Ethics

Secretary to Axed Partner Plans Whistle-Blower Suit

A legal secretary who warned a major Maine law firm that the senior partner for whom she worked was apparently mishandling funds now plans to file a whistle-blower suit, contending that she was wrongfully fired as a result. Ellie Rommel’s attorney also expects to file a claim with the Maine…

Dec 14, 2007 9:32 PM CST

Disbarred Lawyer Woos Women, Gets Up to $1M—and 5 Years

Law practice didn’t work out for Hillard Quint, who gave up his Georgia license in 1997 to resolve a disciplinary matter. So the enterprising ex-attorney apparently found another way to make a living—scamming women. Reportedly, the seemingly successful business executive may have extracted at least $1 million from women in…

Dec 14, 2007 6:00 PM CST

Duck Cruelty Case Creates Controversy for Animal Rights Attorney

A young animal rights attorney in Minneapolis is on the hot seat after writing to the judge hearing a case against a man accused of ripping the head off of a live duck in front of onlookers at a downtown hotel. Corwin Kruse, a lawyer at Dorsey & Whitney who…

Dec 14, 2007 5:15 PM CST

Lawyer’s License at Risk Over Blog Post

A lawyer who called a controversial Broward County judge an “evil, unfair witch” in a blog post is facing ethics charges for his online tirade. Lawyer Sean Conway told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he wrote the angry blog post because Judge Cheryl Alemán was giving defense lawyers only one…

Dec 14, 2007 5:04 PM CST

Insurance Won’t Repay Clients Who Say Lawyer Swindled Them

Malpractice insurance won’t cover more than $780,000 in losses claimed by clients of a Pennsylvania lawyer who committed suicide when he learned he was under investigation, a judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III held that several policy exclusions barred coverage, the Legal Intelligencer reports. They include…

Dec 14, 2007 2:32 PM CST

DOJ Investigating Federal Judge in Sexual Harassment Case

A federal judge who was suspended for four months in September for allegedly sexually harassing a female employee is now reportedly being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. However, Dick DeGuerin, a high-profile Houston defense lawyer representing U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent, says his client is cooperating and expects…

Dec 14, 2007 12:14 AM CST

Philly P.I. Lawyer Accused of ‘Fagin’-Type Insurance Scam

A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer has been accused of hiring runners to find claimants willing to fake injuries, costing insurers more than $2.5 million in false claims over a 25-year period. H. Allen Litt was charged with 73 criminal counts, including insurance fraud and conspiracy, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Philadelphia…

Dec 13, 2007 3:35 PM CST

Bar Judge Recommends Disbarment for ‘Gladiator’ Lawyer

A California bar court judge is recommending disbarment for a lawyer accused of filing frivolous actions and meritless appeals against judges who ruled against him. Beverly Hills lawyer Richard Isaac Fine calls the charges “totally ridiculous” and says they are a product of politics, the California Bar Journal reports. He…

Dec 13, 2007 2:46 PM CST

Kansas Agog Over AG Sex Scandal

An admitted extramarital affair is the least of it. A longtime employee in the Johnson County, Kan., district attorney’s office says she was sexually harassed by the new state attorney general as part of a two-year affair that involved courthouse trysts and alleged interference with cases being prosecuted by her…

Dec 12, 2007 11:57 PM CST

Maine Law Firm Axes Former Chair, Alleges Theft

A major law firm in Maine has reportedly sent a 29-year attorney packing and mailed a letter to 1,000 clients alleging that he misappropriated funds. Verrill Dana “severed its relationship” with longtime partner John Duncan, a former chairman of the law firm’s executive board, after he “misappropriated” firm funds and…

Dec 12, 2007 9:29 PM CST

Pot Charge Dropped Against Ex-Judge

Prosecutors have dropped a marijuana charge against a former Florida judge arrested for smoking pot in a park. Judge Lawrence Korda of Broward County accepted a plea deal last spring in which prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charge if he passed drug tests for six months. He resigned in July.…

Dec 12, 2007 3:32 PM CST

Trustee Says Pillsbury Should Return $4M Fee

A bankruptcy trustee is recommending that Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman be forced to return about $4 million in fees to a former client because of an undisclosed conflict of interest. Trustee Dennis Connolly also suggested that the San Jose bankruptcy court delay setting an amount so it could consider interest…

Dec 12, 2007 12:16 PM CST

Judge Orders Deposition Referee Due to Lawyer’s ‘Insulting’ Remarks

A New York lawyer will have to be supervised by a court-appointed referee during future depositions in a legal malpractice case because of “inappropriate, insulting and derogatory” remarks made to opposing counsel. Transcripts show lawyer Thomas Decea of White Plains called the opposing lawyer “hon” and “girl” and asked why…

Dec 12, 2007 11:57 AM CST

9th Circuit Backs Judge Despite Work Given to Friends

Backing a federal judge accused by a newspaper of awarding more than $4.8 million in judgments and fees to individuals with whom he had political and business ties without fully disclosing the personal relationships, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided today to dismiss a complaint against…

Dec 12, 2007 12:12 AM CST

Judge Limits Tax-Sale Legal Fees

A Baltimore municipal judge has limited attorney fees that may be charged by foreclosing lawyers in city tax sale cases. In a 51-page opinion today, Circuit Judge Evelyn O. Cannon says lawyers in these cases can charge only a specified flat fee of from $1,300 to $1,500, rather than on…

Dec 11, 2007 11:56 PM CST