Massachusetts

How the Americans with Disabilities Act could change the way the nation’s jails and prisons treat addiction

Before Geoffrey Pesce got on methadone, his addiction to heroin and oxycodone nearly destroyed him: He lost his home, his job, custody of his son—and his driver’s license. So even after he began to rebuild his life, Pesce relied on his parents to drive him to a methadone clinic for his daily dose. One day last July, his mother was unexpectedly unavailable, and desperate not to relapse, he drove himself.

Feb 8, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Fugitive firm partner sentenced for $1.9M real estate fraud scheme perpetrated under fake identity

A former partner at Hunton & Williams, now known as Hunton Andrews Kurth since early last year, who was using a fake identity when he ran a fraudulent real estate scheme has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. Scott Wolas, 69, was sentenced Monday to 81 months in…

Jan 29, 2019 1:21 PM CST

18 LeClairRyan lawyers jump to growing law firm to open office in Boston

Eighteen lawyers are leaving LeClairRyan to open a Boston office for Freeman Mathis & Gary, a law firm that began with three lawyers in Atlanta more than two decades ago. With the addition of the new lawyers, Freeman Mathis now has 150 lawyers in 15 offices in eight states, report…

Jan 11, 2019 7:15 AM CST

Nearly 70 ex-judges ask ICE to stop courthouse arrests; US attorney defends agency amid controversy

Nearly 70 former federal and state judges are asking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop making arrests at courthouses. The judges’ Dec. 12 letter asks ICE to add courthouses to its lists of sensitive locations where arrests are barred.

Dec 14, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Federal judge warns of possible sanctions after lawyer files complaint in screenplay format

A federal judge in Boston has warned a Lowell, Massachusetts, lawyer about the possibility of Rule 11 sanctions after he filed a federal complaint against the judges on the state’s top court in the form of a screenplay. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani warned lawyer Ilya Liviz in a Dec.…

Dec 12, 2018 10:41 AM CST

Panama Papers leak that shuttered law firm leads to US indictment of lawyer, three others

A Massachusetts accountant and a Panamanian lawyer are among four people charged in a federal indictment stemming from the so-called Panama Papers leak of hacked legal documents.

Dec 5, 2018 2:55 PM CST

The wives of white-collar crime: Support group aims to help families and end stigma

Women from four continents learned the hard way that they were married to white-collar criminals. Now their private online support group, the White-Collar Wives Project, is shining a light on damage that white-collar crime can cause the entire family.

Dec 1, 2018 2:25 AM CST

Lawsuits target law reviews at Harvard and NYU, saying they favor women and minorities

A Texas group filed two suits over the weekend alleging that two prominent law reviews violate federal laws by giving preferences to women and minorities when selecting some of their members and choosing articles for publication. The suits (here and here) target the Harvard Law Review and the New York University…

Oct 10, 2018 3:15 PM CDT

Group in Harvard admissions case wants to show how school used to discriminate against Jews

In a federal lawsuit challenging Harvard University’s admission policies toward Asian-Americans, plaintiffs are seeking to introduce evidence about how the Ivy League school discriminated against Jewish applicants in the early 20th century.

Sep 20, 2018 6:02 AM CDT

Justice Department intervenes in support of Asian-American students suing Harvard

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit alleging that Harvard College discriminates against Asian-Americans with its affirmative action policy. The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Harvard Crimson have stories.

Sep 4, 2018 9:15 AM CDT

Ex-managing partner of Nutter McClennen office suspended amid misappropriation allegations

The former managing partner of a Nutter McClennen & Fish office in Massachusetts has been temporarily suspended amid allegations that he misappropriated funds from trust accounts and the law firm. Matthew Bresette was temporarily suspended last month, report the American Lawyer, Reuters and Law360. Nutter McClennen says it notified clients…

Jul 23, 2018 9:10 AM CDT

Former Hunton partner who disappeared 20 years ago pleads guilty to fraud using assumed identity

A former partner at Hunton & Williams who disappeared in 1997 before he was charged in an alleged Ponzi scheme pleaded guilty on Friday in a different investment scheme.

Jul 2, 2018 3:29 PM CDT

1881 Initiative aims to increase the number of female AGs

The Democratic Attorneys General Association has launched an initiative to elect more women to an underestimated position: state attorney general. DAGA’s 1881 Initiative is named for the first year two women ran for—and lost—state AG seats. The goal is to ensure that by 2022 at least half the Democratic attorneys general will be women.

Jul 1, 2018 2:10 AM CDT

Plaintiffs say Harvard gave Asian-American applicants lower ratings on personality traits

Plaintiffs suing Harvard over its admissions policies say the university depressed the number of Asian-American admittees partly by giving them lower ratings for likability and other personality traits. Students for Fair Admissions analyzed admissions data from more than 160,000 applicants between 2000 to 2015, and filed its findings Friday with…

Jun 15, 2018 11:48 AM CDT

Top court in Massachusetts strikes down stun gun ban, says licensing requirement would be OK

The highest court in Massachusetts followed the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court when it struck down a state ban on civilians owning stun guns on Tuesday.

Apr 17, 2018 12:57 PM CDT