Minnesota

Reprimand Urged for Judge Accused of Joking About Murderous Marital Urges

A Minnesota judicial ethics board is recommending reprimands for a Hennepin County judge accused of calling potential witnesses a “bunch of drunkards’ and joking about murderous urges in his marriage. Judge Stephen Aldrich is seeking dismissal of the complaint by the Board on Judicial Standards, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.…

Jul 15, 2010 2:49 PM CDT

Once-Prominent Lawyer to Argue Nazi-Posing Teen Lover Controlled Relationship

The former co-chair of the antitrust practice at Gray Plant Mooty in Minnesota, set to go on trial Monday on a charge of criminal sexual conduct with a teen boy, is seeking to introduce photos of the alleged victim dressed as Adolf Hitler. Aaron Biber, arrested in December, was set…

Jul 14, 2010 11:41 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Stole $650 to Spend on Drugs Shouldn’t Be Disbarred, Dissent Says

Attorney Juan Jesus Rodriguez admittedly behaved despicably by stealing at least $650 from low-income clients. And, when Minnesota lawyer disciplinary authorities caught up with him, he didn’t attempt to prove any mitigating factors or contest disbarment, saying that an aspect of his current participation in the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics…

Jun 29, 2010 7:32 PM CDT

Stabbed by Client’s Ex-Husband, Lawyer, 54, Has ‘Horrible Injuries’ But Is Recovering

A Minnesota attorney suffered “horrible injuries” but is expected to survive being stabbed a dozen times in her Fridley office a week ago, according to Anoka County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Paul Sommer. Within an hour or so, a client’s ex-husband confessed to the attack on Terri Melcher that took place a…

Jun 18, 2010 1:26 AM CDT

Opposing Counsel’s Warning Comes Too Late; Lawyer, 54, Is Stabbed 12 Times in Her Office

Updated: In a new incident among a spate of case-related violent attacks on lawyers in recent weeks, a Minnesota man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his ex-wife’s attorney a dozen times in her law office Friday. Terri Ann Melcher, 54, was alone in her Fridley, Minn.,…

Jun 14, 2010 10:46 PM CDT

Minn. Supreme Court Disbars Lawyer Who Stole $60K from Elderly Dad

The Minnesota Supreme Court wants to deter elder exploitation by lawyers, including a lawyer who pleaded guilty to financial exploitation of her Alzheimer’s-afflicted father. On Thursday, the court disbarred Minnesota lawyer Lisa Jane Mayne for stealing $60,000 from her father after he gave her power of attorney in 2005, the…

Jun 11, 2010 1:35 PM CDT

Ex-Lindquist Partner Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $2M from Firm and Clients

A former partner at Lindquist & Vennum in Minneapolis admitted in federal court on Tuesday that he began stealing money from clients and his law firm as far back as 1994, taking some $2 million in all. Michael Margulies, 56, was released after his guilty plea to wire fraud, according…

Jun 9, 2010 11:29 AM CDT

Ex-Partner Charged in Alleged $2M Theft from Law Firm & Clients

Fired, disbarred and divorced earlier this year, an ex-partner of Lindquist & Vennum in Minneapolis has now been charged with wire fraud, Michael Margulies, 56, allegedly embezzled some $2 million from the firm and its clients between 1994 and 2010, reports the Star-Tribune. He is accused of forging checks and…

May 26, 2010 9:16 PM CDT

Lawyer Holds Boot Camps to Teach Secrets of Debt Collection Litigation

A Minneapolis trial lawyer sees opportunity in debt collection litigation—and in teaching others how to pursue it. Lawyer Peter Barry holds several debt collection “boot camps” each year to help other lawyers interested in pursuing litigation against debt collectors and the attorney fees that winning cases can bring, the New…

Apr 27, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Lawyer Suspended for Hiding Client’s ‘Ironic’ Death During Settlement Negotiations

A Minnesota lawyer has been suspended from law practice for at least a year for failing to disclose during settlement negotiations that his client had died. In an April 8 opinion, the Minnesota Supreme Court suspended lawyer Thomas John Lyons Jr. of Vadnais Heights, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s blog…

Apr 22, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Ousted Linquist Partner Could Face Criminal Charges in Alleged Client Theft of Up to $2M

A Minneapolis lawyer fired from Linquist & Vennum last month already faces ethics charges accusing him of stealing more than $1 million from clients and a lawsuit alleging he used stolen funds to renovate his mansion. But Michael Margulies is also likely to face federal criminal charges accusing him of…

Apr 15, 2010 11:53 AM CDT

Ousted Lindquist Partner Accused of Stealing $1M from Firm & Clients

Ousted last month from Linquist & Vennum, a prominent real estate partner has been accused of stealing at least $1 million from the 200-attorney Minneapolis-based law firm and its clients between 2003 and 2010. The accusations against 56-year-old Michael Margulies are made in a disciplinary petition filed on Thursday with…

Apr 13, 2010 8:08 PM CDT

Another Law School Drops LSAT Requirement for Its Undergrads

The University of St. Thomas law school is seeking to boost diversity with a new early admissions program that drops the requirement for the Law School Admissions Test for some applicants. St. Thomas undergrads will be considered for law school admission based on grades and college entrance exams, the Minneapolis…

Apr 9, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Man Gets 8 Years for Liening Property of 3 Federal Judges

The already-imprisoned founder of a the Montana Freeman militia group has been sentenced to an additional eight years for liening the property of three federal judges after winning a default judgment from a “court” of his own creation. Daniel Petersen, now 67, is the first individual ever convicted under a…

Apr 7, 2010 7:08 PM CDT

Merchant & Gould IP Boutique Opens NY Office With Darby Lawyers

Merchant & Gould has opened an office in New York City with two lawyers and a patent agent from the now-defunct Darby & Darby firm. A Minneapolis-based intellectual property boutique with more than 100 lawyers on its attorney roster, the Merchant firm saw the collapse of Darby & Darby last…

Apr 6, 2010 11:05 PM CDT