Ethics

Firm’s Take in Hip-Hop Bankruptcy Is Zilch

A federal bankruptcy judge has refused to award fees to a New York City law firm representing hip-hop media company Source Enterprises Inc. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez issued a “stinging 38-page decision” denying requested fees of $526,000 to Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, the New York Law Journal reports.…

Apr 15, 2008 12:20 PM CDT

Spanish Judge Fined $162K for Jailing of Innocent Man

A Spanish judge who failed to release an acquitted man from jail because of an oversight has been fined $162,000 and suspended for a year. Judge Adelina Entrena was found guilty of grave negligence by the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, the Associated Press reports. She failed to notify…

Apr 11, 2008 12:53 PM CDT

90 N.Y. Lawyers May Have Collected Millions of Dollars in ‘Scam’ Pensions

Ninety lawyers in New York state may have collected tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent pensions from school districts that improperly listed them as employees, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a news conference yesterday. Cuomo said he is weighing civil and criminal charges against the lawyers for what…

Apr 11, 2008 11:44 AM CDT

Musical Hot Seats in Detroit, as Lawyers Testify About $8.4M Settlement

As a hearing before the Detroit City Council that has put a number of lawyers in the hot seat continued for a third day today, observers got an unusually detailed behind-the-scenes account of how attorneys on both sides of a controversial $8.4 million settlement reached the agreement. Plaintiffs attorney Mike…

Apr 10, 2008 10:33 PM CDT

Magistrate Recommends Discipline for Talkative Defense Lawyer

A federal magistrate has recommended discipline for a Knoxville defense lawyer who continued to talk after a federal judge ordered him to keep quiet. Magistrate Susan Kerr Lee recommended “appropriate discipline” for lawyer Herbert Moncier because of his conduct in November 2006, the Chattanoogan.com reports. She said he has had…

Apr 10, 2008 1:23 PM CDT

I’ll Be a Potted Plant, Gitmo Defense Lawyer Fears

As efforts to conduct military trials of terrorism suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison inch forward, some suspects and their counsel are not optimistic about the process. One Saudi defendant today politely informed a military judge that his planned war crimes trial is a sham in which he…

Apr 9, 2008 10:01 PM CDT

Mich. Supreme Court Sides With Embattled Judge

The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled against the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission, holding that Steven Servaas, a judge the commission had sought to remove from the state’s 63rd District bench following a controversial investigation, should continue hearing cases for now. “The state Judicial Tenure Commission in February sought an interim…

Apr 9, 2008 8:06 PM CDT

Judge Removes DA’s Office From Murder Case, Cites Ethics Breach

In an unprecedented move, a Colorado district attorney’s office was yanked from a death penalty case after a judge learned that one of the prosecutors had previously represented the defendant. The judge also ruled that the district attorney’s office violated professional conduct rules in handling the case. In a ruling…

Apr 9, 2008 4:24 PM CDT

Ohio Lawyer Gets Probation for Faking Kidnapping

An Ohio attorney who disappeared for several days last year while pregnant and later falsely claimed to have been kidnapped at gunpoint, has been sentenced to probation and a $300 fine in a Toledo misdemeanor case for making false alarms. Karyn McConnell Hancock, 35, apologized to investigators, family and friends…

Apr 9, 2008 4:08 PM CDT

Citing ‘Extreme’ Juror Animus, Flamboyant Mich. Lawyer Asks for New Venue

Embattled Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger is scheduled to face trial Monday on criminal campaign finance and obstruction of justice charges. But the well-known plaintiffs’ lawyer is asking for an eleventh-hour change of venue because he won’t be able to get a fair trial in Detroit or the Eastern District of…

Apr 9, 2008 2:51 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Confronted a Loud ‘Nitwit’ Cell User Acquitted

A lawyer known to aggressively confront loud cell phone talkers riding commuter trains in Long Island was acquitted on harassment charges. John Clifford, a retired police officer-turned-lawyer, admitted he unleashed a string of obscenities at one “19-year-old nitwit” who was disturbing Clifford’s peace with a series of phone calls, the…

Apr 9, 2008 2:38 PM CDT

Donald Trump’s ‘Cash Cow’ Claim Against NYC Firm Moves Forward

In a legal malpractice case, real estate developer Donald Trump claims his Manhattan law firm overcharged him and treated him like a “cash cow.” Trump’s suit against New York’s Morrison Cohen claims the firm did unnecessary work to generate higher bills. Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Kenneth W. Rudolph allowed…

Apr 9, 2008 11:16 AM CDT

Lawyer Sanctioned for Filing ‘Frivolous’ Depo Distress Suit

A New Jersey judge has ordered a plaintiffs lawyer to pay $2,500 plus attorney fees for filing a frivolous lawsuit alleging his opponent’s deposition questions caused his client emotional distress. That suit was dismissed last fall, and in late March New Jersey Superior Court Judge Alfonse Cifelli ordered the sanctions…

Apr 9, 2008 11:05 AM CDT

Sex, Lies and Text Messages: Side Deal a Secret in $8.4M Pact, Detroit Lawyer Says

During a hearing that began today over a controversial $8.4 million settlement by the city of Detroit of police whistle-blower cases, a lawyer representing the mayor told the city council he had no ethical obligation to inform the governing body about a secret side deal about text messages between the…

Apr 8, 2008 10:44 PM CDT

Lawyers Affilliated With Scruggs Barred From Katrina Litigation

A federal judge has ruled that a group of Mississippi attorneys who were once affiliated with disgraced plaintiffs lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs is barred from representing any policyholders in lawsuits against State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. over Hurricane Katrina damage. Ruling in Gulfport, Miss., Friday, U.S. District Judge L.T.…

Apr 8, 2008 4:25 PM CDT