Minnesota

Ex-Lawyer Who Lost Gambling Addiction Suit Arraigned on Escrow Theft Charges

A disbarred New York lawyer and TV commentator who lost her gambling addiction lawsuit has been arraigned on charges that she looted the escrow accounts of several clients, failing to return $100,000 she was holding for them. Arelia Taveras faces up to seven years in prison if she is convicted,…

Nov 14, 2008 12:36 PM CST

‘I Am to Lawyers What Dian Fossey is to Gorillas,’ Says Researcher at New Center

A law school known for its focus on real-world legal education has launched a new research center that will explore what lawyers do and why clients hire them. Says political scientist Herbert Kritzer: “I am to lawyers what Dian Fossey is to gorillas.” A professor at William Mitchell College of…

Nov 4, 2008 10:16 PM CST

Judge Grants New Trial in Music Piracy Case, Requires Proof of Copying

A federal judge in Minneapolis has granted a new trial for a woman ordered to pay $222,000 in damages for illegally sharing 24 copyrighted songs on Kazaa. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis ruled he made an error when his jury instructions failed to require proof that the music was actually…

Sep 25, 2008 2:47 PM CDT

Unlicensed ‘Lawyer’ Allegedly Practiced for a Decade in 10 States

For the past decade or so, Howard Kieffer has reportedly represented clients in federal cases in 10 states. The problem is, he reportedly wasn’t properly licensed to practice law in any of them—or, apparently, anywhere else. During that time, Kieffer, who is now in his early 50s, represented clients including…

Sep 16, 2008 9:14 PM CDT

Appeals Court Asked to Toss Sen. Larry Craig’s Guilty Plea

A lawyer for Sen. Larry Craig said in oral arguments yesterday that his client should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct after his arrest in a restroom sex sting. Lawyer William Martin told the Minnesota Court of Appeals that the police complaint against his client lacked…

Sep 11, 2008 1:05 PM CDT

Did Judge Refer Cases to Lawyer in Exchange for a Cut-Rate Divorce?

A Minnesota judge has been accused by a state disciplinary body of referring at least 19 divorce mediation cases to his personal attorney, in exchange for a $64,000 discount on the legal bill for his own divorce. His ex-wife then reportedly dropped the dime on his alleged misconduct. “In 2004,…

Aug 28, 2008 10:53 PM CDT

Lawyer Posts Addresses of Alleged Pedophile Priests on Website

A Minnesota lawyer for victims of pedophile priests has posted addresses and some phone numbers of alleged Chicago abusers on his website. Jeffrey Anderson of St. Paul told the Chicago Sun-Times that he posted information about nine men yesterday to protect the public. Anderson represented victims in a $12.7 million…

Aug 15, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

Firm Unveils Comical ‘Lawyer Job Interview Translator’

A Minneapolis law firm is poking fun at the job interview process with a new website called “the lawyer job interview translator.” The online recruitment tool is the brainchild of Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson. It features a glib-talking interviewer who delivers pat answers to job candidates. The site then…

Jul 22, 2008 6:02 PM CDT

Earrings for Male Lawyers May Be ‘Fraught With Peril,’ Career Adviser Says (Poll)

Should male lawyers and law students in courthouses refrain from wearing earrings? A career adviser from the University of Minnesota Law School is advising caution. “In the same way that women still must be careful about very short skirts, and in some courts they may still find that pants are…

Jul 17, 2008 6:02 PM CDT

Judge Upholds Order Banning Autistic Boy from Church

A Minnesota judge has upheld a restraining order banning a teenager with autism from his local Catholic church, which contends he is dangerous to other parishioners. “Todd County District Judge Sally Ireland Robertson, in upholding a restraining order, said in her ruling that the parents of 13-year-old Adam Race ‘have…

Jul 1, 2008 6:14 PM CDT

Willful Wal-Mart Worker Violations Could Cost $2B in Minn.

Willful violations by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of wage-and-hour rules in Minnesota could require the mega-retailer to pay $2 billion in penalties for more than 2 million such infractions involving $6.5 million in underpayments to workers, a judge says. The 151-page ruling by District Judge Robert King Jr., in Hastings, Minn.,…

Jul 1, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

Convicted Minn. Double Murderer Attacks Attorney

Apparently feeling he had nothing left to lose, a Minnesota man convicted in a double murder case yesterday turned on his lawyer as a sentencing hearing began shortly after the jury verdict was announced. As he was being led into a Hennepin County courtroom for sentencing, Revelle Loving tackled his…

Jun 11, 2008 5:03 PM CDT

No Probe of Minn. AG’s Spending Needed, Auditor Says in ‘Unflattering’ Review

There is no basis to launch a full-scale investigation into expenditures by Minnesota’s attorney general, Lori Swanson, a state auditor says. “But an unflattering portrait of a pressure-cooker environment in Swanson’s office emerged in the review from auditor James Nobles, who said allegations about the office held up in sworn…

Jun 3, 2008 8:12 PM CDT

Minn. Supreme Court Rules for Parents in Paddling Case

The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled for a couple who spanked their 12-year-old boy with a paddle, refusing to establish a bright-line rule that the infliction of pain constitutes physical injury or abuse. The court said there wasn’t enough information to determine whether the boy had been physically or mentally…

Jun 2, 2008 12:12 PM CDT

Minn. AG Fires Staff Lawyer Critic

A staff lawyer who had criticized her boss, Minnesota attorney general Lori Swanson, over claimed ethics issues related to the filing of two lawsuits against mortgage foreclosure rescue companies has been fired. “Swanson dismissed Amy Lawler after the results of [an] investigation by Thomas Mengler, dean of the University of…

May 28, 2008 7:13 PM CDT