Ethics

Suit Claims Title Insurers Paid Kickbacks; Trade Group Cites Lawyer, Broker Pressure

A lawsuit filed against four title insurance companies claims they colluded and paid illegal kickbacks to agents and brokers without disclosing the improper costs in state rate requests. But a spokesman for the industry says the scrutiny should instead be on brokers and lawyers who pressure the insurers for kickbacks.…

Feb 12, 2008 1:06 PM CST

Covington Represents Roger Clemens and MLB, to the Latter’s Annoyance

Covington & Burling agreed to represent pitcher Roger Clemens in the congressional inquiry into steroid use by sports figures even though the law firm also has Major League Baseball as a client. An American Lawyer article quotes an anonymous source who said the law firm did not get advance approval…

Feb 12, 2008 12:34 PM CST

‘Scrivener’ Closing Attorney Ruined By $19M Real Estate Fraud

Atlanta attorney R. Joseph Costanzo Jr. was a little fish in sea of bigtime mortgage fraud, according to his defense lawyer. But after two years of closing fraudulent real estate deals in the Atlanta area as part of a $19 million “flipping” scheme that reportedly involved at least 21 people,…

Feb 12, 2008 1:34 AM CST

Lerach Gets 2 Years in Claimed Milberg Weiss Kickbacks Case

A once-mighty partner at the nation’s biggest and best-known plaintiffs securities firm was given a two-year federal prison sentence today for his role in an alleged law firm scheme to pay $11.3 million in kickbacks to lead plaintiffs in securities class actions. In addition to the prison term, William Lerach,…

Feb 11, 2008 9:44 PM CST

ABA OKs Conditional Admission to Bar for Would-Be Lawyers with Addiction, Mental Problems

The ABA has adopted a model rule that would grant conditional admission to the practice of law to applicants who have experienced chemical dependency or mental health conditions that otherwise would have rendered the applicants unfit to practice law. The rule would grant conditional admission to such applicants who demonstrate…

Feb 11, 2008 8:03 PM CST

ABA Calls For Tighter Prosecution Ethics Rules

The ABA’s 555-member policy-making House of Delegates has called on states to amend their legal ethics rules to require prosecutors to disclose evidence creating a reasonable likelihood that a defendant did not commit the crime for which he or she was convicted, and to take steps to remedy such convictions.…

Feb 11, 2008 6:07 PM CST

Fla. Appeals Judge Faces New Charges Over Critique of Fellow Jurist in Opinion

Asked to explain why he had criticized a fellow appellate court jurist in a written opinion, Judge Michael E. Allen reportedly told the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission that he had no personal animosity against Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. But the commission apparently didn’t believe Allen, and has now filed…

Feb 11, 2008 4:10 PM CST

Lawyer Gets Five-Year Sentence for Smuggling Saw Blade to Jailed Client

An Atlanta lawyer has been sentenced to five years in prison for smuggling a 14-inch saw blade to a jailed client. Jurors convicted lawyer William Keenan last week of providing an inmate with a dangerous weapon, WALB News reports. However, a Fulton County Daily Report story on the sentence mentions…

Feb 11, 2008 1:55 PM CST

Why are TV Lawyers Ethically Challenged? That’s Hollywood, Writers Say

Three unrepentant lawyers who changed careers and now create popular culture’s view of the profession—they write for TV’s Law & Order, Boston Legal and Shark—talked freely Friday afternoon about how and why they often portray lawyers as unethical and disgusting, as well as mangling various litigation rules and procedures in…

Feb 9, 2008 9:48 PM CST

Judge Censured for Excessive Bail, Severe Attitude

The Michigan Supreme Court has publicly censured a judge for setting “grossly excessive” bail and showing a “severe attitude” toward witnesses and litigants. Judge Norene Redmond of Eastpointe was censured after the court reviewed her actions in three cases, according to the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. The cases…

Feb 8, 2008 7:07 PM CST

Suit Against James Brown’s Lawyers and Greenberg Traurig as Wild as Singer’s Life

Several lawyers have been named in a lawsuit filed by new trustees for the estate of legendary singer James Brown. “Full of drama, the legal wrangling could be straight out of Mr. Brown’s turbulent life, reflected in songs that revolved around women, alcohol and the blues,” the New York Times…

Feb 8, 2008 5:21 PM CST

Disbarment Sought for Former Holland & Knight Partner

The District of Columbia Bar Counsel is seeking the disbarment of a former partner at Holland & Knight for allegedly forging signatures on an agreement for an easement. Theodore Silva Jr. is accused of lying to the law firm and a client about the status of the agreement, then forging…

Feb 8, 2008 2:48 PM CST

Respected Miami Lawyer Indicted for Opinions on Money Laundering

A prominent Miami lawyer has been charged in a money-laundering conspiracy for vouching that a Colombian drug kingpin’s payments to his defense lawyer were not from the proceeds of drug sales. Ben Kuehne, who once represented former Vice President Al Gore in the presidential election dispute, surrendered yesterday to authorities,…

Feb 8, 2008 1:21 PM CST

Ex-Lawyer Takes Deceased Dad’s ID, Gets $1.8M in Mortgages—and 4+Years

A disbarred New York attorney has reportedly pleaded guilty in the middle of a trial to assuming his deceased father’s identity and misrepresenting himself as a lawyer, in order to obtain almost $1.8 million in real estate financing through fraudulent mortgage transactions. Rafael Pantoja, 49, is now facing a potential…

Feb 7, 2008 8:39 PM CST

Banned Lawyer Gets Reprieve re Alleged Affair With Judge

The ban has been lifted against a Washington state lawyer ordered not to appear on behalf of indigent defendants at his local courthouse, after a judge reportedly blabbed about their alleged affair at a holiday party. Michael Morgan, the presiding judge, ended the ban this week, apparently in response to…

Feb 7, 2008 6:30 PM CST