Personal Lives

Harvard Law Grad’s Quest: Food for Thought Beneath Food to Eat

A recent graduate of Harvard Law School has a lot on his plate, literally. José Klein brings legal cases to life with drawings on plates, SF Gate reports. He started the venture after concluding the human dramas that result in dry legal doctrine are being overlooked. “These cases become vehicles…

Jun 11, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

Howrey Vice Chairman Dies of Cancer

The vice chairman of Howrey, Mark Wegener, has died at the age of 59. The cause was cancer, reports The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. Wegener was also co-chairman of Howrey’s global litigation practice. In a press release, Howrey’s chairman Robert Ruyak called Wegener a mentor and friend who…

Jun 11, 2008 2:23 PM CDT

Spitzer’s Next Gig: Running Real Estate Vulture Fund?

After resigning from office in the midst of a prostitution scandal, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is reportedly considering a career move that would take him out of both law practice and politics. Following in the footsteps of his ailing father, who is a real estate mogul in his…

Jun 10, 2008 11:32 PM CDT

No One Stops to Help Connecticut Hit-and-Run Victim, 78

Although several people dialed 911, no one stopped to help Angel Arce Torres as the 78-year-old victim of a hit-and-run accident lay motionless, in broad daylight, on a well-trafficked street in Hartford, Conn. The retired forklift operator was on foot, returning from buying milk at the grocery store, when he…

Jun 6, 2008 9:56 PM CDT

Ex-Broadcom CEO Indicted in Options Backdating—and Drug—Case

Federal indictments unsealed today may shed some light on why billionaire Henry Nicholas III reportedly was seen hanging out in a California courthouse this week and last week, awaiting possible charges in the hope of reducing potential bail restrictions. In addition to being charged with conspiracy and securities fraud concerning…

Jun 5, 2008 7:46 PM CDT

Vermont Law Student and Cuban Wife Sue Over Travel Restrictions

A student at Vermont Law School and his Cuban wife have sued the U.S. government over restrictions that bar Cuban Americans from traveling home more than once every three years. Jared Carter argued the case last week in a federal courtroom in Burlington, the Burlington Free Press reports. He told…

Jun 3, 2008 2:22 PM CDT

Fed’l Judge Will Not Return to Bench After Dress Incident

Despite a letter-writing campaign urging his reinstatement, a popular federal bankruptcy judge in Massachusetts who made international headlines after being arrested for driving under the influence while reportedly dressed in drag will not return to the bench. In a one-paragraph written statement released today, the Office of the Chief Executive…

May 30, 2008 9:39 PM CDT

Lawyer Had Early Claim to Fame: Photograph of His Plummet to Safety

An infant whose drop from a second-floor window was chronicled in an award-winning photograph is now a Boston-area lawyer. The child dropped from a window 30 years ago this week is a graduate of the Massachusetts School of Law and now apparently enrolled in the graduate tax program at the…

May 30, 2008 1:16 PM CDT

How ‘Positive Psychology’ Can Help Lawyers Succeed in Practice

Many of the same qualities that help lawyers succeed in practice, such as aggression, critical thinking and a willingness to take on a challenging workload, can be negatives in personal relationships. While that wasn’t a big problem for many, back when client development wasn’t as critical a skill as it…

May 27, 2008 9:48 PM CDT

Blogger David Lat Says Privacy an ‘Antiquated Notion,’ Goes Public With Diet

The blogger who writes the legal gossip blog Above the Law suggests that privacy is the refuge of scoundrels—and a convenient way to hide bad eating habits. Above the Law’s David Lat writes on a separate blog that he gets lots of e-mails from lawyers who complain that his blog…

May 27, 2008 12:16 PM CDT

‘Staycation’ Offers Respite for Frugal Lawyer

Want to save money on a vacation? Consider a “staycation”—a vacation in your own city or backyard. Manhattan media lawyer Townsend Davis took a staycation earlier this year with his wife Bridget Elias, chief financial officer of the Whitney Museum, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). The couple “walked…

May 23, 2008 2:24 PM CDT

Single Mom at 14, Law Grad at 24

Rasheedah Phillips was a single mom at 14. She dropped out of school for six months, and her grades plummeted. But, unlike nearly 70 percent of the teens who become mothers within four years of starting high school, she went back, even as she worked part-time to support her daughter,…

May 22, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Former BigLaw Attorney and Author to Publish 2nd Book

Once he graduated from law school and started work, Ben Fountain found he didn’t much like being a lawyer. So, 20 years ago, after his wife made partner at Thompson & Knight, he left his job at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Dallas to pursue his interest in…

May 21, 2008 10:01 PM CDT

Will Popular Bankruptcy Judge Return, After Dress Incident?

Lawyers in Boston are still waiting and wondering whether a popular bankruptcy judge, who resigned from the bench after a much-publicized cross-dressing incident but then changed his mind, will be allowed to return to the bench. Whether U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Somma will be allowed to rescind his resignation was…

May 21, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Michigan Solo Learns the Hard Way About Himself and the Law

Before Michael Burke can reverse the revocation of his law license, he must pay back the $1.6 million he stole from clients. Except it’s all gone now—blown on blackjack and slot machines. Once a Howell, Mich., solo practitioner, Burke pleaded guilty to embezzlement in 2001 and spent almost three years…

May 19, 2008 3:22 PM CDT