Florida

State Attorney Seeks Blanket Recusal of Fla. Judge Who Criticized Criminal Justice System

Last November, a Florida judge sentenced a defendant who had never committed a violent crime to a 15-year prison term for trafficking in oxycodone. The man had turned down a plea deal in which he would have gotten one year, but Judge Barry Cohen said he had no choice but…

May 16, 2012 3:00 PM CDT

Former Fla. Farm Laborer Sues Ex-Employer, Claims He Enslaves Workers, Pays Them with Drugs

Only five years ago, a labor contractor near Hastings, Fla., was criminally convicted and sentenced to a 30-year prison term for a scheme that authorities said involved luring homeless workers to a secluded farming community where they were kept deep in debt and paid with drugs and alcohol. But similar…

May 15, 2012 6:21 PM CDT

Feds Say Ex-Partner Committed Crimes to ‘Dramatically Increase’ Rothstein Law Firm’s Political Power

A former partner has pleaded guilty to crimes that federal prosecutors say were intended to “dramatically increase the political influence and power” of a South Florida law firm headed by now-convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein. Steven N. Lippman, 49, who was a non-equity partner of Scott Rothstein’s law firm in…

May 11, 2012 3:55 PM CDT

Cooley’s New Florida Law School Enrolls 104 Students, Exceeding Expectations

The nation’s largest law school says enrollment at its new campus near Tampa, Fla., has exceeded expectations. The Thomas M. Cooley Law School has enrolled 104 students in Florida, a number that is almost double initial expectations of school administrators, the National Law Journal reports. Cooley already has nearly 4,000…

May 9, 2012 12:35 PM CDT

Top Fla. Court to Hear Landmark Foreclosure Fraud Case This Week Despite Parties’ Agreed Dismissal

A hard-fought Florida mortgage foreclosure case seemingly had concluded—twice. After the defendant homeowner contended that a mortgage assignment relied on in the complaint was fraudulent, the Bank of New York filed a voluntary dismissal of the suit. Then, when the Bank of New York filed a second, identical foreclosure case…

May 8, 2012 7:55 PM CDT

Medical Examiner’s Visit to Law School Class Sparks New Defense Claims in Local Manslaughter Case

It’s not clear exactly what lesson a Florida state attorney expected law students to learn when he invited a medical examiner to speak at a class he oversees as an adjunct professor. However, the session apparently was a learning experience for those at the front of the classroom as well…

May 7, 2012 5:17 PM CDT

Juror Says He Drank Before DUI Death Case Verdict to Examine Mindset of Accused; Defense Cries Foul

Attention trial attorneys: A new prohibition may need to be added to the ever-lengthening list of potential misconduct against which jurors should be cautioned in advance of deliberations. If you are hearing a drunken-driving case, don’t overserve yourself in an effort to duplicate the defendant’s state of mind. That is…

May 4, 2012 5:33 PM CDT

Defense Lawyer in Trayvon Martin Case Says Unusual Social Media Presence Is a Necessity Today

Faced with the need to defend a client in a high-profile criminal case that has made international headlines, Mark O’Mara took an unusual approach to try to deal with an avalanche of often-adverse publicity. He created a blog as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts for George Zimmerman, who is…

May 3, 2012 8:44 PM CDT

Ruden McClosky Has Dissolved, But Nearly a Dozen Malpractice Suits Carry On

South Florida law firm Ruden McClosky filed for bankruptcy protection last November, but the filing hasn’t put an end to 11 malpractice suits against the firm. The Daily Business Review (sub. req.) has a story on the suits targeting the firm’s two malpractice policies, each with a coverage maximum of…

May 3, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Lawyer Awakened by Apparent Burglar as He Slept in His Office Shoots at Fleeing Suspect

Two burglary suspects are in custody after a Florida lawyer sleeping in his makeshift office apartment heard a noise and confronted an intruder with his shotgun. Sam Bardwell of Titusville told Florida Today he was awakened by the sound of a motion-triggered fan around 4 a.m. on Monday, and noticed…

May 1, 2012 11:29 AM CDT

Federal Judge in Fla. Gives Md. Lawyer 10 Years in Teen Enticement-Attempt Case

Corrected: A Maryland lawyer who unsuccessfully sought a do-over after taking a plea last year in a federal case in which he was accused of traveling to Florida to seek sex with a 14-year-old boy who didn’t actually exist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Howard Scott Kalin,…

Apr 26, 2012 3:32 PM CDT

Reuters: As Dewey Downsizes, Smaller Law Firm’s Prepack May Be Roadmap for Solid Future

Amidst news from the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) that Dewey & LeBoeuf is not only seeking to lease 160,000 square feet of space in its New York headquarters but is putting its executive floor on the sublease market, as well as reports that well-known law firms are in discussions…

Apr 25, 2012 9:46 PM CDT

Report: Prosecutor’s Hundreds of Texts, Calls to Judge During Capital Trial Merit 1-Year Suspension

A referee for the Florida Bar has recommended a one-year law license suspension for a former homicide prosecutor who sent hundreds of texts and made hundreds of phone calls to a state court judge during a 2007 capital murder trial. Howard Scheinberg, 51, was admitted in 1987 and is now…

Apr 24, 2012 6:13 PM CDT

Crime Victims Who Need Support Include Perpetrators’ Families, Suggests Woman Burned by Husband

Speaking at an event Monday in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in Tampa, Fla., several individuals thanked Hillsborough’s Victims Assistance Program for providing counselors to help them through the lengthy legal process while those who harmed them were prosecuted. But Audrey Mabrey, who suffered terrible burn injuries when…

Apr 23, 2012 6:35 PM CDT

Polo Mogul Who Adopted Adult Gal Pal Paid $46M to End Crash Case, Says ‘Wealth Bias’ Put Him in Jail

After paying $46 million to settle a civil wrongful death case over a fatal auto accident, South Florida polo mogul John Goodman is now complaining that a “wealth bias” is keeping him in jail after his criminal conviction. Most or all of the settlement was paid by the insurers of…

Apr 20, 2012 6:51 PM CDT