11th Circuit Upholds $387K Sanction of Small Firm for Persisting in Case After Bad Client Depo

A divided federal appeals court panel has upheld a sanction of $387,738 against two South Florida attorneys. After their client contradicted herself repeatedly during an eight-day deposition in a sexual harassment case, Bill and Karen Amlong should have ended the litigation, held the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel…

Jan 3, 2011 7:20 PM CST

Starting Up: If You’re Hanging a Shingle in 2011, Financial Strategy Begins Now

Jan 1, 2011 10:49 AM CST

Kudos for Solo Mills

Jan 1, 2011 10:30 AM CST

Ghostwriters: Virtual Bloggers Can Help Scare Up New Business

Jan 1, 2011 7:30 AM CST

Many Law Firms Offer New Year’s Eve ‘Safe Ride,’ But Some Fine Print Restricts Excessive Use

With a new year about to begin, law firms throughout the country are participating in “safe ride” programs intended to help protect not only those who have celebrated a little too much but potential victims of drunk-driving accidents. Dozens are apparently doing so, including J. Colbert Injury Lawyers, in Oklahoma…

Dec 30, 2010 5:23 PM CST

The Rise and Fall of ‘Megafirm,’ the Word, Is Chronicled in Google Books Database

Anyone with Internet access can use a new Google database of millions of digitized books to chart the frequency of words and phrases over time. Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites gave Google’s Ngram Viewer a try, and charted the popularity of words describing large and small law firms. The word “megafirm” began…

Dec 21, 2010 12:00 PM CST

California Solo Turns Embarrassing Truck into Mobile Ad

A California solo converted a “trashy” pickup inherited from his father-in-law into a mobile ad, after a few shopping trips at Pep Boys and OfficeMax. Brian Pedigo tells MyShingle.com that the truck broke down three times when he drove it from Texas to California, and he had to put $6,000…

Dec 14, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Suspect Arrested in 2006 Shotgun Slaying of Lawyer and His Wife

After attorney David Burke Keeffe and his wife, Carol, were murdered at their Pennsylvania home in 2006, the DeSisti and Keeffe law firm, where Keeffe practiced with his father-in-law, offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in their shotgun slayings. Now it appears that the…

Dec 8, 2010 8:26 PM CST

Law Firm Office Manager Pleads Guilty to Perjury in $275,000 Overbilling Case

A former office manager for a West Virginia lawyer has pleaded guilty to one count of perjury concerning an alleged $275,000 scheme to defraud the state public defender’s office for claimed attorney work that wasn’t actually performed by an attorney. Yesterday’s plea by Nancy Burkhart, 52, was for lying to…

Dec 2, 2010 12:06 AM CST

Niche Trademark Practice Taps Solo’s Entrepreneurial Genes

Dec 1, 2010 6:45 AM CST

Lawyer Donates 1,000 Turkeys to Calif. Charity

Matthew H. Haberkorn, a sole practitioner in Los Gatos, Calif., is no jive turkey. Earlier this week he donated 1,000 birds to Sacred Heart Community Service, a San Jose, Calif., nonprofit that focuses on helping people in poverty. Haberkorn got the idea while he and his wife were shopping for…

Nov 24, 2010 3:43 PM CST

Foreclosure Lawyer Fighting to Keep Own Home; Last Mortgage Payment Made in Dec. 2006

A Florida lawyer who’s gotten national publicity as an expert in foreclosure defense has one thing in common with his clients–he’s fighting to keep his home, too. Peter Ticktin and his wife haven’t made a payment on their nearly 4,000-square-foot Boca Raton house since December 2006 and were sued by…

Nov 20, 2010 12:34 AM CST

Transparency Puts New Scrutiny on Those Serving as Directors

Dallas-based lawyer Amber Slayton is a longtime animal lover. She put her passion into practice three years ago, accepting a seat on the board of Operation Kindness, a regional animal shelter with a $2 million annual budget. Slayton has since been appointed vice president of the 12-member board, elevating her…

Nov 19, 2010 9:08 PM CST

New Era of Tolerance as 2nd Transgender Judge Takes to Bench This Week

It appears that a new era of tolerance may be dawning as far as diversity on the bench is concerned: Days after a San Francisco-area county claimed to have elected the first transgender trial judge in the country, another transgender judge has been appointed to sit on the municipal court…

Nov 18, 2010 9:58 PM CST

McGuireWoods to Expand Into Texas By Merging With Nickens Litigation Boutique

In a new chapter of an ongoing saga of law firm expansion, McGuireWoods has arranged to plant its flag in Texas. The firm, which has its historic roots in Richmond, Va., will open an office in Houston in January, by merging with the Nickens Keeton Lawless Farrell & Flack litigation…

Nov 17, 2010 6:29 PM CST