Georgia

Lawsuit Lender’s Suit Against Disbarred Lawyer Reveals ‘Hefty’ Interest Charges

A lawsuit loan company that advanced $25,000 to an Atlanta lawyer and his law firm in exchange for a stake in the litigation has filed a lawsuit that shines a light on its high-interest financing method. The lawyer named as a defendant, Earl Davidson, has been disbarred for misusing trust…

Mar 27, 2008 2:22 PM CDT

T-shirt Maker Wins Wal-Mart Legal Battle

A federal judge has sided with a T-shirt maker in a trademark battle with Wal-Mart. U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. has ruled that T-shirts and other paraphernalia with anti-Wal-Mart slogans are protected as parodies, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. Charles Smith’s T-shirts carried slogans such as…

Mar 26, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Several Atlanta Law Offices Damaged in Tornado

Lawyers were dealing with broken windows and debris after a tornado Friday damaged several downtown law offices. Stephanie Dyer, managing partner of The Bloom Law Firm, returned to the office from a client event just minutes after the tornado ripped through the downtown, according to the Fulton County Daily Report.…

Mar 18, 2008 1:11 PM CDT

Ga. Chief Judge is Unindicted Co-Conspirator

Updated: Under fire last year for his alleged role in imposing unauthorized fees on criminal defendants, the chief judge of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit in Georgia has now reportedly been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal case against a former employee who used to work for him as…

Mar 17, 2008 9:42 PM CDT

Landfill Searched for Missing Ga. Lawyer

Although there’s no proof that a missing Georgia lawyer and her husband are dead, authorities from five law enforcement agencies are searching a landfill for their bodies with the help of cadaver dogs. The searchers took a break Sunday, but were expected to be back at work today at the…

Mar 17, 2008 4:03 PM CDT

Dead Man Admitted Stealing from Missing Ga. Lawyer

A “person of interest” admitted in what authorities think are suicide notes that he stole from a missing Georgia lawyer and her husband. Dennis Ray Gerwing, 54, who was found dead this week, admits in two notes that he stole from Savannah attorney Elizabeth Calvert, 45, and her husband John,…

Mar 14, 2008 6:45 PM CDT

Person of Interest re Missing Ga. Lawyer Commits Suicide

A man who was described as a “person of interest” in the case of a Georgia lawyer who has been missing, along with her husband, for more than a week has reportedly committed suicide. The body of Dennis Ray Gerwing, 54, who was named yesterday in the case, was found…

Mar 12, 2008 5:34 PM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Willie Gary Wins Contempt Battle in Child Support Dispute

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that Florida trial lawyer Willie Gary isn’t responsible for $462,000 in back child support and he can’t be held in contempt for failing to pay it. At issue was whether Gary had agreed to pay $14,000 a month in support for both—or each—of two…

Mar 11, 2008 12:40 PM CDT

Top Ga. Judge: ‘Obvious Deficiencies’ in Judicial Pay Study

A consultant’s study of the compensation paid to Georgia judges had “obvious deficiencies,” the president of the Council of Superior Court Judges told legislators at a state senate subcommittee hearing today. At issue is a proposed judicial pay increase. For example, the study, by New York-based employee-benefits consultant Mercer LLC,…

Mar 10, 2008 10:52 PM CDT

FBI Joins Search for Missing Ga. Lawyer

Updated: The FBI has joined an ongoing search for a Savannah, Ga., attorney and her husband, a businessman. Both haven’t been seen since Monday and, uncharacteristically, have had their cell phones and BlackBerries turned off all week. Authorities began looking for Elizabeth Calvert after she failed to show up at…

Mar 7, 2008 4:38 PM CST

3 Lawyers’ New Gigs: Headmistress, Concrete Worker, Rap Artist

For lawyers unhappy in their current jobs, three recent reports of career changes by successful attorneys might offer some food for thought. Pinney Allen, 54, a top female partner at Alston & Bird, is leaving the firm July 1 to run the Atlanta Girls’ School, according to a Daily Report…

Mar 6, 2008 5:39 PM CST

What Women Lawyers Want: Flex-Time and Part-Time Options

Flexible work arrangements are key to retaining women lawyers, but the culture of the legal profession doesn’t appear to value part-time work, according to a new study of Georgia law firms. The study by the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers found that only 30 percent of the surveyed law firms…

Mar 6, 2008 4:11 PM CST

Longtime DA in Ga. Gets 6 Years in Payroll Scheme

A 24-year veteran district attorney in northeast Georgia was sentenced today to a six-year prison term for payroll fraud in which two other Piedmont Judicial Circuit employees, including his wife, allegedly were involved. Tim Madison, who resigned last year during an investigation by state authorities, also was sentenced to six…

Mar 5, 2008 1:21 AM CST

Property Forfeiture Sought in Kickback Probe of Ex-Home Depot Managers

Federal prosecutors in Atlanta are seeking the forfeiture of nine properties, luxury cars and more than $300,000 owned by three former Home Depot executives under investigation for taking alleged kickbacks. None of the former managers—Anthony Tesvich, his wife Melissa, James P. Robinson and Ronald K. Johnston—has been charged with any…

Mar 4, 2008 12:43 PM CST

Special Master Says Coughlin Stoia Paid for Stolen Coke Documents

A special master has concluded that the securities class action law firm Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins paid for stolen documents in a shareholders suit against Coca-Cola. Special Master Hunter Hughes III recommended that the firm be banned as class counsel because of the conduct, according to the Legal…

Feb 29, 2008 4:58 PM CST