Massachusetts

Despite ‘Double Delete,’ Official’s E-Mail Probably Can Still Be Retrieved

Although public employees in Massachusetts aren’t supposed to delete their e-mails, a top aide to Boston’s mayor apparently did. But, in response to a ruckus raised when the city wasn’t able to provide his e-mail in response to a public records request, forensic experts say most or all of the…

Sep 16, 2009 7:46 PM CDT

As More Laws Restrict Windmills, Some Homeowners Fight Back

Wendie Howland drives a Prius and uses solar panels to heat water, but she won’t be able to install a windmill to generate electricity for her home. The Bourne, Mass., resident took her case to court after the local planning board refused to allow her to install the 132-foot windmill.…

Sep 15, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Retired Lawyer, the US Open’s Oldest Ball Person, Reveals His ‘Plan for Life’

Retired lawyer Jerry Loughran is staying young in his new dream job working alongside youths whose median age is 18. At 61, Loughran is the oldest ball person at the U.S. Open, the New York Times reports. The retired labor and employment lawyer runs marathons, rides his bike and plays…

Sep 15, 2009 2:43 PM CDT

Repressed Memories Questioned in Priest Abuse Appeal

A lawyer for a former priest convicted of child molestation raised questions about the validity of recovered memories in oral arguments yesterday before Massachusetts’ highest court. Street priest Paul Shanley was convicted in 2005 based on testimony by a suburban Boston firefighter who said he didn’t remember the abuse until…

Sep 11, 2009 2:56 PM CDT

Donovan Hatem and Name Partner Ordered to Pay $3M to Ex-Partners

Boston law firm Donovan Hatem has been ordered to pay $3 million to nine former partners who claimed a name partner engaged in abusive behavior and manipulated profit numbers. Judge Judith Fabricant affirmed an arbitration panel finding and ordered the firm and name partner David Hatem to pay $3 million…

Sep 11, 2009 2:06 PM CDT

How a Solo Gained More than 600 Facebook Fans for His Fledgling Firm

A solo practitioner in Massachusetts who struck out on his own about six months ago already has more than 600 Facebook fans for his law firm. Solo lawyer Richard Vetstein tells the ABA Journal that the accomplishment, touted in a press release, has “absolutely” brought in new business. His goal…

Sep 9, 2009 3:29 PM CDT

15 Madoff Investors in Mass. to Share $8M Fairfield Settlement

Fairfield Greenwich Group has agreed to pay $8 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts Secretary of State over serving as a feeder fund to Bernard Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme. Under today’s settlement, all 15 of the identified investors in Massachusetts who put money into Madoff’s $65 billion…

Sep 8, 2009 10:39 PM CDT

Mass. Judiciary Drops Plan for Free Law Clerks Paid by Law Firms

The Massachusetts judiciary has dropped a plan to fill law clerk jobs with new lawyers who are paid by law firms to stay away from work. Robert Mulligan, chief justice for administration and management of the trial courts, dropped the idea after receiving an opinion about the propriety of the…

Sep 1, 2009 12:39 PM CDT

Ex-Judge’s Disability Pension Related to Winning $2.1M Libel Suit Is Rejected

A divided state retirement board voted 3-2 today to reject a former Massachusetts judge’s request for a disability pension because of diagnosed post-traumatic stress that he says is related to a series of 2002 newspaper articles. Former Superior Court Judge Ernest Murphy won a $2.1 million libel judgment against the…

Aug 28, 2009 9:10 PM CDT

GC Violated Divorce Decree, Owes Ex, But Beats Contempt Rap

The former general counsel of LoJack Corp. violated a divorce decree when he failed to pay his ex-wife her share of the money he earned in 2006 from exercising stock options in the anti-auto theft company, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts has ruled. But although Thomas Wooters must now pay…

Aug 21, 2009 10:33 PM CDT

Accused Pot Dealer Says Law Prof Stepdad Helped Build Grow Room, Shared Profits

A 20-year-old Massachusetts man arrested on drug charges has told police that his mother and stepfather, a prominent lawyer and a law professor, were aware he was selling pot from the home where they all lived together, and his stepdad even shared in the profits. The couple—Suffolk University law professor…

Aug 20, 2009 12:11 PM CDT

Some Deferred Associates at Brown Rudnick Told to Report for Work

Boston-based law firm Brown Rudnick has told 11 first-year associates that their start dates won’t be pushed back after all. The law firm said it needed the associates to start work sooner because of an upswing in bankruptcy work and related litigation, according to the National Law Journal. The firm…

Aug 20, 2009 11:30 AM CDT

Wells Fargo Used Dubious Appraisals to Cut Home Equity Lines, Suit Says

A new lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo & Co. over its home equity line practices, adding to a growing list of litigation against the mortgage lender for which class action status is being sought. Homeowner Michael Hickman contends that Wells Fargo is using inaccurate computerized appraisals to obtain…

Aug 19, 2009 6:31 PM CDT

Marathon No Problem for Laid-Off Lawyer, But Finding New Job Is Harder

Lynne Zagami has never been afraid of a challenge. As her resumé notes, she wrestled for four years on her high school’s boys varsity team. Last year, she completed the Boston Marathon. And, after being laid off from a $170,000-a-year job as a corporate associate in the Boston office of…

Aug 14, 2009 8:46 PM CDT

New Lawyer Says Waitress Job Pays More than Small Law Firms

Recent law school graduate Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard has discovered a sad reality as she works as a waitress at a Boston steak restaurant and goes on interviews for jobs at small law firms—her pay will likely drop when she finds legal work. She told the Boston Business Journal about one recent…

Aug 14, 2009 1:20 PM CDT