New York

Disaster Rule Speeds Legal Help

A proposal by the New York State Bar Association would allow out-of-state lawyers to offer free help to disaster victims without getting special court permission. The proposal would allow outside lawyers to offer pro bono help to New York victims after officials declare a state of emergency, Associated Press reports.…

Jul 5, 2007 9:06 PM CDT

London Firms Earn #1 Billing in World

Record profits for the biggest London law firms reportedly make them the dominant players in the world legal market. Three London firms, headed by Clifford Chance, are at the top of the earnings list, with annual billings close to or exceeding $2 billion. For each, that represents an increase of…

Jul 5, 2007 7:25 PM CDT

NY Attorneys Failed to File Tax Returns

Four lawyers are among seven professionals who recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of failing to file New York state tax returns. The four attorneys, who earned between just under $400,000 and more than $2.7 million during the period, did not file state tax returns for four consecutive years, according…

Jul 3, 2007 9:52 PM CDT

Fewer Empty Chicago Offices, Rents Up

A hiring spree by local law firms is in part responsible for a drop in office vacancies and a rise in office rents in Chicago. Financial services firms and law firms looking for more space in the downtown area are behind a business boom for commercial landlords, which is encouraging…

Jul 3, 2007 8:10 PM CDT

N.Y. DWI Law Doesn’t Cover Inhalants

New York’s highest court has held that a law barring driving while intoxicated does not apply to impairment from inhaling chemicals from an aerosol can. The New York Court of Appeals said the law covers only impairment from alcohol, the New York Law Journal reports. The court ruled (PDF) yesterday…

Jun 28, 2007 1:39 PM CDT

Court Bars Secret High-Low Deals

New York’s highest court has ordered a new trial for an asbestos defendant because it was not told that a co-defendant had reached a high-low agreement with the plaintiff. The New York Court of Appeals said all parties in multiple defendant cases should be notified of such agreements, the New…

Jun 28, 2007 1:16 PM CDT

Tipster Protection Bill Passes

The New York legislature has approved a law that protects citizens who warn of suspicious activity. The bill bars those fingered by such reports from suing the tipsters, Joseph Goldstein reports in the New York Sun. It provides immunity for anyone who in good faith files a report warning that…

Jun 27, 2007 2:44 PM CDT

N.Y. Sting Lawyer Sentenced

A former New York divorce lawyer who helped convict a judge was sentenced to one year in jail yesterday. Judge Jeffrey Berry of Brooklyn said Paul Siminovsky deserved jail time rather than probation for giving unlawful gratuities, the New York Times reports. “I’m not calling you the devil,” he said,…

Jun 27, 2007 1:42 PM CDT

Too Few Minorities in Manhattan Jury Pools

Whites are overrepresented in Manhattan jury pools, a study has found. Whites of all ethnicities make up 78 percent of potential jurors, even though they are only 54 percent of the population, according to a story about the study in the New York Times. Hispanics made up 6.3 percent of…

Jun 27, 2007 1:20 PM CDT

Suit Claims Restaurant a Copy

A New York chef has sued a competitor for copying the look and feel of her restaurant. Rebecca Charles, who owns the Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village, says the competing restaurateur has copied her white marble bar, gray trim and straw-back chairs, the New York Times reports. She…

Jun 27, 2007 1:03 PM CDT

Cravath Signs $900 M Midtown Lease

One of New York’s best-known white-shoe law firms has agreed to pay a breathtaking $900 million to renew its lease on 600,000 square feet of office space in midtown Manhattan for 15 years, starting in 2009. Cravath Swain & Moore will see its cost-per-square-foot double under the new lease, from…

Jun 25, 2007 11:58 PM CDT

Fair Housing Laws Create Unexpected Pitfalls, Even for Real Estate Pros

Most Manhattan real estate professionals might not think twice about telling a family with children that they are welcome in a particular building. But that can present pitfalls under various fair housing laws. And stepped-up enforcement is making some brokers think twice, thrice or even a fourth time about comments…

Jun 25, 2007 9:31 PM CDT

NYC Jury: Book Scheme Was a Scam

Counsel for Laura Albert said she met her contractual obligation. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t a male prostitute, her defense contended, nor that the book she wrote, “Sarah,” was actually fiction rather than non-fiction. She entered into a contract to sell Antidote International Films Inc. the movie rights to…

Jun 25, 2007 6:23 PM CDT

NYC Jurors Decide: Was Scheme to Portray Fiction as Non-Fiction a Scam?

Was a literary hoax a fraud? That is the question a federal jury in New York City began deciding today, in a case brought by a movie production company to recover money it paid writer Laura Albert for rights to her alleged non-fiction book “Sarah.” The problem is, Sarah was…

Jun 22, 2007 11:13 PM CDT

Couple Charged for Loud Kids

A village court judge dropped charges Wednesday against a couple arrested because their children made too much noise in the backyard swimming pool. Neighbors had complained that Rachel and William Poczatek’s two girls, ages 5 and 11, screamed and yelled for long periods of time, ABC News reports. Neighbors of…

Jun 22, 2007 8:56 PM CDT