Ethics

Traffic Judge Elected With $11K in Tix May Lose Seat

Philadelphia voters elected avid motorcyclist Willie F. Singletary to a seat on the Traffic Court in November, even though he had his driver’s license suspended until 2011 for accumulating 55 traffic tickets and a whopping $11,427.50 in fines. But what could cost him his $82,733-a-year seat is an April 22,…

Apr 24, 2008 6:04 PM CDT

New York AG Pension Probe Focuses on 12 Attorneys from 1 Law Firm

Updated: At least a dozen present and former attorneys at an Albany, N.Y., law firm are now reportedly being investigated by the state attorney general as part of an ongoing pension scandal probe. The 12 allegedly may have received improper credits in the state’s pension system because they were listed…

Apr 24, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

Judge Critical of ‘Broken’ Pretrial System in Fla. Faces Discipline

The future of an outspoken Florida judge is in the hands of the state judicial ethics authorities. At issue is whether St. Lucie County Judge Cliff Barnes is a champion of justice trying to fix a system with too many pretrial defendants in lockup because they can’t afford counsel or…

Apr 24, 2008 1:46 PM CDT

Lawyer Surrenders License After Bar Says He Left Innocent Client in Jail

A California lawyer has surrendered his law license after state bar officials accused him of stealing client funds, and in a more serious breach, of allowing a defendant to sit in jail for months even though the lawyer had evidence that would clear him. William S. Gebbie, a well-known San…

Apr 24, 2008 10:53 AM CDT

O’Connor on Ethical Missteps in Legal Profession

Speaking at Stanford University this week, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor waded into the topic of unscrupulous lawyers. Speaking about the “drastic results” of the 2001 collapse of Enron Corp., O’Connor said, “It makes one wonder what kind of ethical standards the lawyers and the accountants were…

Apr 24, 2008 9:54 AM CDT

How Attorneys Can Avoid Big Claims Over Bankrupt Clients

When struggling companies go under in a big way, bankruptcy trustees today are increasingly looking to their accountants and lawyers to ante up at least some of the missing money So professionals should keep a wary eye out for red flags that should warn them, early in the representation, that…

Apr 23, 2008 6:46 PM CDT

Mich. Judge Lied Under Oath, Should Be Dismissed, Panel Says

A Michigan judge lied under oath during her own divorce and submitted fake documents in her judicial ethics case, a nine-member state panel contends. The Judicial Tenure Commission has recommended that Beverley Nettles-Nickerson be removed from the Ingham County Circuit Court bench and required to pay the $128,000 cost of…

Apr 23, 2008 6:01 PM CDT

Ex-DOJ Official With Abramoff Ties Pleads Guilty

A former Justice Department higher-up, Robert E. Coughlin II, pleaded guilty Tuesday to accepting thousands of dollars worth of meals and tickets from disgraces lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for helping Abramoff’s clients. Coughlin, who was charged Monday, is the latest of more than a dozen public officials, lobbyists and…

Apr 23, 2008 1:47 PM CDT

Order for Attys to Donate $500K to Charity Backfires on Judge

When Tennessee Judge Hamilton Gayden presided over a case involving of stockholders in a class action against CVS/Caremark, he wanted to see someone benefit besides the lawyers. After all, only the lawyers would see any money, in the form of legal fees, from the eventual settlement. So Gayden ordered attorneys…

Apr 23, 2008 11:51 AM CDT

Ex-Scruggs Partner Requests Sanctions

In the latest twist to the ongoing judicial bribery scandal that felled plaintiffs lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, one of Scruggs’ former partners, Bob Wilson, is now asking for millions of dollars in sanction and punitive damages. The claim dates back to 2005, when a federal magistrate ordered Scruggs to pay…

Apr 23, 2008 11:15 AM CDT

Judge Who Hid Disbarred Spouse’s Assets Steps Down

Embattled New Hampshire Superior Court Justice Patricia Coffey, who last week was suspended for three years, is stepping down from the bench. The Nashua Telegraph reports that Coffey abruptly resigned Monday after expressing disappointment with the state supreme court sanction. The paper notes that Coffey’s resignation ends a lengthy ethics…

Apr 22, 2008 5:57 PM CDT

Ex-Quarles Partner Suspended For Not Reading Partnership Fine Print

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a former Quarles & Brady partner who kept $230,000 in trustee fees because he says he didn’t realize his partnership agreement required him to turn over the money. The nine-month suspension of Jeffrey Elverman is tougher than the one recommended by a referee, who…

Apr 22, 2008 2:23 PM CDT

DOJ’s Abramoff Probe Ensares One of Its Own

A former Justice Department official is among those ensnared by a DOJ corruption probe into the activities of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Robert E. Coughlin II, who served in the DOJ’s legislative affairs office from 2001 to 2003, was charged Monday in federal court with violating federal conflict-of-interest laws, the…

Apr 22, 2008 1:01 PM CDT

Judge’s $14K Sanction Against Lawyer Overturned

The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that a Norfolk circuit judge abused his discretion when he fined a lawyer $14,000 when the lawyer’s client filed for bankruptcy on the eve of trial. Norfolk Circuit Judge Chuck Griffith ordered John J. McNally to pay the fine in 2006 and was one…

Apr 21, 2008 2:06 PM CDT

Judge Who Tried to Hide Assets for Disbarred Husband Gets 3-Yr Suspension

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has suspended a judge for three years, a term 12 times longer than a disciplinary panel had recommended. The unpaid suspension of Superior Court Judge Patricia Coffey comes after the court concluded she was complicit in a fraudulent property transfer involving her lawyer-husband, the Concord…

Apr 21, 2008 10:53 AM CDT