Public Defenders

PD Who Defended Ted Kaczynski Will Reportedly Represent Suspect in Ariz. Shooting Spree

Updated: The federal public defender who represented Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui will reportedly defend the suspect charged Sunday in the shooting spree at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Ariz., this weekend that claimed the lives of a federal judge and five others. A federal judicial…

Jan 10, 2011 11:56 AM CST

Sign Skills Help Criminal Defense Lawyer Win Business, Explain and Comply with Deaf Culture

Having become fluent as a youngster in American Sign Language has helped a young criminal defense attorney with normal hearing acquire clients. Although she has been licensed to practice only a little over a year, Amber Farrelly Elliott, 34, is routinely appointed to represent all deaf clients in class A…

Jan 3, 2011 6:34 PM CST

Judge & PDs Chip In to Give Once-Homeless Defendant a Holiday Season Gift: $57 Restitution

In his adjoining chambers, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCormick couldn’t help but overhear the confab in a bailiff’s office about a problem facing his colleague, Judge Jose Villanueva. A once-homeless woman was getting her minor Ohio felony record expunged and, as part of the process, Villaneuva was going…

Dec 20, 2010 3:55 PM CST

1 Way or Another, Homeless Headed to Jail, Says Fla. Mayor; Public Defender Vows $50/Hour Fight

A new homeless shelter expected to open in a month on Florida’s west coast will arguably offer those down on their luck something of a Hobson’s Choice. If they are found sleeping on the sidewalk, they can be arrested and locked up in a cell. Or they can opt to…

Dec 8, 2010 7:54 PM CST

Jailhouse Sex Merits Disbarment, Top Calif. Court Says

A California lawyer’s claim that jailhouse sex was consensual and lasted no more than “an hour’s total duration” shows he still doesn’t get it and should be disbarred, a state bar court judge held and the state supreme court agreed. In an order last week it held that Patrick Earl…

Dec 7, 2010 9:30 PM CST

Defendant Puts Best Face Forward, After Extreme Makeover, in Capital Murder Case

Murder defendant John Ditullio is a scary sight in his natural state, even his own defense lawyer admits. But as a Florida retrial begins this week in a 2006 capital murder case, Ditullio will be putting his best face forward in the Clearwater proceeding, reports the New York Times. At…

Dec 6, 2010 7:43 PM CST

No Criminal Charges for PD Over Claimed In-Court Challenge to Deputy DA to Duke It Out

A California public defender won’t be prosecuted for reportedly issuing an in-court challenge to a deputy district attorney to duke out a dispute over a hearing date in a drug case. But San Joaquin County Public Defender Peter Fox may have to answer to legal ethics authorities for his alleged…

Nov 11, 2010 7:09 PM CST

Jury Forewoman’s ‘Boring, Boring, Boring’ FB Post Could Help Force New Trial in Rape Case

Updated: As of yesterday, two assistant public defenders in Florida reportedly were simply seeking to subpoena a jury forewoman’s Facebook records following published comments questioning her impartiality by another member of the panel that convicted their client in a rape case. That panel member said in a post-trial Facebook post…

Oct 29, 2010 7:24 PM CDT

Overworked PD Accused of Challenging Prosecutor to Fight

A public defender in California who lost about a third of his lawyers due to budget cuts this July is accused of challenging a prosecutor to fight for refusing a delay in a drug case. San Joaquin County Public Defender Peter Fox is under criminal investigation for allegedly making the…

Oct 22, 2010 2:27 PM CDT

After Judge & Prosecutor Clash, His Removal Is Sought On 455 of Her Cases

A 56-year-old Florida jurist can’t fully tell his side of the story, due to ethical rules about commenting on pending cases. But, as Broward Circuit Judge Carlos Rodriguez apparently sees it, he was just doing his job when he told a 27-year-old female prosecutor to take a seat at the…

Oct 5, 2010 5:41 PM CDT

Meet Shawn Chapman Holley, Lindsay Lohan’s Lawyer

Shawn Chapman Holley is in the media spotlight as Lindsay Lohan’s lawyer, but her initial legal experiences were a lot less high-profile. Holley, a graduate of Southwestern Law School, gained her legal experience working at the public defender’s office, working her way up to felony cases, CNN Justice reports in…

Sep 29, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Top County Prosecutor & Executive Assistant Indicted in Political Corruption Case

An indictment in a political corruption case was unsealed Friday against the top prosecutor in a suburban Chicago county. McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi, 67, was accused, along with his executive assistant, Joyce Synek, 62, of conspiring together to misuse government staff and equipment for his campaign work between…

Sep 13, 2010 6:21 PM CDT

$160K Pay for New Associates Is Still the BigLaw Norm in Many Cities, Survey Finds

The gap between private sector and public interest salaries for lawyers is “stark and alarming,” despite pay cuts at some large firms, according to a legal career organization. The median first-year base salary for law firm associates is $115,000, while the median pay for entry-level public interest lawyers ranges from…

Sep 9, 2010 12:49 PM CDT