Natural Disasters

Disaster response news from the ABA Journal, American Bar Association legal resources, volunteering opportunities and disaster helplines.

Horse-loving lawyer left the law to help run a Colorado ranch

In Running Free: An Incredible Story of Love, Survival, and How 200 Horses Trapped in a Wildfire Helped One Woman Find Her Soul lawyer Ami Cullen shares a lightly fictionalized version of the journey that she’s been on for more than a decade.

Dec 4, 2024 4:00 PM CST

Judge who allowed secretary to work remotely didn’t violate ethics rules, state supreme court says

The New Jersey Supreme Court has tossed a pending ethics complaint against a judge who sometimes allowed his secretary to work remotely in violation of office policy.

Oct 29, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Business etiquette classes boom as people relearn how to act at work

More than two years after employers began urging white-collar workers back to offices, Americans are still reckoning with the ripple effects of pandemic-induced disruption when it comes to workplace behavior. The years spent apart from colleagues have rusted workers’ social skills, and new ways of working have spawned a host of fresh etiquette issues.

Oct 24, 2024 3:56 PM CDT

Florida lawyer says she used trust account funds to avoid becoming homeless

An Orlando, Florida, lawyer accused of client trust account violations has said she used some settlement funds during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid becoming homeless when she lost her primary job as a schoolteacher.

Oct 17, 2024 1:58 PM CDT

Supreme Court orders reconsideration of appellate decision on youths carrying guns

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday told a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision that blocked a Pennsylvania ban on youths openly carrying guns during a state of emergency.

Oct 15, 2024 2:46 PM CDT

Judge suspended without pay after indictment for alleged fake layoffs

A common pleas judge in York County, Pennsylvania, has been suspended without pay following his indictment for allegedly urging four law firm employees to collect unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to work from home.

Oct 15, 2024 9:10 AM CDT

After Hurricane Helene, court deadlines extended, misconduct hotline activated

Hurricane Helene is having a continuing impact on the courts.

Oct 2, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

Judge tosses lawyer’s dueling lawsuit against Willkie partner in spat over New York Post story

A solo practitioner accused of facilitating a negative story about a BigLaw partner in the New York Post can’t sue for a declaratory judgment that his actions were protected by the First Amendment, a Connecticut judge has ruled.

Oct 1, 2024 10:54 AM CDT

Landlords can pursue takings suit stemming from COVID-19 eviction moratorium, Federal Circuit rules

Landlords may pursue a lawsuit alleging that the federal government violated the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause when it imposed a moratorium on evictions, according to a federal appeals court.

Aug 13, 2024 8:49 AM CDT

COVID-related backlogs no longer reason to delay misdemeanor trials, appeals court says

An appellate court in California has admonished a lower court for continuing to cite the COVID-19 pandemic as a valid reason to delay trials.

Jul 17, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Lockdown Lessons

Whether it was adopting technology, changing workflows, transitioning to virtual/hybrid work or taking more time for mental health, the pandemic forced a legal industry long known for being staid and risk-averse into being open to change.

Jun 1, 2024 3:30 AM CDT

Ex-BigLaw attorney once ‘consumed with remorse’ over $10M client theft sentenced in new scheme

A disbarred New York lawyer who served time for stealing $10.7 million from clients is facing more prison time after pleading guilty in a scheme to defraud the government out of $1.4 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

May 23, 2024 11:06 AM CDT

Former BigLaw employee alleges she was wrongly fired for vaccine refusal

A former practice group assistant at Jenner & Block has filed a lawsuit contending that the law firm violated federal law when it fired her for refusing to get a vaccine for COVID-19.

May 20, 2024 10:36 AM CDT

Bosses mandated them back to the office. They took legal action instead

After more than two years of fighting against return-to-office mandates, workers are fed up with their bosses’ inflexible policies and are taking their battle to court.

May 7, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

Lawyer censured after calling governor ‘tyrant’ and lawmakers ‘spineless tools’ in COVID-19 litigation

A New Mexico lawyer has received a public censure partly for “inflammatory and misleading statements” in litigation opposing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, including a claimed right to disqualify judges who had received COVID-19 vaccines.

Feb 6, 2024 3:55 PM CST