Missouri

Suspect arrested in shootings of two Ferguson cops; was he a protester?

Police have charged a 20-year-old man with assault in shootings that wounded two police officers outside the police station early Thursday in Ferguson, Missouri. Police say the suspect, Jeffrey Williams, admitted firing his gun from a car but claimed police were not the intended target, report the New York Times,…

Mar 16, 2015 9:28 AM CDT

Two officers in Ferguson are shot outside police station amid waning protests

Two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, were shot and wounded early Thursday as they joined a line of officers keeping protesters away from the police station. Both officers were in serious condition, report the New York Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. One officer, from the Webster Groves Police Department,…

Mar 12, 2015 7:10 AM CDT

Federal jury awards $491M in trial over prepaid funeral scheme

A federal jury in St. Louis on Monday awarded $491 million in damages concerning a failed prepaid funeral operation that has been described by prosecutors as a Ponzi-like scheme. During the more than 15 years that National Prearranged Services Inc. was in operation, the money paid in for funerals was…

Mar 10, 2015 10:30 AM CDT

Ferguson judge resigns after DOJ report; Missouri appeals judge will take over municipal docket

Updated: A Missouri appeals judge will take over the municipal court docket in Ferguson, Missouri, after a Justice Department report slammed the court for imposing fees and fines that can become crippling debt for some defendants. Municipal judge Ronald Brockmeyer, credited and criticized for generating city revenue through court fees,…

Mar 10, 2015 9:02 AM CDT

Homeowners association OKs playhouse for sick girl, 6, after dad appeals to court of public opinion

A 6-year-old Missouri girl can’t leave her home to play with other children in her neighborhood because she is seriously ill with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. So the little girl, Ella Joe Schultz, dreamed of having a playhouse in her back yard. Make-A-Wish Missouri, with the help of donated materials and…

Mar 6, 2015 3:30 PM CST

National labor firm raids Littler and Ogletree, opens new offices in Denver and New York

Atlanta-based Constangy Brooks & Smith has raided two well-known labor and employment firms and some BigLaw competitors, gaining 12 attorneys, two new offices and an additional name partner in the process. Don Prophete, who practices in Kansas City, will be the new name on the marquee for the nearly 160-attorney…

Mar 5, 2015 1:50 PM CST

Justice Department finds ‘unconstitutional policing’ in Ferguson; racial bias, revenue focus cited

Discriminatory intent and a focus on revenue by officials in Ferguson, Missouri, are adversely affecting African Americans who are subjected to “a pattern of unconstitutional policing” in the town, a Justice Department report has found. The report, released on Wednesday, cited “substantial evidence of racial bias among police and court…

Mar 4, 2015 1:30 PM CST

Ferguson cop won’t face federal charge in Michael Brown’s death; DOJ discounts surrender accounts

The U.S. Justice Department has announced it won’t charge Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson with civil rights violations for the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown. A Justice Department report said no evidence disproved Wilson’s claim that he shot Brown because he feared for his safety when the…

Mar 4, 2015 12:01 PM CST

Traffic stops by Ferguson cops are expected to be targeted in Justice Department report

An upcoming Justice Department report will criticize police in Ferguson, Missouri, for traffic stops in which blacks are disproportionately ticketed and arrested, sources tell the New York Times. The report will also criticize Ferguson for relying on fines to fill city coffers. For those who can’t afford to pay traffic…

Mar 2, 2015 9:26 AM CST

Fast-growing Shook Hardy to open new office by acquiring 25-attorney Chicago firm

A rapidly expanding Kansas City-based law firm known for its litigation work is opening a new office, as of March 1, by acquiring a 25-attorney Chicago litigation boutique. The nearly 475-attorney Shook Hardy & Bacon announced on Tuesday that it is acquiring Grippo & Elden. The Chicago outpost will be…

Feb 25, 2015 3:55 PM CST

Is Kansas City big enough for Polsinelli and Littler’s back-office operations? IT shortage feared

Polsinelli chairman Russell Welsh is expressing concern that Littler Mendelson will create a shortage of technology talent in Kansas City, Missouri, when it moves back-office functions to the city. Welsh complained about recruitment of Littler by a development council in a letter to leaders of several local law firms, report…

Jan 22, 2015 12:38 PM CST

Another law firm chooses Kansas City for back-office operations

Littler Mendelson is opening a back-office operations center in Kansas City, Missouri. Littler’s new offices will be located in the same Crown Center building occupied by an administrative services center being opened by Sedgwick, the Kansas City Star reports. Littler’s present administrative employees will be offered the chance to relocate…

Jan 12, 2015 8:13 AM CST

Murder trial delayed for lawyer accused of using forged power of attorney as lethal weapon

A double-murder trial scheduled in February for a Missouri lawyer accused of killing her father and his girlfriend in 2010 has been postponed at the request of the prosecution. Attorney Susan Elizabeth “Liz” Van Note, 47, is accused in the unusual case of not only shooting William Van Note, 67,…

Jan 8, 2015 10:30 AM CST

Reformers seek to change Ferguson-area traffic courts, school electoral system

Reformers who want to address the black community’s anger in Ferguson, Missouri, hope to reform area traffic courts and the system for school board elections. Some public-interest lawyers say the municipal courts in St. Louis County impose fines and fees on poor drivers that could eventually lead to jail time…

Dec 19, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Dozens of lawyers join protests over police slayings

Dozens of lawyers in New York City and elsewhere joined protests Wednesday over recent police slayings of unarmed individuals and the way they have been handled by the criminal justice system. Public defenders marched with other lawyers at Brooklyn courthouses and at least one prosecutor’s office and also participated in…

Dec 17, 2014 3:10 PM CST