Dr. Conrad Murray Asks for Appointed Counsel, Saying He Is Indigent

Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, has asked for appointed counsel to handle his appeal, on the basis that he is indigent. The request was filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to the Associated Press. Murray, a cardiologist, retained…

Dec 14, 2011 5:36 PM CST

Fla. Lawyer Facing 3rd DUI, Has Been Accused of Drinking on the Job, But Has No Disciplinary Record

A Florida lawyer was charged over the weekend with driving under the influence. It’s the third time Karen Miller has faced a DUI charge, WINK reports. Meanwhile, questions were raised by the prosecutor and the judge, according to a trial transcript, about whether she had been drinking during a client’s…

Nov 15, 2011 6:38 PM CST

Letters: Rebel-Rousers

Nov 1, 2011 9:50 AM CDT

Power Outage Puts Broward Courts, Sheriff’s Deputies and Lawyers Back in Pre-Computer ‘Stone Age’

A power outage in South Florida’s busy Broward County forced court clerks, sheriff’s deputies and lawyers, among others, to work in practically prehistoric conditions without computers or email for at least much of the afternoon. Court dockets weren’t accessible, sheriff’s deputies had to use their radios to call in license…

Oct 24, 2011 8:26 PM CDT

Mistakes by Defense Lawyers Led to Reversals or Remands in Nearly a Third of Pa. Capital Cases

Mistakes by defense lawyers in more than 125 capital murder trials in Pennsylvania led to overturned convictions or new hearings over the last three decades, amounting to nearly a third of the cases. The Philadelphia Inquirer examined the statistics on capital convictions in the state since the modern death penalty…

Oct 24, 2011 4:00 PM CDT

Public Defender Loses Lawsuit Over His Courtroom Scuffle with Deputies

A Louisiana criminal defense lawyer with a reputation for being feisty and abrasive has lost a federal civil rights lawsuit he filed over a December 2009 scuffle with deputies in a Orleans Parish Criminal District courtroom. Ruling yesterday after a one-day bench trial in August, U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance…

Oct 20, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

ABA Brief Filed in Md. Supports Counsel for Indigents at Bail and Pretrial Release Hearings

The ABA has filed an amicus brief in Maryland’s highest court supporting the appointment of counsel for indigents at bail and pretrial release proceedings. The Maryland Court of Appeals is considering whether the Sixth Amendment, the state constitution or state statutes require appointment of counsel for indigent defendants before a…

Oct 5, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Lawyers on the Docket: Court Term Kicks Off with a Look at Legal Representation

Oct 1, 2011 8:30 AM CDT

The Burden of Reasonable Doubt: When a Standard Designed to Protect Defendants Actually Hurts Them

Oct 1, 2011 8:20 AM CDT

For the Second Time in a Week, the Supreme Court Stays an Execution

The U.S. Supreme Court granted two stays of execution involving Texas cases this week, the most recent one involving an Army recruiter convicted of raping and murdering a woman he met at a Fort Worth bar. The court stayed the execution of Cleve Foster to allow time to consider whether…

Sep 21, 2011 11:44 AM CDT

2 Lawyers Face Federal Wire Fraud Cases re Alleged Overbilling as Contract Public Defenders

Two West Virginia lawyers have been federally charged with wire fraud in unrelated cases concerning their alleged overbilling as court-appointed public defenders. Jeremy Vickers, 36, allegedly billed for work days exceeding 24 hours on 173 occasions, while Christopher Bledsoe, 33, is accused of forging a judge’s signature on payment invoices…

Sep 13, 2011 6:10 PM CDT

Inmate Files Suit Claiming His PD Is a ‘Surrogate Prosecutor’ Advocating a Plea Bargain

A California inmate accused of molesting his teenage niece is apparently unhappy with his lawyer. The inmate, Charles David Berlinghoff, has filed a pro se lawsuit in Sacramento federal court against senior deputy public defender Max Ruffcorn, the Record Searchlight reports. The suit claims Ruffcorn is acting as a “surrogate…

Sep 7, 2011 2:56 PM CDT

Woman’s $1M Lottery Win Will Also Benefit Court-Appointed Defender in Her Criminal Case

Asked by a court employee about her job and living situation, a 28-year-old woman facing a Washington state methamphetamine possession charge truthfully replied that she is unemployed and resides with her mom in Vancouver. No one asked her about any money she might have stashed away. But because Megan Gatlin…

Sep 6, 2011 6:10 PM CDT

Lawyer for Co-Defendant in Conn. Home Invasion Case Tries ‘Scorched-Earth’ Approach

The lawyer representing a defendant set to go on trial in September for a Connecticut triple murder is displaying the aggressive tactics that earned the one-time prosecutor a reputation as a courtroom brawler. Jeremiah Donovan is the lead court-appointed lawyer for Joshua Komisarjevsky, accused of taking part in tormenting and…

Aug 30, 2011 4:49 PM CDT

Loughner Lawyers Apparently Trying to Show Mental Illness Runs in the Family

Lawyers for the man accused of killing a federal judge in an Arizona shooting spree are apparently trying to show that mental illness runs in the suspect’s family. Subpoenas indicate that lawyers for Jared Lee Loughner are seeking information about his relatives and ancestors in Illinois, the New York Times…

Aug 17, 2011 3:45 PM CDT