Missouri

Jayhawks fan wins pro se license-plate appeal, can keep slogan disparaging rivals, court rules

Once upon a time, the word “sucks” was considered unprintable. But in recent decades it has simply become a synonym for “subpar,” a Missouri man argued, relying on the dictionary for support. On Tuesday, the Missouri Court of Appeals effectively agreed, deferring to an administrative hearing commission’s ruling on the…

Oct 16, 2013 3:45 PM CDT

Child-murder case against mom dismissed; detectives weren’t told ex-boyfriend confessed

Melissa Shawneece Jackson was scheduled to go on trial next week in St. Louis for first-degree murder in the May 2011 death of her 18-month-old son. Instead, her lawyer was notified Monday that all charges against the 30-year-old have been dropped. The reason: A former boyfriend admitted to a patrol…

Oct 15, 2013 5:20 PM CDT

Law firm mergers are up 41 percent so far this year

Law firm mergers are booming, according to a tally by a legal consulting firm. Fifty-eight law firm combinations were announced in the first three quarters of the year, a 41 percent increase from the same period last year, according to a press release by Altman Weil. Nineteen mergers and acquisitions…

Oct 3, 2013 10:44 AM CDT

News reports: Law grad charged in bank robbery; state trooper shot during getaway

A 64-year-old man who is identified on several legal websites as a graduate of Washington University School of Law has been charged with robbing a Missouri bank on Friday morning and shooting a state trooper during his attempted getaway. Warren Gladders was shot in both legs by the trooper, who…

Sep 24, 2013 3:40 PM CDT

Man gets 20-year sentence for making young woman his sex slave

A Missouri man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for forcing a young woman to become his sex slave. Edward Bagley, 46, who was sentenced Wednesday, had pleaded guilty in January to one count of using an interstate facility to entice a minor into illegal sexual conduct, the…

Sep 11, 2013 10:13 PM CDT

Lawyer who was accused of killing her dad with forgery is now charged with second murder

A Kansas City lawyer accused of killing her father through a forged power of attorney that gave her control of his health care is now accused of also murdering his girlfriend. Susan Elizabeth Van Note was charged on Tuesday, report the Associated Press, KCTV and the Kansas City Star. She…

Sep 11, 2013 3:00 PM CDT

Midwest firm to acquire Los Angeles legal shop, plans further growth there

A nearly 350-attorney Midwest law firm is planting its flag on the West Coast with the pending acquisition of a 10-attorney Los Angeles legal shop. Thompson Coburn plans to finalize its merger with Freedman Weisz in early October, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Thompson firm currently has offices in…

Sep 10, 2013 2:40 PM CDT

Is Missouri bill gunning for the First Amendment? | Audience member sues, alleging Blue Man goof

One aspect of a proposed Missouri law that would override federal gun laws would make it a misdemeanor to “publish the name, address, or other identifying information of any individual who owns a firearm” or who has applied for a firearm license, University of California at Los Angeles law professor…

Sep 6, 2013 2:05 PM CDT

Missouri law would override federal gun laws; sponsor says he has votes for approval

If the vote goes as expected, Missouri lawmakers will enact a new law next month that nullifies all federal gun laws. The law also makes it a crime for federal agents to enforce U.S. gun laws and allows Missouri residents to sue any officer who arrests them under such laws,…

Aug 30, 2013 12:45 PM CDT

Court worker is fired after providing sample motion, which inmate uses to win DNA test and release

A court worker who provided a copy of a winning motion for seeking post-conviction DNA testing helped Robert Nelson win the reversal of a 1984 rape conviction for which he had been sentenced to more than 50 years in prison. But doing so also cost Sharon Snyder her job after…

Jul 29, 2013 6:15 PM CDT

Motorcycle for-sale sign allowed search of suspect’s home, 8th Circuit rules

A man with a felony record wound up sentenced to a new 34-month prison term because he put a for-sale sign on a motorcycle at his Kansas City home. If the sign hadn’t been there, police would have needed a warrant to enter his yard, which was fenced and posted…

Jul 12, 2013 5:50 PM CDT

Courtroom suicide should be a wake-up call that security is needed at rural courthouse, says sheriff

Following the apparent courtroom suicide on June 29 of a man who had just been convicted of a crime for which he could have been sentenced to a maximum of 7 years, it looks like a courthouse in rural Missouri is going to amp up security measures. Officials met on…

Jul 9, 2013 4:30 PM CDT

Convicted in case with 7-year max, man took cyanide in courtroom and died

Convicted of a sex crime and facing a possible maximum prison sentence of seven years, a Missouri man took cyanide in court and died minutes after the verdict was announced last week. Steve Parsons, 48, was the well-known owner of a St. Joseph, Mo., area tire shop, but also had…

Jul 2, 2013 5:10 PM CDT

Accused of spanking client for saying ‘uh huh’, suspended lawyer faces criminal case

Suspended from law practice last year for misconduct related to sexual activities, a Missouri lawyer is now facing a criminal case over new allegations. Eric Hutson, 52, allegedly met with a criminal defense client last year after his law license had been suspended, and spanked her several times during the…

May 1, 2013 4:27 PM CDT

Ex-Ogletree VP said to be working at Littler, 6 other Ogletree partners to follow

Earlier this month, Reuters published an article announcing that a former vice president had resigned from Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart and planned to take a group of lawyers from the national labor and employment boutique to another law firm. Now it appears that Don Prophete is actually in…

Apr 23, 2013 4:49 PM CDT