentenced in September to stealing nearly $400,000 from the school. Martine Tavakoli, 49, stole the money over a six-year period beginning in 2003, federal prosecutors say in a press release (PDF). The National Law Journal…

May 26, 2010 2:32 PM CDT

‘Cavernous’ Partner Offices Left Behind in Law Firm Moves

Several law firms in the Washington, D.C., area are moving to new digs, lured by good deals and the convenience of moving rather than renovating. Law firms are downsizing, going from 800 or 900 square feet per lawyer to spaces configured to provide about 600 square feet per employee, according…

May 26, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Law Partner’s Success Secret: ‘Having a Plan and Being Very Dedicated to That Plan’

Unlike some attorneys, Jack Garson grew up without having a lot. But that helped him develop the drive to succeed in life, he tells the Washington Post. At age 5, he was earning 25 cents weekly polishing his dad’s shoes, taking pride both in the quality of his work and…

May 24, 2010 4:45 PM CDT

$9M Malpractice Suit Sparks Finger-Pointing Among Multiple BigLaw Firms

A former accounting and financial client says Morgan Lewis & Bockius committed malpractice and is suing for a return of $9 million in fees. Morgan Lewis not only says that it did not commit malpractice, but it is seeking sanctions against plaintiff BDO Seidman and its counsel, DLA Piper, for…

May 17, 2010 11:37 PM CDT

Trial Begins for Arent Fox Ex-Partner Accused in Cover-Up in Lawyer’s Murder at His Home

No one has ever been charged in the apparent sexual assault and murder of attorney Robert Wone, a former attorney for Covington & Burling who worked as general counsel for Radio Free Asia at the time of his death. But a bench trial begins today in Washington, D.C., Superior Court…

May 17, 2010 5:03 PM CDT

Sealed DOJ Motion to Seal Public Transcript OK’d Sans Opinion by DC Circuit in Gitmo Case

An already convoluted case concerning the power of federal courts to intervene in government decisions about where to transfer detainees from the Guantanamo Bay military prison has been further complexified by an unusual effort to seal the transcript of a public appellate court hearing in the case. The motion to…

May 12, 2010 11:09 PM CDT

Shipman & Goodwin Opens in D.C. with 6-Lawer Hogan Lovells Group & New Client

A six-attorney group has departed Hogan & Hartson on the eve of the Hogan Lovells merger to open a new Washington, D.C. , office for a smaller, Connecticut-based law firm. Led by partner James Ruggeri, it will continue to provide legal services to The Hartford Financial Services Group at the…

May 3, 2010 4:59 PM CDT

Ex-Head of US Special Counsel Office Pleads Guilty to Criminal Contempt

The former chief of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal contempt of Congress for withholding information from a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating his deletion of files from four government computers, reports the Blog of Legal Times. Onetime…

Apr 27, 2010 11:55 PM CDT

Merged Hogan Lovells to Amp Up Corporate Practice in New York & London

When Hogan & Hartson and Lovells merge next month, the two firms plan to focus on amping up their corporate practice in New York and London. In New York, the firm will augment the transactional team in an already strong corporate department to complement its existing strength in Washington, D.C.,…

Apr 22, 2010 7:48 PM CDT

Feds Waited Too Long to Pursue In-House Lawyer in False Claims Act Case, Judge Rules

On the eve of trial, a judge dismissed a False Claims Act case against a onetime general counsel of Tenet Health Care Corp., finding that the government waited too long to pursue its case against Christi Sulzbach. A whistle-blower had accused the then-corporate integrity officer as far back as 1997…

Apr 22, 2010 3:58 PM CDT

Paul Weiss Is Bringing In DOJ Ace to Build Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Group

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison essentially planted its flag in a new practice area with the announcement Friday that it is bringing in as a partner a prominent federal prosecutor described by the Washington Post as the top catch for law firms seeking to attract Foreign Corrupt Practices Act…

Apr 19, 2010 4:46 PM CDT