Real Estate & Property Law

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer who scammed Charles Barkley gets prison; DA wants death penalty overturned

• An Alabama lawyer was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday for running an energy investment scheme that defrauded former NBA star Charles Barkley and other athletes. Donald Watkins Sr., 70, will also have to pay about $14 million in restitution. Watkins said he still considers the victims…

Jul 17, 2019 5:00 PM CDT

Few people seek legal solutions to their justice problems, worldwide survey finds

About half of people surveyed from around the world said they experienced a recent civil legal problem, but most did not turn to lawyers and courts. The study by the World Justice Project found that 49% of people experienced at least one legal problem in the past two years. Among…

Jun 27, 2019 12:01 PM CDT

Gender-segregated pool schedule for seniors condo discriminates against women, 3rd Circuit says

A New Jersey condominium association’s sex-segregated pool schedule discriminates against women in its “allotment of favorable swimming times,” a federal appeals court ruled Monday. A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia held that while A Country Place—a seniors condominium that has enforced the schedule…

Apr 24, 2019 9:20 AM CDT

State lawmakers consider right to grow front yard veggies after couple’s court loss

A couple’s appellate loss in their quest to grow a front yard vegetable garden has attracted the attention of Florida lawmakers. The Florida Senate passed a bill in March that would bar counties and municipalities from regulating vegetable gardens on residential properties, report the Miami Herald, Treehugger.com and the Tallahassee…

Apr 16, 2019 8:00 AM CDT

Trump’s sister, a federal appeals judge, resigns amid ethics inquiry

A judicial ethics probe of President Donald Trump’s older sister, Circuit Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, has ended with her retirement from the federal judiciary. Four individuals had filed ethics complaints against Barry in October 2018 based on a New York Times report on “dubious tax schemes” by Donald Trump and…

Apr 11, 2019 9:15 AM CDT

15 lawyers have left this law firm, whose head count is shrinking

Fifteen real estate lawyers have left Kasowitz Benson Torres to join the New York office of Vinson & Elkins.

Apr 11, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Appeals court overturns civil penalty against foreclosure law firm

The Colorado Court of Appeals has overturned a $119,500 civil penalty imposed against a foreclosure law firm accused of violating consumer fraud laws by failing to disclose an ownership interest in a side business.

Apr 5, 2019 2:20 PM CDT

As America’s population ages, demand for elder law attorneys grows

Updated: As the U.S. population continues to get older, more attorneys are entering the field of elder law or expanding their practice to provide elder law services.

Mar 27, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Can Trump legally use emergency powers to build a border wall? Experts weigh in

Updated: On Friday morning, President Donald Trump confirmed that he will be declaring a national emergency to build a border wall. Experts say the emergency declaration itself will likely be judged fully within his powers as the president of the United States. But it's much less clear that the president's emergency powers permit him to build a wall using the military construction statutes most observers think he'll use. And the project could be tied up in eminent domain challenges until 2020 or later.

Feb 14, 2019 6:15 PM CST

GSA lawyers punted on constitutional issue raised by Trump hotel lease, IG report says

Lawyers with the U.S. General Services Administration were aware of constitutional concerns raised by the ongoing lease of a government building for a Trump hotel, but they decided to “punt,” according to a report by the GSA inspector general. The agency lawyers “improperly ignored [the] emoluments clauses, even though the…

Jan 17, 2019 8:46 AM CST

Trump considers using disaster aid for border wall; who will sue?

Lawsuits are being threatened as President Donald Trump reportedly considers using money for disaster aid or military construction projects to build his border wall without congressional approval.

Jan 11, 2019 9:24 AM CST

Law requiring Airbnb to turn over detailed data likely violates Fourth Amendment, judge says

A federal judge in Manhattan has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a New York City ordinance that requires websites such as Airbnb and HomeAway to turn over what he termed “voluminous data” about their customers. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled Thursday that the law likely violates the Fourth Amendment,…

Jan 4, 2019 9:54 AM CST

ABA backs legislation that would bar housing bias against people based on income source

ABA President Bob Carlson is applauding a bill that would expand the protections of the Fair Housing Act to prevent discrimination based on a person’s lawful source of income. Last year, the ABA House of Delegates adopted policy urging the implementation of such legislation and opposing prejudice against people who…

Nov 14, 2018 4:30 PM CST

NY state tax department reviewing Trump fraud allegations outlined in investigative report

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is reviewing allegations in a New York Times investigative article that concludes President Donald Trump participated in “dubious tax schemes” including “instances of outright fraud” during the 1990s. James Gazzale, a department spokesman, said the agency “is reviewing the allegations” in…

Oct 3, 2018 10:38 AM CDT

My Path to Law: Adam Leitman Bailey

In seventh-grade English class, I was introduced to a book about John Peter Zenger, the reason I have been giving my entire life to wanting to become an attorney.

Oct 1, 2018 1:50 AM CDT