Pennsylvania

Reed Smith Raids Pepper Hamilton for 7-Lawyer Real Estate Group

A former co-chair of the real estate practice group at Pepper Hamilton has led a seven-lawyer group to rival Reed Smith, starting work today at the Pittsburgh-based international firm’s headquarters office. Besides Dusty Elias Kirk, who was also a member of Pepper Hamilton’s executive committee, the group includes partners Sharon…

May 17, 2010 7:18 PM CDT

Art Project and Late-Awarded Law License Recall Exclusion of Black Lawyers

Two news stories this week—about an art project in Iowa and a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision—call attention to a history of discrimination against black lawyers. In Pennsylvania, a man twice denied admission to law practice in the 1800s because he was black has been awarded a law license posthumously. The…

May 7, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Student Warned Defendant School Dist. in ‘08 of Potential Webcam Privacy Peril

In 2008, as a suburban Philadelphia school district was beginning a noble experiment intended to guarantee that every student had access to a state-of-the-art computer, a high school student saw a potential problem. Lower Merion School District would have the ability to monitor students remotely, via the laptops’ webcams, and…

May 3, 2010 11:30 PM CDT

Ex-Judge to Plead Guilty in Kids-for-Cash Scandal; Is He ‘Singing Like a Bird’?

Former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan has agreed to plead guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy in the $2.8 million “kids for cash” scandal. Conahan faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced, according to the Legal Intelligencer…

Apr 30, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

School District Snapped 56,000 Images on Student Webcams

An upscale suburban Philadelphia school district accused of secretly snapping photos of high school students at home via webcams on their district-issued laptop computers has completed an investigation. And it apparently supports at least some of the claims made in a federal lawsuit filed by the parents of one sophomore.…

Apr 20, 2010 5:57 PM CDT

Filing: School District Took Thousands of Pics of Students at Home Via Laptop Webcams

When news broke in February that an upscale suburban Philadelphia school district had been accused of spying on students at home via remotely activated webcams on their district-issued laptop computers, officials said the webcams were only activated if a computer had been reported missing or stolen. But that wasn’t true,…

Apr 19, 2010 7:57 PM CDT

Law Grad Pleads Guilty in ATM Scam at Sands Casino

A law graduate who had at one time landed a job with a New York law firm has pleaded guilty to accusations that she watched ATM users at a Pennsylvania casino so she could withdraw money from their bank accounts. Shoumin Chai was accused of pretending to help people at…

Apr 13, 2010 12:44 PM CDT

Pa. Justice’s Assistant, Her Sister, Is Suspended in Campaign Probe

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice’s assistant, who is also her sister, has been suspended after prosecutors charged her with campaign-related violations. Janine Orie, the chief administrative judicial assistant for Justice Joan Orie Melvin, has been accused of ordering staff for another sister who is a state senator to do political…

Apr 13, 2010 11:42 AM CDT

Socially Awkward Judge Was ‘a Little Creepy,’ Asst. DA Tells Ethics Panel

An assistant Erie County district attorney says a Pennsylvania judge accused of harassing nine women was “a little creepy” and made her feel uncomfortable with his repeated invitations to lunch in 2006 and request to call him “Jerry.” However, Erin Connelly also told a three-judge state Court of Judicial Discipline…

Apr 12, 2010 6:24 PM CDT

No Food Stamps for Service Dog, But His Disabled Owner May Now Have a Lawyer

A service dog doesn’t qualify for food stamps, a Pennsylvania court has ruled, because he isn’t human. But the animal’s disabled owner, James Douris, may not have to argue the legal issue on his own much longer. Although he lost a pro se Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court case arguing that the…

Apr 7, 2010 7:24 PM CDT

Lawyers’ License Fee Checks Arouse Regulators’ Suspicion

Lawyers who want to steer clear of ethics regulators should take note. It’s not a good idea to pay your annual license fees with a check drawn on a lawyer trust account. But a dozen lawyers in Pennsylvania did just that, prompting immediate inquiries by the state disciplinary counsel, according…

Apr 5, 2010 12:39 PM CDT

Legal Road Trip: Philadelphia

The legal sites of the City of Brotherly Love

Apr 1, 2010 8:40 AM CDT

Kids-for-Cash Scandal Sparks Report Urging Sweeping Juvie Court Changes

A Pennsylvania judge appointed by the state supreme court to review cases in a troubled county in which senior judges allegedly took what amounted to kickbacks for jailing juveniles has issued a report recommending sweeping changes in the juvenile court system. Among them: Juvenile court hearings should be public, attorneys…

Mar 31, 2010 12:10 AM CDT

Boy, Now 12, Will Be Tried as Adult in Murder of Dad’s Pregnant Girlfriend

An 11-year-old boy who police say shot and killed his father’s eight-months-pregnant girlfriend in the family home early last year will be tried as an adult in the homicides of the Pennsylvania woman and her unborn baby. Jordan Brown, now 12, has been charged with criminal homicide and homicide of…

Mar 29, 2010 9:14 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Courtroom Seat-Belt Stunt Cites Age, Avoids Sanctions

A South Carolina lawyer accused of secretly staging a courtroom stunt to demonstrate an alleged design flaw in a Kia seat belt won’t be sanctioned for his actions. Lawyer J. Kendall Few avoided penalty after arguing that a long day and his advanced age may have led him to forget…

Mar 25, 2010 11:00 AM CDT