Government

UK Lawyer Made $25M in a Year, Now He Is Focus of Legal-Fees Controversy

Representing injured coal miners has proven to be a lucrative practice area for Jim Beresford, 58, and his three-partner law firm. At one point, the head office of the United Kingdom law firm now known as Beresfords Solicitors was shabby building near a Chinese takeout restaurant in Doncaster, in South…

Nov 14, 2008 12:31 AM CST

School District Sued by Students Over High School Newspaper Sex Story

Four current and former high school students in Washington state sued the Puyallup School District in federal court yesterday, contending that their names were used without their permission in a student newspaper article about their sex lives. Students contend that they spoke to JagWire reporters at Emerald Ridge High based…

Nov 13, 2008 10:50 PM CST

Jones Day Partner on Winning Side of White House E-Mail Ruling

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has refused to dismiss a lawsuit by two nonprofit groups seeking recovery of possibly millions of White House e-mails. U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy Jr. ruled on Monday that courts have the power to order the White House to retrieve the messages, the Associated…

Nov 13, 2008 4:16 PM CST

Roberts Supports Ban on Sect Display with ‘Statue of Despotism’ Hypo

During oral arguments yesterday, several justices fretted about the unusual monuments that would have to be erected if the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for a sect seeking to force a Utah town to display its Seven Aphorisms. The justices’ comments suggest the court will rule against the Summum religious group,…

Nov 13, 2008 1:59 PM CST

Will Latham & Watkins Lose San Diego Legal Work?

The election loss of San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre could also be a loss for Latham & Watkins. The law firm has defended the city in several lawsuits and racked up some impressive appellate victories, but its “most-favored-firm status could be in jeopardy” with Aguirre’s defeat by state court…

Nov 12, 2008 4:50 PM CST

In Lengthy Legal Saga, Pa. Doctor is Licensed, Then Loses Practice Privileges

Richard Brown never seemed like a great candidate for a physician’s license. A lackluster student in high school and college, he attended several foreign institutions before getting a medical degree. Criticized in sometimes-scathing evaluations by the physicians in charge of hospital programs for whom he worked as in clinical rotations,…

Nov 11, 2008 8:08 PM CST

UBS Gave Feds Information About Customers’ Bank Accounts in US

As part of a federal probe of whether Americans dodged taxes by secreting assets in Swiss bank accounts, UBS has provided data about bank accounts in the United States. “U.S. authorities have requested data from UBS on U.S. onshore clients,” a spokesman for the Switzerland-based bank tells Reuters. “UBS must…

Nov 11, 2008 6:48 PM CST

Supreme Court to Consider Request to Display ‘Seven Aphorisms’

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that asks whether a public park is required to display a monument donated by a small religious group called Summum, a name that refers to the sum of all creation. The Utah park already contains a Ten Commandments…

Nov 11, 2008 5:23 PM CST

Pa. Lawyer Chained Pregnant Girlfriend to Couch, Authorities Charge

A defense lawyer in Blair County, Pa., has been charged with chaining his pregnant girlfriend to a sofa. Mark Zearfaus, 40, allegedly restrained the 28-year-old woman at her home by attaching her ankle to the couch with a 31-foot chain and a couple of padlocks, after the two argued Friday…

Nov 10, 2008 10:15 PM CST

Amish Families to Sue N.Y. Town Over Building Code Enforcement Issues

Contending that their First Amendment right to religious freedom is being abridged by too-zealous enforcement of a New York municipality’s building codes, a group of Amish families plans to file a federal suit against Morristown. “Lori H. Windham, an attorney for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty of Washington, D.C.,…

Nov 10, 2008 7:58 PM CST

Obama to Bring Gitmo Detainees to US Courts, Associated Press Says

In a potential move that could change the landscape of the nation’s criminal justice system, president-elect Barack Obama reportedly has asked his advisers to put together a plan to close the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and bring detainees who are not released here for trial. While…

Nov 10, 2008 7:28 PM CST

Personnel Board Upholds Firing of Calif. Lawyer Who Questioned Labor Regs

A California state employment lawyer who criticized emergency regulations on employee meal and rest breaks says he’s considering a lawsuit after he failed to win his job back. The State Personnel Board ruled last week that lawyer Miles Locker had undermined the trust essential to the attorney-client relationship and upheld…

Nov 10, 2008 2:53 PM CST

Want ‘Bailout Love’ from Treasury? Strict Conflicts Rules Apply

Two law firms have to be happy about hefty contracts awarded by the U.S. Treasury Department in exchange for helping as many as 2,500 financial firms apply for a share of $750 billion being spent as part of a taxpayer-funded bailout plan. However, there’s one catch, reports the Am Law…

Nov 8, 2008 12:14 AM CST

Conn. Lawyer Apologizes for Posing as Parking Lot Attendant

Facing potential discipline for allegedly violating attorney ethics rules, a Connecticut lawyer has apologized to a hearing panel for posing as a parking lot attendant to make an anonymous complaint about her boss. Maureen Duggan worked as a staff counsel for the State Ethics Commission when she wrote a 2004…

Nov 7, 2008 8:51 PM CST

Illinois ‘Choose Life’ License Plates Not Required, 7th Circuit Says

Overruling a federal trial judge, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the state of Illinois is not required to issue “Choose Life” license plates sought by individuals who oppose abortion. “The three-judge panel said a decision by Illinois lawmakers not to authorize the ‘Choose Life’…

Nov 7, 2008 5:51 PM CST