Midsize Firm

3 Law Firms Open New Offices in Southern States

Three law firms have announced that they are opening new offices in southern states: Cleveland-based McDonald Hopkins is bringing in a onetime general counsel to a former Florida governor to head its new Miami office, reports Crain’s Cleveland Business. Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez, who served in the administration of ex-Gov. Jeb…

Apr 26, 2011 9:06 PM CDT

Suit Says Ben-Ezra Law Firm Was In Network Paying Kickbacks for Foreclosure Cases

Updated: A Florida woman has filed a federal suit against a Fort Lauderdale law firm known for its mortgage foreclosure work on behalf of lenders, contending that Ben-Ezra & Katz was part of a network of firms paying kickbacks to a foreclosure processing company to obtain legal work. The alleged…

Apr 25, 2011 5:45 PM CDT

Another Attorney Takes Plea in Galleon Case, Admits Connecting Trader with Ex-Ropes & Gray Lawyers

Another lawyer has pleaded guilty in a securities fraud case related to Galleon Group and co-founder Raj Rajaratnam. Personal injury attorney Jason Goldfarb, 32, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Manhattan to securities fraud and conspiracy, according to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. Sentencing guidelines call…

Apr 21, 2011 10:45 PM CDT

Judge Freezes Assets of ‘Tax Lady’ Attorney, Appoints Receiver to Run Her $25M Law Firm

A California judge apparently hasn’t yet decided how to handle the state attorney general’s call for a lawyer known as the “tax lady” to be jailed for contempt of court. However, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang did freeze the assets of attorney Roni Deutch yesterday and appoint a…

Apr 21, 2011 5:11 PM CDT

Calif. AG Says ‘Tax Lady’ Attorney Should Be Jailed for Shredding Documents, Failing to Repay $435K

Updated: The state attorney general is calling for a California attorney known as the “tax lady” to be jailed for contempt of court, contending that Roni Deutch shredded as many as 2.7 million documents and failed to pay clients refunds totaling $435,000 in violation of a court order in a…

Apr 21, 2011 12:26 AM CDT

Woman Sues Target and Law Firm re ‘False Affidavit Factory’ Allegedly Used in Consumer Debt Cases

A Pennsylvania woman has filed a federal suit against Target Corp. and the retailer’s law firm, Patenaude & Felix, alleging that she and other consumers have been harmed by a “false affidavit factory” they allegedly used to obtain robo-signed affidavits supporting debt-collection suits by a banking subsidiary. Vicki Higgins seeks…

Apr 20, 2011 11:21 PM CDT

Meckler Opens New Office in San Francisco, Brings in 11 New Lawyers, Including 6 from Long & Levit

Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson announced in a press release today that it is opening a new office in San Francisco. Headed by Julia Molander, who joins the Meckler firm from Sedgwick, the new office will also include a six-lawyer team from Long & Levit and four other attorneys…

Apr 18, 2011 11:01 PM CDT

Appeals Court Nixes $650K Legal Fees Award, Says Parties Never Mutually Agreed to Arbitrate

At first, it was former clients of Glaser Weil Fink Jacobs & Shapiro who wanted binding arbitration to settle a dispute over the legal fees they were charged. Then, after the Los Angeles law firm rejected the written offer from art gallery owners George and Esther Goff, it changed its…

Apr 18, 2011 10:29 PM CDT

Fisher & Phillips Acquires 19-Lawyer Firm, Opens First Office in Ohio

A growing national employment boutique has now established its first office in Ohio, with the acquisition of a 19-attorney law firm, Millisor + Nobil. Fisher & Phillips announces the merger in a press release today. Ken Millisor is retiring from the firm he co-founded in 1975, but Steven Nobil remains…

Apr 18, 2011 6:20 PM CDT

Biz Cards Go Digital: Firm Adds QR Codes to Business Cards

A 55-member law firm in northern Virginia is giving its lawyers the option of adding a “Quick Response Code” to their business cards to make it easier to share contact information with colleagues and clients. The Washington Post notes in a brief that while QR codes are common in Europe…

Apr 18, 2011 2:32 PM CDT

Howrey Creditors Seek Involuntary Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for Law Firm

Three creditors to whom Howrey allegedly owes a total of less than $40,000 have filed a petition in the Northern District of California seeking an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy for Howrey, reports the Am Law Daily. The law firm dissolved last month following an attorney exodus. Bankruptcy partner Peter Gilhuly…

Apr 13, 2011 12:30 PM CDT

11-Attorney Health Care Team Exits Faegre for Polsinelli Shughart

Eleven health care lawyers from Faegre & Benson have joined the Denver office of Polsinelli Shughart, more than half of them as partners, to establish a new practice group there.The firm has 55 health care lawyers nationally, comprising nearly 10 percent of its more than 500 attorneys. “This significant expansion…

Apr 13, 2011 10:45 AM CDT

Oldest Law Firm in Austin, Texas, Clark Thomas & Winters, Closes Its Doors

It’s now official: Clark Thomas & Winters, once one of the biggest and best-known law firms in Austin, Texas, has closed its doors. Founded in 1938, the firm had 120 lawyers in 2009. However, it rapidly dwindled in recent months as group after group of lawyers exited. About 30 formed…

Apr 12, 2011 1:24 PM CDT

Bingham Seeks Court Ruling That Firm Met Its Obligations to Ex-Client, LA Dodgers Owner McCourt

Apparently hoping to avert a malpractice claim in a high-profile California marital matter and potentially collect some additional legal fees, Bingham McCutchen has filed suit in Massachusetts state court seeking a declaratory judgment. The firm wants a court to rule that it met its obligations to then-client Frank McCourt, owner…

Apr 12, 2011 10:00 AM CDT

UK Attorney Says Tabloid Hacked Up to 7,000 People’s Phone Messages; Big-Bucks Cases Expected

A tabloid newspaper in the United Kingdom could be exposed to as much as $70 million in potential damages claims after hacking into voicemail messages for as many as 7,000 people between 2004 and 2006, according to a plaintiff’s lawyer and other observers. Charlotte Harris, a partner at Mishcon de…

Apr 11, 2011 2:37 PM CDT