Solos/Small Firms

DUI Lawyer Sues Strip Club, Says He Was Too Drunk to Agree to Nearly $19K in Charges

A Florida lawyer known for his work on drunken-driving cases has sued a Miami strip club alleging that it charged nearly $19,000 on his credit card in November 2010 when he was too inebriated to enter into a contract. Mark Gold, who is pro se in the Miami Dade County…

Apr 27, 2011 5:18 PM CDT

Mark Lanier ... Movie Star? Lawyer Plays Himself in Film Based on Antitrust Case

A Houston lawyer is getting positive reviews in a new movie in which he pretty much plays himself. Although based on an actual case, Puncture is “a loose conglomeration of several cases with plenty of Hollywood mixed in,” the trial lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which links…

Apr 26, 2011 7:44 PM CDT

Top SC Court Reminds Lawyers to Mind Their Manners, Raps Practitioner for Email re Opponent’s Child

Representing clients in “an emotional and heated domestic dispute” apparently pushed three South Carolina lawyers into a dispute of their own that has now resulted in a general “letter of caution” to all attorneys from the state’s highest court. Reminding the state’s lawyers to mind their manners, the supreme court…

Apr 26, 2011 7:17 PM CDT

Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Launder Marijuana Profits

A Maryland lawyer who was accused of helping drug traffickers launder their illegal profits and using tens of thousands of dollars in proceeds for real estate investments has taken a plea. Brian Young pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiring to launder money…

Apr 26, 2011 6:07 PM CDT

Former Office Manager Pleads Guilty to $75K Theft from Debt Collection Law Firm

When payments came in to the Bruck Law Firm from debtors, Sanjuana Rodriguez was supposed to post the amounts and deposit the money in the bank. But she sometimes omitted the latter step, she told a Milwaukee police detective earlier this year, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Proof & Hearsay…

Apr 25, 2011 9:06 PM CDT

‘Shocked’ Crim Defense Attorney Is Charged in Fake-Evidence Case, Denies Wrongdoing

A 64-year-old criminal defense attorney in Washington, D.C., has been accused, along with two private investigators, of fabricating evidence in an effort to help a client win an acquittal in a drug case. However, a “shocked” Charles Daum denies wrongdoing, according to his lawyer, David Schertler, who expressed concern about…

Apr 22, 2011 9:07 PM CDT

Mexico Said to Hire NY Law Firm to Explore Civil Suits Against US Gun Makers

The Mexican government has reportedly hired a New York-based law firm to explore possible civil suits against U.S. gun makers and distributors over the weapons used by drug cartels. CBS News identified the firm as Reid Collins & Tsai. Anonymous sources told CBS that the firm was hired last November…

Apr 22, 2011 11:28 AM CDT

Federal Judge to Review DLA Piper Materials Sought in Roger Clemens Perjury Case

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is going to do an in camera review of DLA Piper materials sought by the defense team representing renowned former major-league pitcher Roger Clemens in a perjury case. The law firm says the materials, which were developed in connection with an investigation of the…

Apr 21, 2011 11:05 PM CDT

Another Attorney Takes Plea in Galleon Case, Admits Connecting Trader with Ex-Ropes & Gray Lawyers

Another lawyer has pleaded guilty in a securities fraud case related to Galleon Group and co-founder Raj Rajaratnam. Personal injury attorney Jason Goldfarb, 32, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Manhattan to securities fraud and conspiracy, according to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. Sentencing guidelines call…

Apr 21, 2011 10:45 PM CDT

Released on $1M Bond, Suspect in Lawyer Murder Briefly Returns to Home He Shares with Sole Witness

The suspect in what authorities describe as a murder of an Idaho lawyer over “domestic issues” apparently related to his assistant, has pleaded not guilty and will not face the death penalty, KBOI reports. After being charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Emmett Corrigan, suspect Robert Hall caught…

Apr 21, 2011 5:45 PM CDT

Post-Settlement Word War Looms Between Law Firm and Taco Bell, Which Plans Ad Seeking Apology

Although a law firm and Taco Bell Corp. have reached an undisclosed settlement concerning a would-be class action filed over the fast-food chain’s description of some of the items on its menu, a war of words continues. Taco Bell is now planning a new national ad campaign in which it…

Apr 20, 2011 7:24 PM CDT

Wealthy Tort Lawyer Settles With Ex-Partner’s Widow for Reported $10M to $35M

For five years, mass torts lawyer James Ferraro battled with Lynn Arko Kelley, the widow of his former law partner. Now they have reached a confidential settlement of her claims concerning the massive sum she claimed to be due to her after Michael Kelley’s death from a heart attack. Although…

Apr 20, 2011 7:04 PM CDT

1800Car-Wreck Law Firm Seeks Facebook Fans with iPad Giveaway

A personal injury law firm in Dallas really wants to be liked. Eberstein & Witherite is so eager to win Facebook fans that it is giving away an iPad, Texas Lawyer reports. To qualify, visitors to the firm’s 1800Car-Wreck Facebook page have to click on “like” and submit a photo…

Apr 20, 2011 11:43 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Advised Auto Body Shop Is Charged in Alleged Insurance Fraud

A personal injury lawyer who reportedly advised the owner of auto body shops in Philadelphia has been charged, along with his client, a manager, a city police officer and seven appraisers, in an alleged insurance fraud. In addition to providing legal advice related to the claimed fraud, attorney Michael Wolf,…

Apr 19, 2011 6:57 PM CDT

UK Regulatory Authority Warns Consumers About Mystery Manhattan Law Firm

A United Kingdom regulatory agency has issued a warning about a purported New York-based legal partnership that appears to be fictitious, as least as far as practicing law is concerned. Cromwell & Goodwin is not authorized under the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000, to do business in the…

Apr 19, 2011 4:40 PM CDT