Georgia

Stevens Calls Ga. Capital Case ‘Troubling,’ But Agrees with Cert Denial

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens called a Georgia capital case “particularly troubling” in a statement issued today, but said he agreed with the decision to deny certiorari. Stevens wrote in the case of death-row inmate Artemus “Rick” Walker, convicted of stabbing to death a bank vice president after…

Oct 20, 2008 4:10 PM CDT

Son Had Tried to Commit Suicide-Bomber Who Critically Injured Ga. Lawyer

The son of a suicide bomber who critically injured a name partner of a Georgia law firm said he tried to have his father involuntarily hospitalized, without success. The bomber, Lloyd Cantrell, killed himself and critically injured Dalton lawyer James Phillips. Cantrell’s youngest son, Bruce Cantrell, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution…

Oct 20, 2008 12:19 PM CDT

St. Louis Lawyer Injured By Parking Lot Package Bomb

A lawyer who lives in an upscale suburb of St. Louis was injured yesterday when he picked up an apparent package bomb left next to his car in its assigned parking spot in the garage of the Clayton, Mo., high-rise. John Gillis, 69, was bloodied and burned by the blast,…

Oct 17, 2008 4:03 PM CDT

Georgia Law Firm Explodes in Suicide Attack, DA Blames Lawsuit

An explosion at a personal injury law firm in downtown Dalton, Ga., this morning injured four people, including at least one lawyer, and resulted in the death of the apparent bomber in what a federal law enforcement spokesman describes as a suicide attack. “A body has been found behind the…

Oct 17, 2008 3:40 PM CDT

Court Suspends Lawyer Who Ignored Discovery, Cited Billable Pressures

The Georgia Supreme Court has reprimanded and imposed a one-month suspension on a lawyer who said he ignored discovery requests in a 2006 case in part because he was dealing with stress caused by billable hour pressures. The court gave the limited suspension to Stephen Lee Stincer, citing mitigating factors…

Oct 7, 2008 3:43 PM CDT

Ga. Supremes Toss Suit Claiming Transgender Candidate Misled Voters

The Georgia Supreme Court has tossed a lawsuit that contended a transgender politician misled voters by running as a woman. The court said Michelle Bruce did not cast doubt on the election results by using a female name on the ballot for the Riverdale Council, the New York Times reports.…

Oct 7, 2008 1:53 PM CDT

Judge Rules Trustee Lacks Authority to Sue Countrywide for Abuses

A federal bankruptcy judge in Miami has tossed a suit by the U.S. Trustee against Countrywide, ruling the agency has no authority to sanction companies for alleged bad faith conduct. Judge A. Jay Cristol said the trustee had “noble intentions” but the authority to seek punishment rests with federal prosecutors,…

Oct 6, 2008 1:55 PM CDT

Laid Off After Many Years in Court Job, Georgia Lawyer Makes Lemonade

As budget cuts resulted in layoffs this week for four lawyers who have each worked at the Georgia Court of Appeals for well over a decade, at least one member of the group is looking forward to an exciting career change. After walking out the door for the last time…

Oct 2, 2008 7:02 PM CDT

New Law Firm Perk: Work Shorter Week Until Gas Shortage Ends

At least one law firm is responding to a temporary gasoline shortage in the southeastern United States by creating a new perk for staffers. Until the situation is back to normal, employees of Atlanta-based Balch & Bingham can work a four-day week, explains the Daily Report in an article reprinted…

Oct 2, 2008 6:10 PM CDT

Another Recruiter’s Suit Against a Law Firm Gets Resolved

Epstein Becker & Green has settled a lawsuit filed by an Atlanta recruiting firm that contended the law firm failed to pay its total fee. The recruiter, Counsel Search, was seeking more than $169,000 in damages in the Atlanta lawsuit, the American Lawyer reports. Counsel Search claimed Epstein Becker owed…

Oct 2, 2008 3:29 PM CDT

2 Ga. Lawyers Testify: What Happened the Day When Judge Barnes Was Murdered

It seemed like a routine court hearing. Everyone was in a good mood, and Georgia Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes had just made one of his trademark jokes. But when a man in a business suit stepped up behind Barnes, seeming to be a staffer about to hand something to…

Sep 30, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Inmate who Claims Innocence Gets Supreme Court Stay of Execution

A Georgia death-row inmate whose claims of innocence have attracted international attention has won a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court. The stay for Troy Anthony Davis remains in place at least until Monday, when the court decides whether to hear his claim that the Eighth Amendment bars…

Sep 24, 2008 11:27 AM CDT

Smith Gambrell Quotes Easterbrook in Answer to Malpractice Complaint

Smith, Gambrell & Russell has answered an $80 million bankruptcy trustee’s malpractice complaint by quoting an opinion by Judge Frank Easterbrook questioning the litigation judgment of some bankruptcy trustees. Trustee William Perkins claims the law firm and its former counsel, C. Gladwyn Goins, failed to prevent the founder of a…

Sep 12, 2008 6:20 PM CDT

Ex-Con Clerk for Stephen Bright Pleads Guilty to Stealing His Boss’s Identity

Lawyer Stephen Bright, president of the Southern Center for Human Rights, had told officials he wanted to help an ex-con get his life on track when he hired Shareef Cousin as a law clerk. But Cousin, a former death-row inmate, didn’t return the favor. Atlanta prosecutors say Cousin obtained credit…

Sep 5, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Defendants Salvo Back at Feds in Ga. Court Corruption Case

A former Georgia judge and his wife are firing back in a federal prosecution over claimed court corruption in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, alleging “outrageous government misconduct” in matters related to the ongoing case against them and at least nine other defendants. Specifically, lawyers for Berrien Sutton and his wife,…

Aug 29, 2008 8:16 PM CDT