Florida judge accused of racist and sexist remarks resigns before impeachment probe

A Florida judge accused of saying blacks should go back to Africa has resigned a day in advance of an impeachment probe by a House committee. Judge Mark Hulsey III of Jacksonville did not give a reason for his departure in his one-page resignation letter submitted on Monday, report News4Jax,…

Jan 26, 2017 3:30 PM CST

Lawyer is reprimanded for pretending to gag during prosecutor questioning of witness

An assistant public defender in Florida has received a reprimand for pretending to gag while a prosecutor questioned a jailhouse informant against her murder client during a court hearing. Usually ethics complaints are handled through a Florida Bar disciplinary process, but the complaint against Palm Beach County Assistant Public Defender…

Jan 26, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Sex offenders are least likely to have tattoos, analysis of Florida database concludes

Sex offenders, particularly offenders convicted of pedophilia-related crimes, tend to have the fewest number of tattoos, according to an analysis of Florida prison records. The Economist conducted the analysis, which found that prisoners convicted of property crimes or weapons-related charges were most likely to have tattoos. The most popular tattoos…

Jan 10, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Judge tosses fraud charges against lawyer whose wife died after raid on their home

A California judge has granted a prosecution motion to dismiss fraud charges against a lawyer whose wife collapsed at the courthouse and died a month after their home was raided in January 2014. Judge W. Kent Hamlin of Fresno County apologized on Wednesday to lawyer Sheldon Feigel, who had been…

Dec 9, 2016 12:00 PM CST

Don’t click! Lawyers get fake emails about a complaint; hyperlink installs malicious software

Lawyers who receive emails about a complaint filed against their business may have a problem—but it’s not because of an angry client.

Dec 5, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Mandatory tech CLE: An idea whose time has come

One complaint. Out of 103,000 lawyers. One solitary complaint. The Florida Bar only received one formal objection to its proposal to add three hours to its MCLE requirements and reserve all three hours for technological competence.

Dec 1, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Alleged go-between is indicted in Markel case; misdirected ‘jerk’ email emerges in discovery tussle

A woman accused of acting as the go-between in the slaying of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was indicted on Tuesday on a charge of first-degree murder. The suspect, Katherine Magbanua, was indicted amid a tussle between her lawyers and prosecutors that was chronicled in a motion to…

Nov 30, 2016 10:56 AM CST

Lawyer who lost case because of bathroom break wins an appeal

A Florida judge should not have barred a lawyer from arguing a summary judgment motion after his bathroom break made him late for the hearing, a state appeals court has ruled. Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled for lawyer Jeff Tomberg of Boynton Beach in a Nov. 16 opinion…

Nov 22, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Judge who sanctioned Boies Schiller lawyer for long deposition changes his mind

A Florida judge has had a change of heart after declaring last month that a lawyer with Boies, Schiller & Flexner had given the entire profession a black eye for spending five hours deposing a physician. Brevard Circuit Judge Charles Roberts vacated a monetary sanction he imposed last month on…

Nov 17, 2016 9:32 AM CST

Competence-based CLE: A different way to learn

Nov 17, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Lawyer’s suit claims friend’s negligent handshake caused lasting pain

A Florida jury will soon consider the case of a lawyer in Delray Beach who claims another lawyer’s negligent handshake caused him severe and lasting pain. Lawyer George Vallario Jr. is suing his onetime friend, Boca Raton lawyer Peter Lindley, the Sun Sentinel reports in a story noted by LawNewz.…

Nov 11, 2016 4:20 PM CST

Lawyer gets prison time after guilty plea in FBI money laundering sting

A former shareholder at Becker & Poliakoff in Florida was sentenced on Thursday to a year and a day in prison for taking $8,500 to launder money in what turned out to be an FBI sting. The lawyer, Alan Koslow, was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine and $8,500…

Nov 11, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Couple’s huge holiday display isn’t a public nuisance, judge rules

The city of Plantation, Florida, failed to prove that a couple’s elaborate Christmas display is a public nuisance, a judge ruled last week. Judge Marina Garcia-Wood of Broward Circuit Court ruled for Mark and Kathy Hyatt in the suit filed by the city in February 2014, the Sun-Sentinel and Local…

Nov 1, 2016 11:59 AM CDT

Law firm lays off more than 50 workers, trims offices

An Orlando law firm that changed its name to LawyerASAP and switched its focus to debt harassment cases has laid off more than 50 employees. The firm’s managing partner, Matt Englett, says the layoffs started at the end of last year and occurred over several months, the Orlando Sentinel reports.…

Oct 28, 2016 12:01 PM CDT

Unanimous jury vote is required to impose death penalty, Florida Supreme Court rules

The Florida Supreme Court on Friday ruled that juries must be unanimous in recommending the death penalty. Then state supreme court ruled (PDF) in Hurst v. Florida that all the jury findings necessary to impose a death sentence must be unanimous. The court was considering the case on remand from…

Oct 14, 2016 12:52 PM CDT