District of Columbia

Jurors Laud Sonnenschein Defense, Give Ex-Partner a Mixed Verdict

A former partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal had sought $8.2 million in his lawsuit against the firm, but he’s getting far less than that. Two jurors said they found ex-partner Douglas Rosenthal was underpaid by more than $500,000 even though Sonnenschein had better lawyers in the case, Legal Times…

Mar 31, 2008 11:25 AM CDT

Hanify Boutique Raids Bingham, Sets Up New D.C. IP Office

A Boston commercial litigation boutique has scored a double coup by stealing five intellectual property lawyers from Bingham McCutchen. First, the five will create a new Washington, D.C., office for Hanify & King. But, perhaps even more important, they will add considerably more depth to the firm’s intellectual property practice,…

Mar 27, 2008 8:10 PM CDT

D.C. Judge Cited for Ordering Detention of Talkative PD

A Washington, D.C., judge who ordered the detention of a public defender who wouldn’t stop talking has accepted a determination that he violated the judicial ethics code. Judge John Bayly Jr. said he acted because the PD, Liyah Brown, argued with him over whether her client was homeless—and kept on…

Mar 21, 2008 11:30 AM CDT

Why the Feds Aggressively Pursued Spitzer

Many federal prosecutions of large prostitution rings were brought before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when prosecutors were forced to refocus their resources. Now there are about 450 active cases, but the recent investigations mostly involve large amounts of money or special circumstances such as human trafficking and underage prostitutes.…

Mar 21, 2008 11:05 AM CDT

Scooter Libby Loses Law License

A former top aide to to Vice President Dick Cheney was disbarred today by a Washington, D.C., appeals court because of his convictions last year for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with an investigation of who leaked the identity of then-CIA agent Valerie Plame. I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby…

Mar 20, 2008 6:09 PM CDT

Judge Gives White House Three Days to Respond to E-Mail Proposal

Administration officials have three days to draft arguments opposing a federal magistrate’s suggestion that they should copy e-mails on the hard drives of executive office computers. Magistrate Judge John Facciola issued an order to show cause (PDF) yesterday asking officials why they should not have to make a copy of…

Mar 19, 2008 2:41 PM CDT

Meet Spitzer’s Lead Lawyer, Michele Hirshman of Paul Weiss

Updated: A former top aide to embattled New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, back in the day when he was state attorney general, now reportedly has a new job as Spitzer’s legal counsel. Litigation partner Michele Hirshman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison got a call from her old boss…

Mar 11, 2008 4:39 PM CDT

Sonnenschein Defends Ex-Partner’s Pay in Trial Beginning This Week

A former partner’s $8.5 million lawsuit against Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal gets under way this week. Douglas Rosenthal claims Sonnenschein forced him to retire and underpaid him for work on two cases. Superior Court Judge Melvin Wright threw out the retirement claim but allowed trial on the pay dispute, reports…

Mar 11, 2008 3:57 PM CDT

Beauty Contest Winner Is a Howard 3L

A Howard University law student who is representing the District of Columbia in the Miss USA competition says pageant techniques can be helpful even in law classes. Chelsey Rodgers told BLT: The Blog of Legal Times that she relied on her pageant knowledge when she bungled a professor’s question about…

Mar 7, 2008 7:32 PM CST

Group Seeks Contempt Hearing on White House E-Mail Statements

An advocacy group claims the Bush administration apparently made false and misleading statements about e-mail backups in a lawsuit alleging violations of record-keeping laws. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the plaintiff in the suit, says there is a discrepancy between what the administration told a federal court and…

Mar 7, 2008 4:04 PM CST

Zuckerman Spaeder to Defend Wiley Rein in Malpractice Suit

Lawyers at Zuckerman Spaeder will defend Wiley Rein in a $30 million malpractice suit by Blackwater Security. The suit claims Wiley Rein botched pleadings to remove a wrongful-death suit from state to federal court. The Legal Times blog, the BLT, reports that Elizabeth Taylor and Mark Foster of Zuckerman Spaeder…

Feb 27, 2008 2:06 PM CST

Men Cook Up a Victory in Nixon Peabody Food Contest

The men emerged victorious in Nixon Peabody’s annual cook-off yesterday, aided by a strong showing by securities partner John Partigan, who had first-place wins in the salads and vegetables categories and the second-place position in soups and stews. The men compete against the women in the annual cook-off, an event…

Feb 26, 2008 6:47 PM CST

Outsourcing Alternative: Law Firm Sets Up Own Shop in India

Apparently weary of seeing clients defect to to low-cost companies in India and elsewhere when it came time to perform so-called legal process work, at least one major U.S. law firm reportedly is fighting back. Howrey is opening its own office in India, although outsourcing is not what it is…

Feb 11, 2008 6:06 PM CST

Law Student Saves Sports Columnist

A sports columnist for the Washington Post who fell into the icy water of a canal while trying to save his dog credits a George Washington law student for saving his life. First-year student Jason Coates was jogging along the canal and went to the aid of the columnist, Mike…

Feb 8, 2008 3:21 PM CST

Disbarment Sought for Former Holland & Knight Partner

The District of Columbia Bar Counsel is seeking the disbarment of a former partner at Holland & Knight for allegedly forging signatures on an agreement for an easement. Theodore Silva Jr. is accused of lying to the law firm and a client about the status of the agreement, then forging…

Feb 8, 2008 2:48 PM CST