States

Judge Shines Light on Secret Pact to Settle, Hide Text Messages

A Michigan judge has ordered the release of documents indicating that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick settled a police whistle-blower lawsuit to try to hide text messages showing he lied about his relationship with his chief of staff, the Detroit Free Press reports. Wayne County Circuit Judge Robert Colombo ordered release…

Feb 6, 2008 5:49 PM CST

Ex-Detroit Mayor, Now Chair of Dickinson Wright, Weighs Gubernatorial Bid

Lawyer Dennis Archer has a long list of accomplishments. He’s been a supreme court justice (on the Michigan Supreme Court), a mayor (of Detroit) and a president (of the ABA). But Archer, now the chairman of Dickinson Wright, may have a new goal: the Michigan governor’s office. Archer told the…

Feb 6, 2008 5:11 PM CST

Client Decks Counsel, Gets New Lawyer

An unhappy client punched his legal counsel in a Kentucky courtroom Monday, saying that he wanted new representation. And Scott Hafer got his wish after punching public defender Doug Crickmer in the jaw and sending him to the floor in an incident that was recorded by a courtroom camera in…

Feb 6, 2008 4:54 PM CST

Panel Issues Poetic Ruling for Union in ‘Crappy’ Limerick Dispute

An Illinois appeals court has ruled that a limerick penned by a union official did not constitute defamation in an opinion that opens with its own poetic turn. The panel opinion (PDF) written by Judge John Bowman overturned a $2.35 million verdict for a suburban Chicago-area homebuilder who took issue…

Feb 6, 2008 4:40 PM CST

Duane Morris Defends $1.6M Malpractice Claim

Duane Morris maintained in opening statements this week that it didn’t commit malpractice by failing to include a security guarantee in a settlement agreement it drafted for a client, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The law firm has been sued for $1.6 million by an ex-client who says he received only…

Feb 6, 2008 1:56 PM CST

Judge Gives Defamation Plaintiffs More Time in Suit Against Dr. Phil

A judge has refused to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw by two brothers questioned in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Superior Court Judge Edward Ferns gave lawyers for brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe an extra five days to produce documents about the criminal investigation…

Feb 6, 2008 1:29 PM CST

Kansas Supreme Court Halts Release of Abortion Records

The Kansas Supreme Court is barring release of records of abortion patients until it considers a motion to quash grand-jury subpoeanas for the documents. A grand jury has subpoenaed medical files of about 2,000 women as it investigates whether a late-term abortion provider has broken state laws regulating the procedure,…

Feb 6, 2008 12:37 PM CST

Death of King of Torts Threatens Ohio Law Firm’s Lush Life

The untimely death of one of Cleveland’s best-known plaintiffs lawyers has sparked an ugly court spat that could require dissolution of his super-profitable firm and the sale of its private jets and arena football team. The widow of Michael Kelley, known locally as the King of Torts, has filed suit…

Feb 5, 2008 9:51 PM CST

Cadwalader Equity Partner Profit Dips, But Microsoft Deal Will Refill Coffers

The average profit per equity partner dropped 6 percent in 2007 at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, the law firm reported today. However, overall revenue increased 5 percent at the New York-based firm, according to Legal Week. As discussed in a previous ABAJournal.com post, Cadwalader announced 35 lawyer layoffs last month…

Feb 5, 2008 6:05 PM CST

Some States Seek to Limit Judicial Power to Regulate Lawyers

Legislators in a handful of states are trying to limit the traditional power of their states’ supreme courts to regulate the legal profession. In South Carolina, for instance, a Republican legislator and physician, Dr. Kristopher “Kris” Crawford, is proposing legislation that would eliminate the state supreme court’s power to regulate…

Feb 5, 2008 5:02 PM CST

Lawyer Featured in Column on Medical Mysteries

A lawyer from Arlington, Va., who had a rare lung disease is featured in a Washington Post column on medical mysteries. The lawyer, Vicki Schulkin, suffered from a cough with “wracking, phlegmy paroxysms that had waxed and waned for nearly four years,” the column says. Doctors were baffled. Asthma medications…

Feb 5, 2008 4:20 PM CST

N.C. Drops Ethics Charges Against PD Who Told of Dead Client’s Confession

The North Carolina State Bar has dismissed an ethics complaint against the appellate defender who revealed statements his client made long before he committed suicide in prison that could help exonerate another inmate. Editorials in the Raleigh News & Observer and the Greensboro News-Record are praising the decision to drop…

Feb 5, 2008 3:37 PM CST

Husch Blackwell Sanders to Open Chicago Office

The newly merged law firm Husch Blackwell Sanders will open an office in Chicago early this year. The firm is opening in the city to expand relationships with about 50 clients in banking, insurance and other areas, the National Law Journal reports. Husch Blackwell lawyer John Mandelbaum, who will lead…

Feb 5, 2008 2:52 PM CST

Associates at Top KC Firms Top $100K

Top Kansas City law firms are raising salaries for new associates by as much as 10 percent this year, boosting pay to more than $100,000 a year. The Kansas City Star reports that the firms are paying more as they compete for associates. New associates at Bryan Cave will earn…

Feb 5, 2008 1:51 PM CST

Expletive Deleted: Judge Accused of Profanity-Laced Tongue-Lashing

A state disciplinary panel has accused a New Jersey judge of unleashing a profanity-laced tongue-lashing as he ordered a lawyer out of his courtroom, New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. The complaint (PDF) against Judge F. Michael Giles of Essex County says he was neither dignified nor courteous when he ordered the…

Feb 5, 2008 1:32 PM CST