District of Columbia

Schulte Roth Opens in D.C. with Hires from Dickstein, Morgan Lewis

A New York law firm known for representing hedge fund clients is opening an office in Washington, D.C., that will be staffed partly with lawyers from Dickstein Shapiro and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. Schulte Roth & Zabel decided to expand to D.C. to help its clients on matters involving Securities…

Jul 2, 2008 1:14 PM CDT

Nossaman’s New D.C. Office: O’Connor & Hannan

Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott will open a Washington, D.C., office tomorrow when it merges with O’Connor & Hannan. The 130-attorney California-based national firm already has an office in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, in Arlington, Va. With the addition of the O’Connor firm’s 23-lawyer contingent in the nation’s capital, its…

Jun 30, 2008 3:13 PM CDT

Scientist to Get $5.8M Settlement from DOJ in Anthrax Case

Steven Hatfill, a former Army scientist who says the government violated his privacy rights and damaged his reputation by leaking investigative details to reporters about his role as a “person of interest” in 2001 anthrax attacks, has won a $5.8 million settlement from the Department of Justice. According to court…

Jun 27, 2008 10:30 PM CDT

Law Firm’s New Practice Area: Litigation Support for State AGs

A former Washington, D.C., attorney general is co-chairing a new practice group at her new law firm: providing litigation support to her former colleagues in other states. Linda Singer’s new role at Zuckerman Spaeder expands the scope of work being handled by the D.C.-based national litigation boutique, which ordinarily represents…

Jun 27, 2008 10:09 PM CDT

Most Gun Laws Legal Under High Court Ruling, But Chicago’s Is an Issue

Most gun restrictions are likely to survive the U.S. Supreme Court ruling yesterday that found an individual right under the Second Amendment to own a handgun for self-defense in the home. Chicago, though, has a more comprehensive ban, the New York Times reports. A lawsuit (PDF filed by the New…

Jun 27, 2008 10:57 AM CDT

Second Amendment Gun Ruling Expected Today

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue the three final rulings of the term today, including a decision on whether the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own guns. At issue is whether the amendment protects only the right of state militias to bear arms or whether it…

Jun 26, 2008 10:38 AM CDT

Troutman Sanders to Expand Geographic Reach in Merger with Ross Dixon

Troutman Sanders will merge with Ross, Dixon & Bell, producing a combined firm with a wide geographic reach in the United States. The combined firm will have the Troutman Sanders name when the merger takes place on Jan. 1, according to a press release. Troutman Sanders managing partner Robert Webb…

Jun 25, 2008 5:08 PM CDT

Award to Ex-Sonnenschein Partner Drops from $3M-Plus to About $66K

A Washington, D.C., judge has cut a jury award to a former partner of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal from more than $3 million to just $65,639. Judge Melvin Wright cut the award to former partner Douglas Rosenthal after the law firm argued that jurors had not properly calculated the award,…

Jun 25, 2008 11:56 AM CDT

Three-Partner IP Team Jumps From Sonnenschein to MoFo

Morrison & Foerster has hired a team of three intellectual property lawyers from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, including a Sonnenschein practice group chair. “Alexander Hadjis and Kristen Yohannan join as partners in Washington while Rudy Kim joins as partner in Palo Alto,” reports the Lawyer. All three were also partners…

Jun 24, 2008 7:17 PM CDT

At 92, Antitrust Lawyer Has More Years at DOJ Than Any Other

Ninety-two-year-old Bernard Hollander has worked for 59 years in the antitrust division of the Justice Department, more years than any other lawyer there. Legal Times reports that Hollander earned just $3,700 his first year on the job and one of his first big cases involved helping break RCA’s monopoly on…

Jun 23, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Judge Blocks Ouster of Seven Lawyers from D.C. AG’s Office

A judge in Washington, D.C., has issued a temporary restraining order to block the ouster of seven lawyers from the District of Columbia Attorney General’s office. Judge Melvin Wright said a collective bargaining agreement requires fired employees to be given notice of poor performance and an opportunity to improve, the…

Jun 20, 2008 2:29 PM CDT

Lawmakers Reach Deal on Wiretap Law that Protects Telecoms

Lawmakers have reached agreement on a new wiretap law that allows the government to obtain broad warrants to eavesdrop on foreign communications and gives telecoms immunity for aiding the government’s wiretap efforts. News reports are calling the deal a victory for the administration. The immunity provision insulates telecommunications companies from…

Jun 20, 2008 11:01 AM CDT

House Panel Subpoenas Mukasey for Interviews in CIA Leak Probe

A House committee has subpoenaed Attorney General Michael Mukasey for FBI reports of interviews with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the probe into the leak of a CIA agent’s identity. The Department of Justice had rejected a request for the documents earlier this month on the basis…

Jun 17, 2008 10:38 AM CDT

Subcommittee OKs 11 Percent Increase in the LSC Budget

A House subcommittee has approved a $40 million increase in the budget for the Legal Services Corp., an 11 percent hike. The increase brings the proposed LSC budget for fiscal 2009 to $390 million, according to a news release. The amount was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce,…

Jun 16, 2008 1:35 PM CDT

Grand Jury Referral Filed in U.S. Attorneys Case, Focuses on Civil Rights Division

A grand jury referral focusing on political meddling in the Justice Department’s civil rights division has been filed in the probe of U.S. attorney firings. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports that the referral focuses on possible perjury by Bradley Schlozman, who left the Justice Department last year. At…

Jun 16, 2008 11:28 AM CDT