Europe

UK Lawyer Jailed for False Client Alibi

A Scottish lawyer who gave a client accused of abduction and extortion a false alibi has now himself been sentenced to prison. In a hearing before the High Court in Glasgow, Shahid Pervez, 39, a conveyancing solicitor, “claimed he agreed to the false alibi after threats were made,” reports the…

Aug 20, 2007 4:49 PM CDT

World’s 25 Oddest Laws List Includes US

Think you’ve heard it all? Even seasoned practitioners may not be aware of what a British newspaper lists as the world’s 25 oddest laws. For example, a French pig may not legally be named Napoleon (item 22 on the list), reports the London Times. Nor may an unmarried woman parachute…

Aug 16, 2007 10:59 PM CDT

Mega-Firm’s Mega-Profit: $1 M-Plus PPP

Impressive profits for the 2007 fiscal year have been announced by one of the world’s largest law firms, Chicago-based Baker & McKenzie. Its gross was $1.83 billion, up from $1.52 billion the previous fiscal year. A 22 percent gain for the first time boosted profits per partner into seven figures,…

Aug 16, 2007 8:23 PM CDT

Egads! Will US Law Firms Go Public?

Of course it can’t happen yet. But senior partners at big U.S. law firms are talking about the possibility that they will one day be allowed to be have nonattorney shareholders, as Australia already permits and the United Kingdom is expected to allow within a few years. Otherwise, major American…

Aug 13, 2007 10:25 PM CDT

Russian Man Facing Trial for 49 Murders

Accused of being one of Russia’s most prolific serial killers, Alexander Pichushkin is to face trial in a month in 49 murders reportedly committed between 1992 and 2006. The 33-year-old is accused of murdering many of his alleged victims, who are mostly men, by plying them with alcohol and then…

Aug 13, 2007 9:47 PM CDT

Quelle Crime! Teen Held for Potter Book Posted en Français

A 16-year-old has been arrested and briefly jailed for allegedly translating the entire 759-page book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, into French and posting it on the Internet within days of its July 21 release. The teen, a high school student from Aix-en-Provence in southern France, is not named…

Aug 8, 2007 7:27 PM CDT

Freshfields Partner Fined

A partner with London-based Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will pay a 9,000 pound fine and 50,000 pounds in court costs for a client conflict. Barry O’Brien was fined yesterday for representing entrepreneur Philip Green in his offer to buy Marks & Spencer even though the law firm also represented the British…

Aug 3, 2007 10:49 AM CDT

CA Museum Returns Allegedly Stolen Art

Ending a long-standing dispute over the ownership of some of the most prized art works in its collection, the J.P. Getty Museum has agreed to return to the Italian government 40 antiquities illegally excavated and exported from that country. The draft agreement is still being finalized, but will return to…

Aug 1, 2007 5:42 PM CDT

Canine Bites Dog Doc, Owner Prosecuted

Sent to a canine psychologist for treatment of the “anxiety issues” that had led him to attack four children and two adults, a German Shepard promptly bit the professional, too. The dog will now be euthanized, but his 58-year-old British owner—who spent $20,000 pounds trying to help him become a…

Jul 26, 2007 7:51 PM CDT

UK Terrorism Measures Proposed

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Parliament today that the 28-day limit on questioning of terrorism suspects is too short. British police have to charge or release suspects by the end of the 28-day period. Brown did not specifically say how he would change the law, but said one option…

Jul 25, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

U.S. Firms Make European Inroads

U.S. law firms are merging with European firms or snagging their top lawyers, creating tensions as the overseas firms struggle to adjust. Spurring the firm merger mania is increasing legal work available because of the boom in corporate mergers and acquisitions, the New York Times reports. The newspaper mentions several…

Jul 25, 2007 2:02 PM CDT

Will U.S. Class Actions Invade Europe?

American lawyers and European politicians have discovered they have a common interest in opening the door to class action litigation. Such mass tort suits require changes in the law, to permit plaintiffs with similar claims to band together. But some politicians are interested in enacting legislation to allow European class…

Jul 24, 2007 6:30 PM CDT

Abbott Drops Cyber Attack Suit

Abbott Laboratories has withdrawn its controversial lawsuit against AIDS activists who launched a cyber attack against its Web site in April. Abbott said it would drop the suit after meeting with members of Act-Up Paris and reaching an agreement about access to its AIDS drugs, the Wall Street Journal (sub.…

Jul 24, 2007 6:03 PM CDT

Jailed Libyan Medical Workers Free

Five nurses and a doctor who had been convicted of deliberately infecting Libyan children with the HIV virus are now free. The group was flown from Libya to Bulgaria, where they were pardoned today by the president, Associated Press reports. They had served more than eight years in prison. The…

Jul 24, 2007 2:10 PM CDT

New Death Sentence for UK Holy Cow

Spared from slaughter by a court ruling last week, a holy bull revered by a Hindu community in Wales received a new death sentence today from an appellate panel. The case has pitted religious rights recognized by the European Union against concerns that Shambo, as the sacred bull is known,…

Jul 23, 2007 9:02 PM CDT