Fake lawyer pleads guilty; he created website using Cravath bios

A 23-year-old Tennessee man pleaded guilty Tuesday for holding himself out as a lawyer from an elite law school and collecting fees from would-be clients. John Lambert, whose fake attorney name was Eric Pope, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to Law360 and a…

Aug 7, 2019 1:23 PM CDT

Man who sent lynching imagery to Muslim lawyer via Twitter faces up to 5 years in prison

A North Carolina man has been charged with issuing a threat via interstate commerce—and faces up to five years in prison—after sending an image of a man who had been lynched and the words “view your destiny” to a Muslim lawyer on Twitter. Qasim Rashid, who is also a Democratic…

Jul 2, 2019 4:10 PM CDT

Top 10 rules to be a successful lawyer

“We are here to live life and be as successful as we can possibly be,” writes trial attorney James Gray Robinson. Check out his top rules about practicing law—and life in general—that can help lawyers to be successful, whether they are young or old.

Jun 20, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

GOP lawmakers in Michigan and Ohio win SCOTUS stay in political gerrymandering cases

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed court rulings ordering Michigan and Ohio to create new electoral maps because they were drawn to benefit Republicans. The Supreme Court granted the stays as it considers partisan gerrymandering cases in North Carolina and Maryland, report Courthouse News Service, the New York Times…

May 28, 2019 9:15 AM CDT

Judge reprimanded for complaints about boss, adjourning court early for salon visits

The North Carolina Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a judge who was accused of adjourning court early and complaining about the chief judge “to anyone who would listen.” The court reprimanded Judge April Smith of Cumberland County in a May 10 decision, report the State and the Fayetteville Observer. The…

May 14, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Attorney who does pro bono for inmates is new Miss USA

A 27-year-old North Carolina litigation attorney who handles pro bono work for inmates was crowned the new Miss USA on Thursday.

May 3, 2019 9:25 AM CDT

Man accused of sexually abusing teen and keeping her in dog cage gets time served

A Georgia man who pleaded guilty to cruelty to children for sexually abusing a runaway teen girl and holding her captive will not have to go back to jail. Michael Wysolovski, 33, of Duluth was sentenced last week to served time of eight months in jail, followed by nine years…

May 2, 2019 4:10 PM CDT

Man accused of abandoning pet fish is off the hook for animal cruelty, DA says

Prosecutors have dropped misdemeanor animal cruelty and abandonment charges against a North Carolina man accused of abandoning his pet fish when he was evicted from his Wilmington home. Charges were dropped because fish aren’t protected under the state’s animal cruelty law, according to New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David.…

Apr 11, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Private equity fund that owns Charlotte School of Law sued in Illinois state court for alleged fraud

Apr 1, 2019 3:57 PM CDT

Federal judge strikes down skirt requirement for girls at public charter school

A requirement that grade-school girls wear shorts, jumpers or skorts (which look like a skirt but include shortslike fabric underneath) at a public charter school violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, a federal judge has ruled. Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard of Greenville, North Carolina, ruled…

Apr 1, 2019 3:12 PM CDT

Federal judge regrets appearing in group frat photo with Confederate flag

U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney is among the high-profile figures who posed in group fraternity photos with a Confederate flag for their college yearbooks. Whitney, who is chief judge of the Western District of North Carolina, posed in the photo for his 1982 yearbook at Wake Forest University, report the…

Mar 5, 2019 7:30 AM CST

Special veterans courts see little money, little demand

Eric Gonzalez says he doesn’t remember getting pulled over, nor does he remember evading his arrest in Fullerton, California. The only thing he knows is that he woke up very hungover and faced up to nine years in prison for assaulting a police officer, along with five other charges.

Feb 22, 2019 3:00 PM CST

Several states pass laws authorizing ‘In God We Trust’ motto in schools and other public buildings

Public schools could provide a new legal battleground on religion in public venues as more states pass laws authorizing the posting of “In God We Trust” in public schools. Seven states passed laws this year requiring or permitting schools and other public buildings to post “In God We Trust, the…

Dec 5, 2018 7:15 AM CST

Controversial judicial nominee appears unlikely to win confirmation after DOJ memo revealed

A federal judicial nominee who defended North Carolina’s voter ID law appears unlikely to win confirmation after Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said he would vote against him.

Nov 30, 2018 9:45 AM CST

Ballot measures give felons the right to vote, overturn Jim Crow-era jury law and legalize marijuana

Beyond the fight for Congress, voters across the country were presented with major criminal justice reform initiatives on Tuesday's ballot.

Nov 7, 2018 9:33 AM CST