Solo Lawyer & Office Manager Wife Accused of Stealing $2M From Guardianship Clients

A 71-year-old solo practitioner in Texas and his 70-year-old office manager and wife are facing a 26-count federal indictment for allegedly stealing more than $2 million from the accounts of disabled military veterans for whom he served as a guardian. Joe Phillips, who practices in Houston, and his wife, Dorothy,…

Jun 30, 2010 9:00 PM CDT

Celebrity Lawyer Didn’t Timely Pay $400K in Taxes, But Hopes to Keep Law License & Avoid Prison

A celebrity lawyer known for his defense of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in a decades-later prosecution over a teenage neighbor’s slaying is now in trouble himself. Michael Sherman today pleaded guilty in federal court in Bridgeport, Conn., to two misdemeanor counts for willfully failing to pay $400,000 in income tax…

Jun 30, 2010 8:40 PM CDT

Pacific Law Center to Close; My Dream Became a Nightmare, Controlling Lawyer Says

Kerry Steigerwalt had a dream that he could turn the troubled Pacific Law Center around. But today the veteran defense attorney announced that he is closing the San Diego-based consumer law firm he purchased a little over two years ago, describing it as a “management nightmare,” according to NBC San…

Jun 30, 2010 7:53 PM CDT

Testimony: Slain in Law Office Parking Lot, Attorney Foresaw Her Fate But Stayed on Case

First Jason Cai allegedly threatened to ruin Xia Zhao’s career if the California lawyer didn’t drop a civil wrongful death case in which he was accused of drowning his wife in 2006. And then he killed her, the government contends. Witnesses in Cai’s current murder case said they saw an…

Jun 24, 2010 7:09 PM CDT

Attorney Accused of Charging Cancun Trip on Client’s Credit Card

Retained to set up a trust fund for an elderly couple, a Florida attorney is accused of doing a lot more. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says that Linda Littlefield racked up more than $50,000 in personal charges on her clients’ credit cards, including a trip to Cancun, after telling…

Jun 22, 2010 8:39 PM CDT

Real Estate Attorney Indicted re $1.5M in Personal Loans His Lawyer Says Are Paid Up

A Rhode Island lawmaker who has a private practice as a real estate attorney has been federally indicted on seven counts of bank fraud concerning $1.5 million in personal loans that his lawyer says are not in arrears. State Sen. Christopher Maselli, a Democrat, is accused of lying about his…

Jun 18, 2010 11:31 PM CDT

Stabbed by Client’s Ex-Husband, Lawyer, 54, Has ‘Horrible Injuries’ But Is Recovering

A Minnesota attorney suffered “horrible injuries” but is expected to survive being stabbed a dozen times in her Fridley office a week ago, according to Anoka County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Paul Sommer. Within an hour or so, a client’s ex-husband confessed to the attack on Terri Melcher that took place a…

Jun 18, 2010 1:26 AM CDT

Law Firm Secretary Who Stole $625K Says Partners Were Like Family, Gets 4 to 13 Years

A trusted law firm secretary who stole at least $625,000 from a small New York firm said its partners were like brothers to her at a sentencing hearing yesterday. In a statement punctuated by sobs, Mary Merten, 44, apologized for putting Richard Riseley and Michael Moriello through hell, but also…

Jun 16, 2010 5:24 PM CDT

Opposing Counsel’s Warning Comes Too Late; Lawyer, 54, Is Stabbed 12 Times in Her Office

Updated: In a new incident among a spate of case-related violent attacks on lawyers in recent weeks, a Minnesota man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his ex-wife’s attorney a dozen times in her law office Friday. Terri Ann Melcher, 54, was alone in her Fridley, Minn.,…

Jun 14, 2010 10:46 PM CDT

It’s Not Too Soon to Go Solo, and Here’s How You Can Get Ready to Do So

It may not be legal for a private law firm to accept a recent law graduate’s offer to work for free to gain some much-needed experience. But a newly minted legal eagle with the drive to pursue the dream of a high-flying solo career need not hesitate to do so…

Jun 11, 2010 5:22 PM CDT

Law Firms Beware: Unpaid Internships May Violate Labor Law, Practitioners Say

In a labor market glutted with would-be legal eagles, hiring a recent law graduate to work for free can be a tempting idea. But law firms should beware of doing so, practitioners advise. If the intern is displacing a regular paid employee, chances are the arrangement is illegal, reports Lawyers…

Jun 10, 2010 11:59 PM CDT

High Firm Rates Lead 5 Neal Gerber Partners to Launch Boutique Practice

The chance to cut hefty overhead costs, and pass those savings onto clients, were some of the driving factors that prompted five Neal Gerber & Eisenberg partners to launch their own law firm counseling trade associations, charitable groups and other non-profits. The group, led by Jed R. Mandel, announced the…

Jun 3, 2010 11:26 AM CDT

What Would Superman Do? Judge Gives Heroic Examples in Ruling Against Lawyer

A judge blasted a Staten Island, N.Y., lawyer in a small claims court ruling ordering him to pay a client an arbitration award that was more than a year overdue. Client Nanette Spina paid Michael J. DeFilippo $6,500 to complete estate planning, asset protection and a living will on behalf…

Jun 1, 2010 5:07 PM CDT

Ex-Kirkland Partner Buys 4,500 Patents, Forms New Firm to Sue Infringers

A former patent litigation partner of Kirkland & Ellis has purchased 4,500 patents and is establishing a new law firm that will sue to enforce both his own patents and those of other clients. John Desmarais, 46, is opening his new firm, Desmarais, today in New York City, Bloomberg reports.…

Jun 1, 2010 1:20 PM CDT

High Noon for the Sheriff

Jun 1, 2010 9:10 AM CDT