Pennsylvania

Duquesne Settles 1 Law Faculty Suit, Still Faces 2 Others

One of three law faculty members who have been pursuing litigation against Duquesne University has settled on undisclosed terms. The exit of Alice Stewart, a clinical administrator who had sued for gender discrimination, retaliation and defamation, leaves two other faculty members saying they weren’t fairly considered for the law dean’s…

Dec 9, 2010 10:25 PM CST

Suspect Arrested in 2006 Shotgun Slaying of Lawyer and His Wife

After attorney David Burke Keeffe and his wife, Carol, were murdered at their Pennsylvania home in 2006, the DeSisti and Keeffe law firm, where Keeffe practiced with his father-in-law, offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in their shotgun slayings. Now it appears that the…

Dec 8, 2010 8:26 PM CST

WTF? ‘10 Most Obscene Cities’ List Doesn’t Include Most Likely Suspects

Business Insider this week published its third annual “10 Most Obscene Cities in America” list, and New York City ain’t on it. Neither is friggin’ Chicago. According to the online magazine’s posts since 2008, the methodology of the list’s creation was inspired by Florida defense attorney Lawrence Walters. Posts link…

Dec 8, 2010 7:26 PM CST

Real Estate Lawyer Earns Perhaps $30K, Gets 57 Months for Closing Fraudulent Loans

Attorney John Chaffo Jr. probably made no more than $18,000 to $30,000 from closing some 60 fraudulent real estate loan transactions for a fee of between $300 and $500. But because lenders lost between $1 million and $2.5 million as a result, a federal judge yesterday sentenced the 50-year-old Chaffo…

Dec 8, 2010 5:57 PM CST

Philly City Lawyer Draws on Difficult Childhood in Advising Homeless

A hardworking lawyer for the city of Philadelphia enjoys a comfortable middle-class existence, but it wasn’t always that way for her. Nikki Johnson-Huston recalls her mother’s struggle with alcoholism and being homeless at the age of 9 after a move to San Diego, the Philadelphia News reports. “The family began…

Dec 8, 2010 12:00 PM CST

Law Firm Accused of UPL, After Admittedly Filing Foreclosures Without Attorney Review

A Pennsylvania law firm has joined Florida colleagues on the hot seat over questioned practices in high-volume mortgage foreclosure cases. Goldbeck McCafferty & McKeever has been accused of unauthorized practice of law because—as two of its name partners admitted in deposition—nonlawyers, at least in the past, routinely prepared and filed…

Dec 4, 2010 12:00 AM CST

Privacy-Loving Couple Obtains ‘One Sweet Dollar of Vindication’ From Google

A Pittsburgh-area couple who sued Google Maps over its “Street View” feature have agreed to settle the case for $1. A statement issued by Aaron and Christine Boring called the deal “one sweet dollar of vindication,” the Associated Press reports. Their lawsuit had claimed Google violated their privacy when its…

Dec 3, 2010 12:25 PM CST

Relieved Pa. Attorney Says He Dodged a Bullet in Alleged $32M Bad-Check Scam Targeting 80 Law Firms

A $32 million alleged bad-check scam reportedly victimized 80 attorneys in four states. And the defendants in a federal wire-fraud case in the Middle District of Pennsylvania are accused of trying to bilk another 300 law firms out of $100 million more. But a relieved Pennsylvania personal injury attorney says…

Dec 1, 2010 5:38 PM CST

Software Helps Lawyers Keep Focus on Bottom Line

Law firms are increasingly using automated software to track client collections and lawyer time in flat-fee cases. Lawyers at Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney are among those using the software—on a daily basis, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The first thing they see every morning when logging onto their computers is a…

Dec 1, 2010 12:00 PM CST

Ex-WolfBlock Partner Claims Top Lawyers Colluded With Competitor Firm

A former WolfBlock partner is refusing to return distributions paid before the law firm dissolved in March 2009, citing alleged collusion with a competing law firm. The wind-down committee for WolfBlock is seeking $1.6 million in distributions from 49 former partners, only one of whom has paid up, the Legal…

Nov 30, 2010 1:15 PM CST

Fox Rothschild Opens DC Office with 2 Dilworth Lawyers, Plans 20-Plus Lawyers There

After a decade of discussion about establishing an office in the nation’s capital, Fox Rothschild has made its move. With the hire of three lawyers from Dilworth Paxon, the more than 500-attorney Philadelphia-based law firm now has the right team and has planted its flag in Washington, D.C., the Blog…

Nov 29, 2010 8:58 PM CST

Appeals Judge Perks in Pennsylvania: Luxury Cars, Law Firm-Financed Trips

Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille drives a 2010 Cadillac, but he’s not paying the lease costs. He has attended dinners, golf outings and a social meeting at a luxury hotel, but he’s not picking up the tab. The state pays for the Cadillac lease, a perk provided to state appeals…

Nov 29, 2010 12:42 PM CST

Ballard Spahr Opens New San Diego Office With 5-Lawyer White-Collar Defense Team

Adding to its westward expansion in recent years, Philadelphia-based Ballard Spahr has opened a new office in San Diego with a five-lawyer team from La Bella & McNamara. Led by Thomas McNamara, a former federal prosecutor, it will bring the nearly 500-attorney firm’s litigator head count to 200, reports the…

Nov 17, 2010 11:10 AM CST

Partners of Squire Sanders & Hammonds OK Megamerger; Will Keep Squire Sanders Name

Two major law firms will join the world’s 25 largest as of Jan. 1, when Cleveland-based Squire Sanders & Dempsey and London-based Hammonds have agreed to tie the knot. The melded firm will retain the Squire Sanders name, although it will be known as Squire Sanders Hammonds in areas where…

Nov 8, 2010 6:24 PM CST

15-Lawyer Ore. Firm Opens 2nd Office—in Pa.; Ex-K&L Gates Atty to Build ‘Virtual’ Enviro Office

A Portland, Ore., law firm has made an unusual move, opening a second office in Pittsburgh last week. Headed by a former associate of K&L Gates, Phillip Bender, the new office of Bateman Seidel Miner Blomgren Chellis & Gram also is taking a cutting-edge approach to law practice, reports the…

Nov 8, 2010 5:15 PM CST