Georgia

11th Circuit Rejects Appeal by Death-Row Inmate Claiming Innocence

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by a Georgia death-row inmate who claims the Eighth Amendment bars his execution because he is innocent. In a 2-1 decision (PDF), the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the claim by Troy Anthony Davis, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Davis…

Apr 17, 2009 6:29 PM CDT

Ga. Real Estate Lawyer Charged in Alleged $28M Ponzi Scheme

A Georgia lawyer accused of masterminding a $28 million real estate Ponzi scheme that duped 125 investors was charged today with one count of wire fraud in a case that he himself initiated. Attorney Robert P. Copeland of Marietta claimed to be spending some $40 million he obtained from investors…

Apr 9, 2009 7:25 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide Whether Good Lawyering Merits Fee Boost

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether winning lawyers may be awarded enhanced fees under a fee-shifting statute because of good performance and a good result. The case stems from $10.5 million in fees awarded to Marcia Robinson Lowry of Children’s Rights Inc. and lawyer Jeffrey Bramlett, currently…

Apr 7, 2009 12:35 PM CDT

Barnes Firm Raids Bryan Cave to Open Atlanta Office, Plans More Hiring

A more than 500-attorney Indianapolis-based law firm is opening its first office in the Southeast, raiding two partners from the Atlanta office of Bryan Cave Powell Goldstein to establish a foothold in the city. Although Barnes & Thornburg is opening its Atlanta outpost with Stuart Johnson and Jason Bernstein, it…

Apr 6, 2009 9:43 PM CDT

Atlanta Firm Cuts 6 Incoming Associates; Nixes Summer Program to Save Jobs

Incoming associates at the Atlanta midsize law firm Morris, Manning & Martin got the bad news last night: Their jobs are gone. The firm rescinded offers to six incoming associates and canceled its summer program, which affects nine law students. In an e-mail interview with the ABA Journal, Managing Partner…

Mar 17, 2009 7:23 PM CDT

Two Atlanta-Area Court Officials Accused of Taking Bribes

Two Atlanta-area court officials have been charged with plotting to take bribes to help defendants obtain lenient sentences. Keith L. Hughes, coordinator of DeKalb County’s Office of Pretrial Services, and county probation officer Nicole Dunn were arrested in an FBI sting operation, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. They were charged with…

Mar 11, 2009 11:19 AM CDT

King & Spalding Cuts 37 Lawyers, 85 Staff

Atlanta-based King & Spalding has just announced that it is laying off a total of 122 people: 37 associates and counsel and 85 staff. In a written statement, published by the Blog of Legal Times, firm chairman Robert Hays expresses regret for the layoffs, but says continuing decline in the…

Mar 6, 2009 11:09 PM CST

Group May Have Aided 130 Suicides; Four Members Arrested

Scores of death investigations may be reopened as Georgia authorities probe an Atlanta area group that helped others commit suicide with helium gas. A court document says the group Final Exit Network may have helped as many as 130 people around the country commit suicide, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Investigators…

Feb 27, 2009 6:51 PM CST

Prosecutor Resigns After Alleged Hot-Dog Tussle; Evidence Is Mustard Stain

An assistant district attorney in Georgia has resigned after his arrest on charges of public intoxication and theft of services stemming from an alleged drunken tussle with a hot-dog vendor. Police responding to a report of a fight talked to the vendor, who complained that the prosecutor, William Michael Olson…

Feb 26, 2009 6:44 PM CST

‘Limited Turnover’ at Paul Hastings in Atlanta Office

Some lawyers have been let go at the Atlanta office of Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, but the layoffs are nothing unusual, the firm says. In a one-sentence response to a request for information from Above the Law concerning tips that a substantial number of associates have been given their…

Feb 4, 2009 1:27 AM CST

FDA Opens Criminal Probe of Peanut Co.; Obama Calls for Agency Overhaul

The federal Food and Drug Administration has opened a criminal investigation into a closely held Virginia-based company that has been blamed for a salmonella outbreak that allegedly sickened more than 500 people and killed eight. Although Peanut Corp. of America’s own tests in 2007 and 2008 showed that salmonella was…

Feb 2, 2009 5:55 PM CST

Associates at Alston & Bird, Hogan & Hartson Won’t Get Pay Raises

Alston & Bird and Hogan & Hartson are apparently the latest law firms to freeze associate salaries. The blog Above the Law has published law firm internal memos announcing the freezes. The Alston & Bird memo said the pay freeze was needed for “sound financial stewardship of the firm.” The…

Jan 14, 2009 2:38 PM CST

Ga. Court Clerk Charged with Stealing $121K in Court Deposits

A municipal court clerk in Georgia has been accused of stealing more than $121,000 in court deposits after an audit found money missing since 2003. Patricia Regina Wilcurt, who was a $28,000-a-year employee for the court in Austell, was charged with theft and making a false written statement to a…

Jan 13, 2009 4:23 PM CST

Life Sentence in Court Shooting Spurs Push for Nonunanimous Death Verdicts

After jurors failed to agree on the death penalty for convicted courthouse shooter Brian Nichols, several Georgia lawmakers got behind proposals to end the requirement for unanimity. Currently all states with the death penalty require jurors to be united in their decision that execution is warranted, the New York Times…

Dec 18, 2008 5:51 PM CST

Muslim Woman Jailed for Refusing to Remove Scarf for Ga. Court

A Georgia judge ordered a Muslim woman jailed for 10 days after she refused to remove her scarf for court. Lisa Valentine, whose Islamic name is Miedah, served less than a day, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The reason for her early release Tuesday evening wasn’t clear, the newspaper says. Valentine’s…

Dec 17, 2008 3:20 PM CST