Personal Lives

Seattle Law Firm Wins $6.8M Wash. Lottery Jackpot

In an extraordinary stroke of luck, a Washington lottery ticket purchased by an office pool at a small Seattle law firm has won the $6.8 million jackpot. Members of Josal Partners were stunned to read in the Seattle Times one recent morning that they had purchased a top prize-winning ticket,…

Feb 6, 2009 2:20 AM CST

Judge to Suspect: That’s a BB Gun; Suspect to Judge: Want to Bet on It?

Two soldiers have been charged in the armed robbery and wounding of a New York judge who reportedly suffered puncture wounds to his hand and face as he resisted an attempted theft of his wallet in a shopping mall parking lot. According to a deposition by Jefferson County Surrogate Judge…

Feb 4, 2009 6:30 PM CST

Va. Lawyer Sees ‘Outpouring of Support’ After Shooting Injury

A Virginia lawyer injured by someone who apparently fired shots through the window of his law office was working remotely on Wednesday, keeping in touch with a computer, cell phone and BlackBerry. The lawyer, Todd Sanders, spoke with the ABA Journal but cautioned he couldn’t talk about the incident because…

Feb 4, 2009 5:28 PM CST

BYU Law Prof with ALS Gets Baseball to Raise Money for Cure

A law professor with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has spurred Major League Baseball to raise money for research in an event on July 4, the 70th anniversary of the baseball great’s farewell speech. Michael Goldsmith, 57, is a law professor at Brigham Young University and…

Feb 4, 2009 12:53 PM CST

Fired Over Personal Website, Ex-Associate of Major UK Firm Mulls Options

Fired on Friday from her plum position as an associate in the Moscow office of a major London-based law firm, Deidre Dare spent the weekend recuperating. But now the 40-something former Allen & Overy associate is already exploring other options, including but not limited to writing a “Sexpat” column for…

Feb 4, 2009 4:23 AM CST

1 Lawyer, 2 Jobs: Full-Time Baby-sitter Is Key in Family Life

As both a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Drinker Biddle & Reath and chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, Jesse Ruiz is a busy guy. His workday starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. And his wife, Michele Ruiz, is a partner at Sidley…

Feb 2, 2009 6:46 PM CST

Chicago Litigator Is Roller Derby’s ‘Ying O’Fire’

Updated: A Chicago-area litigator switches business attire for roller skates in the evening when she competes in the roller derby as a member of the Windy City Rollers. Jennifer “Molly” Wretzky, whose derby name is “Ying O’Fire,” joined the team in 2005 as she was finishing her law degree, reports…

Feb 2, 2009 6:43 PM CST

Off Track

Taking a year off doesn’t have to mean derailing your career. How getting off the treadmill helped four lawyers inject new meaning into their personal and professional lives.

Feb 2, 2009 4:10 AM CST

Pioneering Franchise Lawyer Lewis Rudnick Dies

Franchising pioneer Lewis Rudnick has died at the age of 73. Rudnick, a name partner at the law firm once known as Rudnick & Wolfe, helped shape franchise law and helped train many of today’s leading franchise lawyers, according to the blogs Trade Regulation Talk and Blue MauMau. Rudnick’s firm…

Jan 28, 2009 1:55 PM CST

Ex BigLaw Associate: I Was Arrested By Law Firm Fashion Police

While working as a fifth-year associate at a BigLaw firm in New York, Tracey Batt thought her black leather ankle boots, black leather trench coat and dark-colored “mannish” pantsuits with long jackets looked just fine as business-casual attire. But her law firm thought otherwise. An office encounter with several superiors…

Jan 27, 2009 8:18 PM CST

Calif. Lawyer, 73, Charged With Giving Man a Wild Ride on Mercedes Hood

A man who follows a strict lunchtime routine, California attorney Peter Stuart Buchanan reportedly didn’t deviate from it when he encountered an unusual construction situation on Dec. 27 as he was on his way back to work with his usual takeout meal. The 73-year-old lawyer allegedly drove through a construction…

Jan 23, 2009 5:32 PM CST

Venable Partner on Downed Jet: ‘I Truly Thought I Was Going to Drown’

Although passengers on a US Airways jet that crash-landed on the Hudson River a week ago were remarkably calm about trying to escape from the plane, it didn’t look good to James Hanks Jr. As he headed from his business class seat near the rear of the plane to the…

Jan 22, 2009 9:10 PM CST

Racing Unknown, a 32-Year-Old Lawyer, Speeds Into Marathon Spotlight

A few years ago, while working for a Washington, D.C., law firm, attorney Kelly Jaske began running recreationally with some colleagues. They were much faster than she was, but her competitive drive helped the Harvard Law School graduate start catching up, reports the Oregonian. In 2007, she moved to Portland,…

Jan 22, 2009 5:59 PM CST

Allen & Overy Bans American Associate’s Racy Online Novel

Updated: A senior associate at Allen & Overy has stopped publishing her online novel after the London-based magic circle firm apparently told her that it was too racy. “While an unidentified Allen & Overy spokesman would not directly comment on the action taken against associate Deidre Dare and her Web-published…

Jan 21, 2009 5:18 PM CST

Lawyer-Run Business Helps Attorneys and Others Arrange Discreet Affairs

Happily married but unhappy as a lawyer, Noel Biderman eventually found a career niche: helping others cheat on a spouse or romantic partner. The business plan for his discreet dating site, the Ashley Madison Agency, was sparked when he realized that nearly a third of those using online dating services…

Jan 16, 2009 10:49 PM CST