States

Stripper Says Fla. Appeals Judge Shielded Her Assets

A stripper who is a longtime friend of a Florida appellate court judge says he helped her shield her assets from judgment creditors, but now owes her money. However, Judge Thomas E. Stringer Sr., 63, says he and 47-year-old Christy Yamanaka were business partners who purchased and sold a house…

Mar 11, 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Top Lawmaker to Spitzer: Resign or We’ll Impeach You

Updated: As the day progressed, it appeared that embattled New York Governor Eliot Spitzer might not resign from office as quickly as some have predicted, despite allegations that he may have paid as much as $80,000 for the services of high-class prostitution service. But if he doesn’t resign soon, at…

Mar 11, 2008 8:42 PM CDT

Washington & Lee to Put 3rd-Year Students to Work

In the wake of a study that says law schools aren’t doing enough to educate their graduates for the real world of legal practice, the law school at Virginia’s Washington & Lee University is changing its third-year curriculum. Students in their final year of law school will spend their time…

Mar 11, 2008 6:16 PM CDT

Calif. Court Reconsiders But Doesn’t Change Ford Punitives Verdict

A California appeals court is standing its ground and refusing to change an earlier ruling requiring Ford Motor Co. to pay $82.6 million in a rollover case. The U.S. Supreme Court had asked the California court to reconsider in light of its ruling in Philip Morris USA v. Williams, the…

Mar 11, 2008 5:49 PM CDT

Law Firm Employee’s $400,000 Shopping Spree

An employee of a New Mexico law firm reportedly went on a $400,000 shopping spree with credit cards sent to the Vigil Law Firm until she was eventually found out. Melissa Espinoza, who formerly worked for four years as a secretary and bookkeeper for the firm, agreed to accept a…

Mar 11, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Meet Spitzer’s Lead Lawyer, Michele Hirshman of Paul Weiss

Updated: A former top aide to embattled New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, back in the day when he was state attorney general, now reportedly has a new job as Spitzer’s legal counsel. Litigation partner Michele Hirshman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison got a call from her old boss…

Mar 11, 2008 4:39 PM CDT

Spitzer Likely to Resign, Maybe Today, Newspaper Says

Updated: Eliot Spitzer, the embattled New York governor and former hard-charging state attorney general, likely will resign in the wake of claims that he hired a high-class prostitute in Washington, D.C., last month at a cost of $4,300, major newspapers are saying. Citing an unnamed “person close to” the governor,…

Mar 11, 2008 3:57 PM CDT

Sonnenschein Defends Ex-Partner’s Pay in Trial Beginning This Week

A former partner’s $8.5 million lawsuit against Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal gets under way this week. Douglas Rosenthal claims Sonnenschein forced him to retire and underpaid him for work on two cases. Superior Court Judge Melvin Wright threw out the retirement claim but allowed trial on the pay dispute, reports…

Mar 11, 2008 3:57 PM CDT

Newly Merged Husch Blackwell Opening New Chicago and Denver Offices

A newly formed St. Louis-based law firm is on an expansion tear. As the dust is still settling from the merger that created Husch Blackwell Sanders, the firm has announced plans to open two new offices, in Chicago and Denver, before the end of the month. “David Fenley, who is…

Mar 11, 2008 3:23 PM CDT

DLA Piper Opens Houston Office

DLA Piper had 47 lawyers in Austin and Dallas, but none in Houston—until yesterday. The law firm opened an office there with two lawyers from Howrey and one from Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, Texas Lawyer reports. Jack O’Neill, had headed Howrey’s global litigation group in Houston and will…

Mar 11, 2008 2:58 PM CDT

Britney’s Lawyer: Big Tipper Federline Can Afford His Own Legal Fees

The new lawyer representing Britney Spears in her child custody battle told a court that the singer’s ex-husband should pay his own legal fees. Lawyer Stacy Phillips told a court commissioner that Kevin Federline recently tipped a waiter $2,000 on a $365 check, showing his ability to pay, the Associated…

Mar 11, 2008 1:54 PM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Willie Gary Wins Contempt Battle in Child Support Dispute

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that Florida trial lawyer Willie Gary isn’t responsible for $462,000 in back child support and he can’t be held in contempt for failing to pay it. At issue was whether Gary had agreed to pay $14,000 a month in support for both—or each—of two…

Mar 11, 2008 12:40 PM CDT

California’s Top Court is Most Influential, Kentucky’s is Least, Study Says

The California Supreme Court is the nation’s most influential state court and the Kentucky Supreme Court is the least, according to a study of citations recently published in a law review. California leads with the most opinions followed in a study of 65 years of decisions ending in 2005, the…

Mar 11, 2008 12:07 PM CDT

Denver Chief U.S. Judge Faces Ethics Probe Over Alleged Links to Prostitutes

A report at 9News.com says Colorado’s chief federal judge is facing an ethics investigation for alleged links to a Denver prostitution business. The story alleges that investigators found the name and cell phone number of Chief U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham on a list of clients of the business, known…

Mar 11, 2008 11:20 AM CDT

Tax Probe Led to Spitzer Prostitution Allegations

Updated: The investigation that led to this week’s shocking revelations about New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the respected former state attorney general who reportedly linked up with a high-priced prostitute, was all about taxes. The probe began when IRS agents were doing a routine investigation of suspicious transactions reported by…

Mar 11, 2008 10:50 AM CDT