Lawyer Indicted & Cleared in Case Linked to Serial Murders of 3 Clients Has Died

A criminal defense and personal injury lawyer who said his life became a living hell after his name was linked to the still-unsolved serial killings of nine Massachusetts women has been found dead at his home. Kenneth Ponte was in his early 60s. Authorities say his death does not appear…

Jan 28, 2010 6:24 PM CST

Lawyer and New York Society Novelist Louis Auchincloss Dies at 92

Within 10 years of earning a law degree from the University of Virginia and starting practice at Sullivan & Cromwell, attorney Louis Auchincloss was successful enough as an author to resign from the white-shoe New York legal partnership and make writing his full-time career. But Auchincloss soon found that he…

Jan 28, 2010 1:26 AM CST

Slain Calif. Lawyer Angered Some ‘Very Nasty People’

A California trial lawyer slain outside his Los Angeles home last month was involved in several contentious cases, spurring detectives to look for a link between an unhappy litigant and the murder. Jeffrey Tidus, 53, was shot in the head outside his home Dec. 9 in what investigators believe to…

Jan 11, 2010 2:05 PM CST

Legendary Celebrity Trial Lawyer Nate Cohn Dies at 91

Nate Cohn, a legendary California trial lawyer known for his longtime celebrity practice, photographic memory, sense of style and joie de vivre has died at the age of 91. The son of a man who operated circuses and carnivals, Cohn represented individuals ranging from celebrities including Duke Ellington to ordinary…

Jan 6, 2010 7:17 PM CST

Condolences, Conundrums

Jan 2, 2010 5:10 AM CST

Legal Aid Advocate McCalpin Dies

A former chairman of the Legal Services Corp. who was a vocal advocate for its mission has died. F. William McCalpin died Dec. 9 at his St. Louis home from complications from a fall, the New York Times reports. He was 88. McCalpin chaired the LSC from 1979 to 1981…

Dec 17, 2009 12:44 PM CST

Former Chief Judge of 1st Circuit Dies

A former chief judge of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has died at the age of 90. Frank Coffin served as a judge for 40 years and was chief judge of the circuit for 11 years, the New York Times reports. He is also a former congressman…

Dec 17, 2009 12:29 PM CST

Prominent L.A. Lawyer Shot in Head Outside His Home Was Murdered

A partner at a Los Angeles law firm who was shot in the head outside his upscale home earlier this week was murdered, police now say, ruling out the possibility of suicide. However, little appears to be known about what might have led to the slaying of Jeffrey Tidus, who…

Dec 10, 2009 9:03 PM CST

Detective Says Death of L.A. Lawyer Might Be a ‘Targeted Killing’

Although no weapon reportedly was recovered, authorities say they have not yet ruled out suicide in the case of a prominent Los Angeles lawyer who was shot in the head outside his upscale home Monday night and died the next morning at a hospital. (Subsequently, authorities did rule out suicide…

Dec 9, 2009 9:06 PM CST

Lawyer Shot in Head Outside His Upscale Home Dies at Hospital

Updated: A Southern California lawyer died at a hospital this morning after being shot in the head last night at about 8:30 p.m. outside his upscale home, and a police detective subsequently said his death might be a “targeted killing,” although suicide has not yet been ruled out. He is…

Dec 8, 2009 8:25 PM CST

Missing Michigan Law Student Committed Suicide

Police have found the body of a first-year University of Michigan law student reported missing last month. Casey Neil McGinnis, 35, had hanged himself in a wooded area near a recreation center, according to AnnArbor.com. He had a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and had battled alcohol and depression…

Dec 4, 2009 12:28 PM CST

Trial Lawyer Speeding Up to 79 mph in 40 mph Zone Before Deadly Crash

A celebrated Houston plaintiffs attorney was speeding at almost twice the legal limit on rain-slick pavement when he lost control of his SUV late last month, striking a tree and killing himself and a passenger who worked for him. Police say neither John O’Quinn nor his employee, Johnny Cutliff, was…

Nov 24, 2009 7:58 PM CST

Lawyer-Pilot Dies in Plane Crash

An instrument-rated California lawyer and pilot died Friday when his four-passenger Cessna 182 crashed and burned shortly after takeoff in Susanville, near the Nevada border. Harold Gartner III was alone in the plane and it was snowing heavily at the time, according to the Lassen County Times. Steve Datema, who…

Nov 23, 2009 7:02 PM CST

A Death in the Office: Mark Levy’s Talent, Resumé & Friends Weren’t Enough

Mark Levy began his last day at Kilpatrick Stockton like he’d begun countless others. He pulled his Jaguar into the garage at the law firm two blocks from the White House just before 5:30 and took the elevator up to the 11th floor. Always an early riser, he enjoyed getting…

Nov 21, 2009 9:23 PM CST

ABA Leader & Land Use Expert Loved Baseball and Hawaiian Shirts

Renowned for his Florida land-use expertise and love of baseball, David Cardwell was seemingly more comfortable in a Hawaiian shirt than a business suit. “But once he opened his mouth, you knew this guy was the smartest man in the room. And you had to listen,” John Jacobsen of the…

Nov 21, 2009 12:29 AM CST