Another Texas County Mulls Possible MERS Suit; Up to $100M Could Be In Issue in Harris County

With as much as $100 million in unpaid filing fees at issue, another Texas county is pondering possible litigation against those responsible for an electronic system that circumvented the traditional method of recording paperwork when lenders purchase mortgages from each other. On the agenda for a Tuesday meeting of the…

Oct 7, 2011 8:16 PM CDT

Law Firm and Estate of John M. O’Quinn Sue Houston Lawyer Over Alleged $1.5M Investment

Before Texas trial lawyer John M. O’Quinn died in an auto accident in 2009, his law firm invested $1.5 million with another Houston practitioner. Tammy Tran promised to use the money to establish a lucrative prepaid legal services business from which Quinn’s law firm was to receive a hefty profit,…

Oct 7, 2011 5:20 PM CDT

New York Lawyer is Indicted and Arrested in New Jersey, Where He Faces 2 UPL Counts

A lawyer who reportedly is admitted to practice in Michigan and New York has been indicted and arrested in New Jersey, where he faces two counts of unauthorized practice of law. Demetrio S. Timban, 45, is accused of twice representing a client in Evesham Municipal Court, reports the Burlington County…

Oct 7, 2011 12:38 AM CDT

Attorney Michael Dowd Wins Another Murder Case With Battered-Woman Defense

Updated: In what could be his last such trial, a New York lawyer known for his defense of women who kill their spouses has won another victory in a tough case. Barbara Sheehan admittedly fired 11 bullets at her husband from two guns in February 2008, inside their New York…

Oct 6, 2011 9:40 PM CDT

Greenberg Traurig Opens Mexico City Office, Expects to Have 20 Lawyers There in Early 2012

Greenberg Traurig has opened an office in Mexico City, its first in either Central America or South America, signaling an intention to expand the Latin American practice of the nearly 2,000-attorney firm, which was founded in Miami. Luis Rubio Barnetche, who previously was the managing partner of the Mexico City…

Oct 6, 2011 4:45 PM CDT

Longtime Administrative Lawyer, 88, Once a Pilot Shot Down in World War II, Now Looks to the Stars

A former U.S. Air Force pilot who lost a leg after being shot down over Germany in World War II, Bill Kraham survived, although he lost part of a leg as a result of the crash, and went on to become a lawyer. He worked for the Federal Aviation Administration…

Oct 5, 2011 6:28 PM CDT

2nd Judge Gets Time in Cuyahoga, Ohio, Corruption Case; 3 Lawyers Previously Sent to Club Fed

Corrected: A federal judge in Akron was emotional yesterday as she sentenced a former Ohio jurist to the maximum allowed by sentencing guidelines in a political corruption case. But former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Steven Terry was unrepentant, saying that he disagreed with the jury verdict and intends to…

Oct 5, 2011 5:39 PM CDT

Lawyer Gets 10 Days for Failing to File State Income Tax Returns

A practicing lawyer in Maine who fell behind on his state taxes will be spending approximately a week in jail. Alan Harding, 58, was sentenced to 120 days, with all except 10 days suspended, after pleading guilty in the Kennebec County Superior Court case to failing to file state income…

Oct 4, 2011 7:17 PM CDT

Lawyer and Ex-Client Charged in Perjury and Obstruction Case re Failed Hospital and Offshore Trust

An Indiana lawyer and his former client have been federally indicted in Chicago in a perjury and obstruction case related to the demise of an Illinois hospital in which both formerly had an ownership interest. Attorney Frederick M. Cuppy and Peter G. Rogan are accused of standing in the way…

Oct 4, 2011 5:13 PM CDT

Lawyer Says His Experience as an Extortion Victim Helps Him Defend Battered Women Who Kill

Michael Dowd, 69, is now a well-known New York criminal defense lawyer who specializes in representing battered women who kill their husbands. But his career hit a rough patch in the 1980s, when he became a star witness for then-prosecutor Rudolph W. Giuliani in a corruption case after revealing that…

Oct 3, 2011 9:50 PM CDT

SCOTUSblog Founder on How to Start Your Own Appellate Practice

Have you ever dreamed of opening your own appellate practice? The 2011 U.S. Supreme Court term opens Oct. 3, and along with the government lawyers and big firm attorneys, many solo and small firm practitioners will be entering the doors at 1 First St. ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward talks with two lawyers about how and why they built their own appellate practices.

Oct 3, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

Blended to Perfection: Mixing Legal Skills with a Penchant for Startups

Oct 1, 2011 7:30 AM CDT

‘Mr. Small Claims’ Makes a Career on Volume

Oct 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

Left Largely in Charge as Supervising Lawyer Struggled, Associate Did Too Much, Is Reprimanded

A young lawyer left largely in charge at a small Nebraska law firm as the supervising partner missed appointments and was eventually hospitalized for stress apparently tried to step in and fill the void. But Jeremy R. Shirk went too far, not only signing pleadings and checks at the partner’s…

Sep 30, 2011 4:59 PM CDT

Two Illinois Lawyers Have Similar Name and Practice Focus, But Only One Is Being Sued By State AG

Both Michael E. Fleck and Michael J. Fleck are Illinois lawyers who handle real estate matters. They are often mistaken for each other, Michael J. Fleck tells Chicago radio station WBBM. But that is now more of a problem for Michael J. Fleck now that Michael E. Fleck has been…

Sep 29, 2011 10:13 AM CDT