States

California law deans have ‘grave concerns’ about new bar exam plans

Fifteen deans from ABA-accredited law schools have signed a letter to the California Supreme Court stating that they have “grave concerns” about Kaplan Exam Services’ ability to develop a multiple-choice bar exam “in a responsible manner” in time for the February 2025 administration of the newfangled exam.

Sep 20, 2024 12:54 PM CDT

SCOTUS will not order Nevada to include Jill Stein on ballots

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to order Nevada officials to include Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein on the November ballot. The justices without explanation left in force a Nevada Supreme Court decision that said the party failed to comply with a key requirement in gathering the signatures needed to put Stein on the ballot.

Sep 20, 2024 10:08 AM CDT

Kentucky judge shot and killed in his chambers by sheriff, officials say

Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins was shot and killed in his chambers Thursday afternoon after an argument with the county sheriff, according to county and state officials.

Sep 20, 2024 8:05 AM CDT

California Supreme Court denies plan for new bar exam

The California Supreme Court has put the brakes on the State Bar of California’s plan to launch a proprietary bar exam created by Kaplan Exam Services. The bar’s petition to allow Kaplan to create a 200-question multiple choice exam for the February 2025 administration was denied without prejudice just two weeks before registration opens, according to the bar’s website.

Sep 19, 2024 4:19 PM CDT

Court rejects injunction to reopen Golden Gate Law’s JD program

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard B. Ulmer Jr. has shut the door on reopening the beleaguered Golden Gate University School of Law’s JD program, denying a motion for an injunction filed by students and alumni.

Sep 19, 2024 3:33 PM CDT

Law firm can sue over alleged fake online reviews that toppled its top rating, appeals court says

A Houston law firm alleging that it was defamed by 99 fake three-star reviews on its Google business page can sue for defamation for 62 of those reviews, an Ohio appeals court has ruled.

Sep 19, 2024 2:37 PM CDT

Lawyer must face ethics charge alleging he tried to hire Israeli hackers to access judge’s emails

A California bar court judge has rejected a lawyer’s bid to dismiss an ethics charge alleging that he plotted to hire Israeli hackers to hack in to the email and phone accounts of a judge and a lawyer.

Sep 19, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

Alaska man charged with threatening to kill six Supreme Court justices

An Alaska man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to torture and assassinate six Supreme Court justices and their relatives, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Sep 19, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

With attorney fees, Gibson Dunn must pay over $725K to ex-partner who had earned $60M

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has agreed to pay a former partner more than $140,000 in attorney fees unless the amount is overturned in an appeal of his much higher arbitration award.

Sep 19, 2024 9:57 AM CDT

Teen shooters and their parents’ responsibilities examined in Fox’s ‘Accused’

School shootings by youths have risen frequently over the last quarter century, and the past five years reflect a substantially higher number of incidents, according to a recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sep 19, 2024 8:52 AM CDT

Aspiring nurse convicted in ‘utterly bonkers’ trial can’t sue for damages, full appeals court says

A would-be nurse convicted of cocaine possession in a trial in which the prosecutor moonlighted as a law clerk for the presiding judge can’t sue for damages, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 19, 2024 8:47 AM CDT

Murder trial delayed for slain law prof’s mother-in-law after her lead lawyer resigns

A Florida woman accused in the July 2014 murder of her son-in-law, a professor at the Florida State University College of Law, won’t be going to trial in Tallahassee, Florida, this week because of the resignation of her lead attorney.

Sep 18, 2024 1:21 PM CDT

Lawyer is accused of giving himself positive online reviews while disparaging another lawyer

Updated: “Aaron Korson is the best attorney I have ever met." That sentence was in a review posted to Korson's profile page on Avvo, an online marketplace for legal services. The author was Aaron Korson, according to an Aug. 29 ethics complaint filed by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

Sep 18, 2024 10:38 AM CDT

What does the future hold for licensed paraprofessionals?

Much has been made of the gigantic access-to-justice gap in this country. One possible way to help bridge the gap is to expand the pool of people eligible to practice law. Of course, that raises age-old concerns about unauthorized practice of law.

Sep 18, 2024 8:49 AM CDT

Pro se litigant and lawyer ordered to pay $1.5M for using Lewis Brisbois name

Updated: A federal judge in Houston has ordered a lawyer and a pro se litigant in a rental-fee and eviction dispute to pay $1.5 million for registering a Texas business using the name of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, the law firm representing their litigation opponent in the rental litigation.

Sep 17, 2024 3:05 PM CDT