Florida

Ethics case dropped against ex-Florida judge accused of faking dockets to take time off

A former Florida judge accused of creating “contrived dockets” so he could secretly take time off from work won’t face ethics charges. The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission had filed notice of ethics charges against Broward Circuit Judge John Contini on July 24, even though he had resigned 18 days earlier.…

Aug 7, 2018 11:40 AM CDT

Potential closure plan for Arizona Summit discussed while accreditation appeal is pending

Updated: If Arizona Summit School of Law, a for-profit InfiLaw campus, loses its ABA accreditation, students may have the option to finish their education at Arizona State University’s law school.

Jul 27, 2018 11:23 AM CDT

Judge who abruptly resigned is accused of creating ‘contrived dockets’ to take time off

A Florida judge who abruptly resigned July 6 faces allegations that he scheduled fake cases so he could secretly take time off from work. A notice filed Monday says there is probable cause to bring judicial ethics charges against now-former Broward Circuit Judge John Contini, report Law360, the Daily Business…

Jul 26, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Shook Hardy lawyer in the spotlight for opposing pregnant lawyer’s continuance request

A Miami lawyer with Shook, Hardy & Bacon objected when a pregnant opposing lawyer sought a continuance because her due date coincided with a trial date.

Jul 26, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Sheriff says he can’t make an arrest in fatal parking spot dispute because of stand-your-ground law

A Florida sheriff says he can’t charge a man for fatally shooting another man who shoved him to the ground in a parking lot dispute because of the state’s stand-your-ground law.

Jul 23, 2018 8:12 AM CDT

Court: Law firm accused of having an on-site bar not liable for death of intoxicated paralegal

A Florida law firm accused of having a bar on its premises to encourage employees to work longer hours isn’t liable for the death of an intoxicated paralegal, a Florida appeals court has ruled. The Gladstone Law Group isn’t liable because paralegal Susan Salerno was killed by a train while…

Jun 14, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

Tech is not the only answer to legal aid issues, justice center director Joyce Raby says (podcast)

Since the late 1990s, Joyce Raby has spent a career bringing technology to legal aid. While a booster and believer in technology's potential to improve America's legal system, her experience is tempering.

"We've been saying for a very long time that technology was going to be the saving grace for the justice ecosystem," she says. "I don't think it is."

Jun 13, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Nelson Mullins, Broad and Cassel set to form ‘super-regional’ law firm

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough is merging with Broad and Cassel to form a firm with more than 725 lawyers.

Jun 11, 2018 12:14 PM CDT

$4 award to family of black man fatally shot by cop is reduced to zero

Florida jurors awarded $4 last week to the family of a black man shot and killed in his garage by police who were called to the home to investigate a noise complaint. The $4 award to the family of the slain man, Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr. of Fort Pierce, consisted…

Jun 1, 2018 10:28 AM CDT

Proposed Florida law resurrects the debate around the legal duty to help someone in distress

Florida would be in a distinct minority of states if it imposes a duty to rescue people in distress. The rule in the United States is you have no duty to rescue a stranger, and legal scholars are divided on whether that’s a good thing.

Jun 1, 2018 1:50 AM CDT

After jury convicts him, man punches his lawyer and a courtroom brawl breaks out

Courtroom deputies used Tasers on three men following guilty verdicts in a Florida murder trial on Friday and after one man began punching his defense lawyer and another defendant joined in, spurring a courtroom brawl. Travis Jamaar Davis threw the first punch after he and his three co-defendants were found…

May 14, 2018 8:52 AM CDT

Lawyer who helped an exoneree blow through $750K faces ethics complaints

The North Carolina State Bar is investigating a Florida lawyer for his treatment of two mentally disabled clients who spent 31 years in prison before being declared innocent. Henry McCollum and his half-brother, Leon Brown, were exonerated in 2014 after serving decades in prison for the notorious rape and murder…

May 1, 2018 2:00 PM CDT

2 prominent lawyers ensnared by Florida’s ‘hot potato doctrine’ are suspended for conflicts

The Florida Supreme Court has suspended two prominent lawyers 30 days each for seeking a payout for their clients from a scientific institute created in a class action tobacco settlement despite objections from some of the people they represented. The court suspended Philip Gerson and co-counsel Steven Hunter in an…

May 1, 2018 1:12 PM CDT

Art behind bars: Creative programs for inmates help change the narrative

Creative expression programs in detention centers include a memoir-writing class for Cook County Jail detainees awaiting trial for violent offenses.

May 1, 2018 2:05 AM CDT

Still out of compliance with ABA standards, Florida Coastal is investigating a response

Florida Coastal School of Law remains out of compliance with ABA accreditation standards regarding admissions and its legal education and academic support programs, according to an accreditation committee decision made after a March hearing.

Apr 30, 2018 10:48 AM CDT