Ethics

Opinionated Judge’s Suit Against Discipline Body Tossed

A federal judge has dismissed a judge’s lawsuit against the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission for prosecuting him over remarks he made outside the courtroom. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Oct. 24 that the suit by appeals judge Wendell Griffen was moot because the commission had dropped charges…

Nov 5, 2007 12:41 PM CST

VA Judge Removed for Thigh Inspection, Coin Flip

A Virginia judge who ordered a woman to lower her pants in the courtroom so he could check out her thigh wound has been removed from the bench. In another case, the judge, Michael Shull, was accused of deciding a dispute over visitation during the Christmas holidays with a coin…

Nov 5, 2007 12:00 PM CST

Law License Spat: Has Ex-Judge Reformed?

Removed from the bench and eventually disbarred a decade ago for misbehavior that included what a court described as “offensive, harassing and vindictive” conduct, former Nassau County Judge Marc Mogil now wants his law license back. However, the subject of a five-year harassment campaign by the then-judge is actively contesting…

Nov 2, 2007 6:31 PM CDT

Judges Plead Not Guilty to Ticket Fixing

A lawyer for one of four former New Jersey judges charged with fixing traffic tickets is calling the charges a “tempest in a teapot.” Speaking after a hearing in which all of the judges pleaded not guilty, John Fahy said the charges didn’t need to be before the criminal courts,…

Nov 2, 2007 3:02 PM CDT

Controversial Las Vegas Judge’s Suspension Upheld

The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld the suspension of controversial Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson, accused of mistreating staff members and sleeping during hearings. The court rejected Halverson’s procedural objections to her interim suspension and cited ample evidence that supported it, Blogonaut reports. As a result of the ruling, Halverson…

Nov 2, 2007 10:48 AM CDT

Top 10 Ethics Traps

Click here to download this CLE audio program for free. Perhaps there was a time when ethics rules for lawyers were straightforward and following them was largely a matter of professional common sense. But it probably ended before your grandfather took down his shingle. Today it’s a much different story.…

Nov 1, 2007 8:19 PM CDT

Ex-PI Lawyer Admits Stealing $148K in Client Cash

A former lawyer has agreed to serve at least one year in prison for stealing $148,000 from at least 20 clients. Richard Boter also agreed to pay $160,000 in restitution and forfeited cash when he entered his guilty plea in a New York court yesterday, the New York Law Journal…

Nov 1, 2007 1:11 PM CDT

Partner Sentenced in Car Vandalism Case

After over-imbibing at his mother’s 80th birthday party, a senior partner at a well-known Scottish real estate law firm went a bit wild. However, solicitor Paul Hutcheson, 43, has taken steps to make restitution to the owners of 11 cars parked outside the golf club at which the party was…

Oct 31, 2007 6:46 PM CDT

Jury Gets Case Against Ex-Prosecutor

Justice Department lawyers told jurors in closing arguments yesterday that former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino withheld evidence from the defense in a high-profile terrorism case because he wanted to win. Justice Department lawyer Eileen Gleason said Convertino and a co-defendant “crossed over the line from upholding the law to violating…

Oct 31, 2007 5:01 PM CDT

Cost to Keep Ex in Health Plan: Law License

Misrepresenting himself as still married to his ex-wife for six years, so that she could continue to be covered under his health insurance, has cost a former New York state government lawyer his job and a two-year suspension from practice. Carmine Clemente, 64, also agreed under a plea deal in…

Oct 31, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Defense Says Terror Prosecutor ‘Overwhelmed,’ Denies Obstructed Justice

A former federal prosecutor accused of obstruction of justice in a high-profile terrorism investigation four years ago declined to testify this week. Prosecutors say Richard Convertino and former U.S. Embassy security agent Ray Smith hid evidence in a 2003 case against four north African men accused of being members of…

Oct 30, 2007 3:22 PM CDT

Staff Lawyer Claims Bosses Whitewashed Ethics Complaints

A former staff lawyer for a New York disciplinary committee has filed a lawsuit that claims her bosses whitewashed and dismissed complaints against select lawyers. Christine Anderson claims in her federal suit that she was fired in retaliation for complaining in violation of the First Amendment, the New York Law…

Oct 30, 2007 10:49 AM CDT

1,700 CT Attys Suspended Over $110 Bill

In a payment enforcement mechanism that some see as draconian, the Client Security Fund in the state of Connecticut has slapped 1,700 lawyers with an administrative suspension for failing to pay a $110 annual fee. The “striking” number of suspensions includes all lawyers who haven’t paid the fee during any…

Oct 29, 2007 7:11 PM CDT

Right to Life’s Challenge to Judge Ethics Code Tossed

A federal appeals court has dismissed a challenge to Indiana’s judicial ethics code that barred judicial candidates from making statements about issues likely to come before the courts. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today (PDF) that Indiana Right to Life did not have standing to bring its…

Oct 26, 2007 5:53 PM CDT

NM Judge Suspended re No-Rent Housing

A New Mexico judge who lived rent-free for almost two years in government-owned low-income housing has been disciplined. Bernalillo County Metropolitan Judge Theresa Gomez, who earns about $103,000 annually, has been suspended without pay for two weeks by the New Mexico Supreme Court, the Associated Press reports today. She will…

Oct 26, 2007 5:31 PM CDT