Georgia

Legal aid hotline opens for Hurricane Irma victims

Updated: A legal aid hotline has opened for Hurricane Irma victims in Florida who can’t afford a lawyer. The hotline number is 866-550-2929, report the Orlando Sentinel and an ABA press release. The hotline is operated by young lawyers divisions of the ABA and the Florida Bar, in conjunction with…

Sep 14, 2017 10:27 AM CDT

Florida Bar raises income cap for Free Legal Answers website to help Hurricane Irma victims

The Florida Bar has raised the income cap for users of the Florida Free Legal Answers online legal clinic to help more victims of Hurricane Irma get answers to their legal questions.

Sep 11, 2017 8:31 AM CDT

Free PACER archive adds millions of new documents

Updated: A free archive of federal court documents just got a whole lot bigger. The Free Law Project, a California-based non-profit, posted every free written opinion and order available on PACER, the federal courts’ document portal. In total, this new collection contains 3.4 million documents from 1.5 million federal district…

Aug 16, 2017 11:20 AM CDT

Who gets the reward for capture of escaped Georgia inmates? The answer isn’t easy

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that a reward will be paid after the arrest of two escaped inmates believed to have killed their guards June 13 on a Georgia prison bus. But the agency doesn’t say when the $141,000 reward will be paid for the capture of Donnie…

Jun 21, 2017 3:30 PM CDT

Georgia high court rejects state claim that its laws can’t be challenged under state constitution

The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday tossed a challenge to a law banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but rejected the state’s argument that state officials could never be sued in a state constitutional challenge to a state law.

Jun 20, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer arrested in Florida after at least 18 months on the lam

A disbarred Georgia lawyer accused of stealing client money was arrested last weekend in Florida after going missing for at least 18 months. Douglas J. Mathis skipped a Georgia court appearance in December 2015 on a theft charge for allegedly transferring client money into his own account, the Florida Times-Union…

Jun 15, 2017 3:56 PM CDT

Prominent lawyer is arraigned on murder charges and accused of trying to influence a judge

A prominent Atlanta lawyer, who says he accidentally shot and killed his wife, has pleaded not guilty to murder at an arraignment where a prosecutor accused him of trying to influence a judge. Assistant District Attorney Clint Rucker argued at Tuesday’s arraignment that 74-year-old lawyer Claud “Tex” McIver should not…

Jun 8, 2017 8:48 AM CDT

Private probation company pulls out of Georgia, saying it can no longer make a profit

For-profit private probation company Sentinel Offender Services has sold or abandoned its contracts in Georgia, the Marshall Project reported Thursday. Sentinel—the largest for-profit probation management company in Georgia—pulled out of its contract with the Atlanta Municipal Court in December. It sold more than 50 contracts with other Georgia municipalities in…

Apr 17, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Federal judge rules Public.Resource.org cannot print annotations to official Georgia state code

A federal judge in Georgia has dealt Public.Resource.org another blow. In a Tuesday story from the Daily Report, an Atlanta federal district judge ruled that the state of Georgia can copyright annotations to its official state code and that Public.Resource.org cannot print those annotations on its website without a license.…

Mar 29, 2017 3:00 PM CDT

Georgia Supreme Court rejects reprimand for lawyer’s inappropriate emails to opposing counsel

The Georgia Supreme Court has rejected as too lenient a reprimand for an Atlanta bankruptcy lawyer who acknowledged sending inappropriate emails to opposing counsel in his divorce. The lawyer, John Michael Spain, had pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of stalking and harassing communications in connection with the emails, according…

Mar 3, 2017 4:20 PM CST

Fastcase refiles suit against Casemaker over right to publish Georgia regulations

Fastcase has filed a revised federal lawsuit against its competitor Casemaker over the right to publish Georgia’s administrative rules and regulations after a federal court tossed the earlier suit on jurisdictional grounds. The new suit (PDF) adds details on why the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, part of Fastcase’s bid…

Feb 7, 2017 9:42 AM CST

Georgia bar exam mistake takes toll on 90 law students

Imagine that you spend countless hours studying for the bar exam. You take the exam. You are told that you failed. Then you find out that you did, indeed, pass the exam after all.

Jan 1, 2017 3:10 AM CST

Georgia lawyer charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his wife

A Georgia lawyer was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct on Wednesday for the shooting death of his wife in September. Claud “Tex” McIver, who recently retired from a partner position practicing employment law with Fisher Phillips, has been under investigation by police for three months, the Atlanta Journal…

Dec 21, 2016 3:15 PM CST

Sutherland and Eversheds agree to merger

Atlanta-based Sutherland Asbill & Brennan and U.K. law firm Eversheds have agreed to merge. The merger had “exceptionally strong approval” from both partnerships, according to a press release. The merged firm will have 2,300 lawyers and 61 offices in 29 countries. The new firm will be called Eversheds Sutherland beginning…

Dec 16, 2016 9:14 AM CST

Lawyer who sued over $75 boot fee for Porsche paid $56K in sanctions; no discipline recommended

A special master considering two grievances filed against a Georgia lawyer who carried through on a threat to sue over his booted Porsche Cayenne has concluded that there is no need for disciplinary action. The special master last week recommended no discipline for lawyer James Potts II, two months after…

Dec 8, 2016 10:17 AM CST