Illinois

Would-Be Court Escapee Bounces Off Bulletproof Glass, Has Bond Upped to $1.5M

A defendant awaiting a court appearance in bond violation matter concerning an aggravated battery case wound up in a lot more trouble yesterday after he allegedly tried to sprint away from security checkpoint at a courthouse in suburban Chicago. A videotape shows a man identified as Travis Copeland, 19, running…

Jan 15, 2010 9:25 PM CST

Seyfarth Axes About 40 Attorneys and Staff in Latest Round of Layoffs

In a new cost-cutting move, Seyfarth Shaw announced in an internal memo yesterday that the law firm is laying off approximately 20 attorneys and 20 staff members nationwide. Describing 2009 as “one of the most challenging years in generations for our clients, our peers in the legal profession and for…

Jan 15, 2010 8:10 PM CST

DNA Sample Taken From Longtime Suspect in 1982 Tylenol Killings

A longtime suspect in the 1982 deaths of seven people in the Chicago area who ingested cyanide-laced Tylenol has turned over a DNA sample in response to an order to do so this week by a Massachusetts judge. It was made in response to a DuPage County, Ill., grand jury…

Jan 8, 2010 9:22 PM CST

Growing Midsize Firm Pays Big Bucks, Targets ‘Core Industries’

As a number of BigLaw firms have struggled over the past year to deal with the global economic downturn, one of their midsize competitors has been enjoying record revenue and expanding in selected markets. Loeb & Loeb, a five-office national firm with some 300 lawyers on its attorney roster, anticipates…

Jan 7, 2010 6:00 AM CST

Mich. AG Likens Carp to ‘Nuclear Bombs,’ Asks High Court to Stop Lake Entry

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force Illinois to close shipping locks to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. In an effort to resolve the case quickly, Cox is asking the high court to reopen three separate 1929 complaints by Wisconsin, Michigan…

Dec 22, 2009 2:37 PM CST

Lawyer Sues Quadriplegic Ex-Girlfriend for Custody of Their Baby Son

Obviously, a mother who cannot walk, feels nothing from the chest down and has only limited use of her arms faces certain challenges when caring for an infant. But are they sufficient reason for a judge to take away custody of her child? That is a central question in a…

Dec 21, 2009 6:17 PM CST

New Exam Issue Tests NYU Law School: How to Grade, When Some Saw Questions Earlier?

In at least the second such snafu reported this month concerning a law school exam, New York University administrators are now pondering how to handle a situation in which some of the students in a law school class, through no fault of their own, saw the questions in advance. Earlier,…

Dec 19, 2009 12:41 AM CST

Stopped for Expired L-Plate, Driver Featured on TV Reality Show Files Federal Suit

Stopped by police in a Chicago suburb for allegedly driving a car with an expired license plate, Eran Best says she was subsequently humiliated when the incident—which eventually included a field sobriety test—was featured in a segment of a television reality show. She reportedly was not charged with any moving…

Dec 16, 2009 10:00 PM CST

Lawyer Sentenced to Six Months in Jail for Stealing Nearly $137K from Partner

A Chicago-area lawyer has been sentenced to six months in jail and four years of probation for stealing $137,000 from her law partner. The lawyer, Ann Day, will likely be released in 28 days because of time already served, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Prosecutors had sought a prison term for…

Dec 10, 2009 12:30 PM CST

Brinks Hofer Cuts 7 Lawyers & 19 Staff, May Reduce Associate Pay Next Year

As other law firms made layoffs, deferred start dates for new associates and cut attorney pay in response to the difficult new legal economy of the past year or so, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione stayed the course. But that changed today, when the Chicago-based intellectual property firm announced layoffs…

Dec 9, 2009 12:56 AM CST

Prof Who Equates Forfeiture With Bullying Won’t Get Due Process Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t rule on the constitutional claims of six Illinois property owners who contended delayed hearings on the return of forfeited assets violated their due process rights. Today, the Supreme Court found that the case is moot because the underlying property disputes have all ended. “The state…

Dec 8, 2009 3:54 PM CST

Mistrial for Blogger Accused of Threat to Kill 3 Federal Appellate Judges

A deadlocked jury forced a mistrial today in the case of a so-called hate blogger accused of threatening three federal appeals court judges in an Internet tirade over an opinion they issued on gun control. Prosecutors contended the blog post by Hal Turner amounted to a death threat against the…

Dec 7, 2009 8:28 PM CST

How Many Postal Workers Does It Take ...

If this sounds like the start of a bad joke, please forgive Philadelphia writer Leigh Deveres for filling in the punch line.

Dec 2, 2009 4:29 AM CST

Like Corporate Cousins, City of Chicago Seeks Lower Outside Legal Fees

It isn’t just in-house counsel at large corporations who are leaning on private law firms to lower their hourly legal fees. The city of Chicago has also done so, and now pays its outside counsel a top billable rate of $250 an hour, down from $295, reports the Chicago Tribune.…

Nov 16, 2009 10:33 PM CST

Ex-Gov of Ill. Could Be Alone at Trial as Other Defendants Sprint for Exit

It looks like the impeached former governor of Illinois is likely to be all alone when his federal corruption case goes to trial next year. Although there were six defendants in the case when the charges were announced earlier this year, Rod Blagojevich’s brother, Rob, is the only remaining co-defendant…

Nov 16, 2009 8:11 PM CST