Massachusetts

Harvard Law School Axes 12 Staff

In another sign of the dismal U.S. economy and a possible harbinger of program cuts yet to come, Harvard University is laying off 275 employees as it faces a projected 30 percent drop in the value of its endowment. Among those being let go are 12 employees of Harvard Law…

Jun 24, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Ethical Concerns Raised Over Associates Sent to Work as Law Clerks

Large firms looking for win-win solutions to economic realities that have them deferring start dates for young associates are close to striking such a deal in Massachusetts. That’s where there’s a proposal to send incoming associates to the courts, to work for free as clerks. The arrangement would come at…

Jun 22, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

Law Blogger’s Birthday Wish: How About $10, For a Cause?

Law blogger Robert Ambrogi, who was my boss a long long time ago at American Lawyer Media, turned 55 today. I know because Facebook told me. Celebrating a birthday isn’t generally news, but Ambrogi did something a little different this year. This tech-savvy lawyer, who primarily blogs at LawSites and…

Jun 17, 2009 11:50 PM CDT

Morgan Lewis Raids Bingham for 11-Lawyer Banking Practice Group

Led by a former co-chair of Bingham McCutchen’s banking and leveraged finance practice group, an 11-lawyer contingent is joining the Boston office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius. The five partners and six associates are expected to focus their practice at Morgan Lewis on corporate finance and restructuring, their new firm…

Jun 17, 2009 7:22 PM CDT

Judge Axes Grad Student’s Counterclaim for ‘Abuse of Process’ in RIAA Case

An attempt by a Boston University graduate student who is a defendant in a high-profile music downloading case to turn the tables on the Recording Industry Association of America has been blocked by the federal judge overseeing the case. In a ruling yesterday, U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner rejected defendant…

Jun 16, 2009 10:01 PM CDT

Lawyer Charged with Assault for Alleged Courthouse Bear Hug

A Massachusetts lawyer has been charged with assault and battery for an alleged bear hug of another attorney in a courthouse lobby. An assistant clerk magistrate found probable cause last week for the charges against lawyer Robert LeBlanc, who is deputy legal counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, the Eagle-Tribune…

Jun 15, 2009 1:24 PM CDT

Mass. Lawyer Agrees to Pay $115K in Restitution to Settle Mortgage Fraud Case

A lawyer from Brockton, Mass., agreed this week to stop her practice as a real estate-closing attorney and title agent for seven years and repay $115,000 in restitution and fees. Valerie Hanserd struck the deal to settle allegations of mortgage fraud that are being prosecuted civilly by the Massachusetts attorney…

Jun 11, 2009 9:29 PM CDT

Mass. Justices Ask Why Jailed Lawyer Can’t Explain Client’s Lost Cash

A disbarred lawyer who says he’s in debtor’s prison took his quest to win release to Massachusetts’ highest court yesterday. Justices on the Supreme Judicial Court asked why the former lawyer, Richard Birchall, hasn’t explained what he did with millions of dollars entrusted to him for safekeeping by a client…

Jun 10, 2009 6:30 PM CDT

Noncompete Agreement Enforced Concerning Hewlett-Packard Exec

Siding with a company attempting to enforce a noncompetition agreement concerning a former executive, a California Superior Court judge has refused to interfere with a Massachusetts court ruling that restricts his duties at his new job at Hewlett-Packard Co. David Donatelli, who previously headed the storage business of his former…

Jun 3, 2009 1:00 AM CDT

Boston Police Reopen 20-Year-Old Case of Slain Lawyer

Boston police are reopening the 20-year-old case of a Florida lawyer who was killed after checking into the city’s Lenox Hotel. Karen Edwards, 34, was stabbed in the chest and neck and robbed of $200, the Boston Globe reports. She was in the city for a New England vacation. Police…

Jun 2, 2009 3:52 PM CDT

Where is Cynthia Dziurgot? Missing Lawyer Owes Ex-Husband Almost $1M

Ordered to pay her ex-husband a settlement of nearly $1 million after a long, hard-fought divorce, a Massachusetts lawyer has disappeared and her beautiful 21-room Clinton home is in receivership. However, authorities don’t suspect foul play even though 55-year-old Cynthia Dziurgot has been missing for weeks, Clinton Police Chief Mark…

May 26, 2009 11:58 PM CDT

Mass. Lawyer Accused of Laundering Client’s Funds Gets 87 Months

A Massachusetts lawyer prominent in the state Republican party has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison concerning his representation of a jailed client in a federal narcotics case. Lawrence Novak, 57, who pleaded guilty in February to money laundering and obstruction, was also fined $20,000 and required to…

May 26, 2009 9:31 PM CDT

Judge Ends ‘Rockefeller’ Name Game, Vows to Refer to Accused as ‘Defendant’

Accused of trying to pass himself off as a member of the upper crust rather than a German immigrant, the defendant in a high-profile parental kidnapping case has been fighting for the right to be referred to as “Clark Rockefeller” at trial. The prosecution contends he is in fact Christian…

May 26, 2009 8:20 PM CDT

‘Crockefeller’ to Court: My Ex-Lawyer Said Too Much to the Media

A defendant in a high-profile Massachusetts parental kidnapping case who prefers to be known by his adopted name of “Clark Rockefeller” gave jailhouse interviews to print and television reporters last year, with his then-defense lawyer’s permission. But now “Crockefeller,” as some tabloids have nicknamed Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, is trying to…

May 19, 2009 5:39 PM CDT

Top NY Court Nixes GPS Tracking Unless a Search Warrant is Obtained

An apparent New York State Police practice of using GPS tracking devices on suspects’ vehicles for extended periods is a violation of their constitutional privacy rights unless a search warrant is obtained, according to a divided New York Court of Appeals ruling. In its 4-3 ruling today, the state’s highest…

May 12, 2009 6:19 PM CDT