States

No Right to Divorce Counsel in Wash.

There is no right to taxpayer-funded counsel in a divorce case under the Washington state constitution, the state’s supreme court has ruled in a closely watched case. But it would still be a good idea to provide divorce lawyers to those who can’t afford them, the supreme court says in…

Dec 6, 2007 7:45 PM CST

Lawyer Survives Nebraska Mall Shooting

When Jeff Schaffart went with his wife and their 2-year-old daughter to the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb., yesterday, he didn’t expect the routine shopping trip to offer a life-risking experience. However, as the 34-year-old lawyer and his wife shopped for a dress for their daughter to wear on a…

Dec 6, 2007 5:42 PM CST

‘High School Musical’ Star Loses Bid to Dismiss Lawyer’s Fee Suit

A Los Angeles judge says a trial will determine whether High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens can void her contract with a lawyer signed when she was just 16. Lawyer Brian Schall claims he is due $150,000 in fees under a contract that called for the star to give him…

Dec 6, 2007 3:47 PM CST

Pa. Chief Judge to Join Buchanan Ingersoll

The chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will join Pittsburgh law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney after he retires from the court in January. Chief Justice Ralph Cappy will join the firm’s litigation section and play a significant role in the firm’s mentoring program, particularly in the area of…

Dec 6, 2007 3:17 PM CST

Second Judge Cites ‘Schmucks!’ Book to Contest Ethics Charges

A New York judge has lost a bid to block ethics proceedings against him based on a claim that the chair of the ethics commission showed racial bias in a book he co-wrote with comedian Jackie Mason. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis denied the judge’s request for a preliminary injunction…

Dec 6, 2007 1:16 PM CST

Va. Firm LeClairRyan Grows in Northeast With Merger

LeClairRyan has quickly grown to 170 lawyers to become the Virginia’s fifth-largest law firm. Now it will increase in size again this January when it merges with 45-lawyer Seiden Wayne, which has lawyers in Newark, N.J., Philadelphia and New York, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. LeClairRyan was formed in 1988…

Dec 6, 2007 12:35 PM CST

Price Tag Is $100K-Plus for Texas Firms’ Lavish Holiday Bashes

Houston law firms have booked some of the city’s ritziest venues for holiday parties that can cost $100,000 or more. Some clients have criticized the big bashes, including some who complained last year about Baker Botts’ tab for overhead acrobats at the firm’s client appreciation party. As a result, many…

Dec 6, 2007 11:56 AM CST

48-Day Jail Term for Kiefer Sutherland

Actor Kiefer Sutherland was sentenced today to a 48-day jail term after pleading no contest to a drunken-driving charge. He must begin serving the sentence before March 30, reports the Associated Press. However, the star of the popular 24 Fox television series apparently plans to serve at least some of…

Dec 6, 2007 1:46 AM CST

U of Colo. to Pay $2.85M in Football Party Case

The University of Colorado has agreed to pay $2.85 million to settle a lawsuit by two women who say they were raped in 2001 at an off-campus party attended by football players and recruits. Hank Brown, CU’s president, said the settlement was in the best interest of the university, in…

Dec 6, 2007 1:02 AM CST

Girl Teary Over Town Board’s Fowl Vote

Two years ago, a Pennsylvania girl won a prize from her municipality’s recreation board for having the most unusual pet—a rooster. But now, in the latest decision in a case that has been ongoing for months, the North Huntingdon Township zoning hearing board has said Melissa Hensler must get rid…

Dec 6, 2007 12:01 AM CST

Jurists Defend Mass. Judge in Murder Case

There is a growing groundswell of support by colleagues for a Massachusetts judge who has become a target for national election-year political criticism after agreeing to release a convicted killer who allegedly then murdered two newlyweds in Washington state. Although the anguish of survivors of the two claimed victims of…

Dec 5, 2007 10:06 PM CST

Lawyer Pleads Guilty and Cooperates in Scruggs Case

Lawyer Timothy Balducci has changed his initial not guilty plea and agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy in a judicial bribery case involving high-profile plaintiffs lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs. Balducci has cooperated with the government and will continue to do so, according to a plea agreement filed in a Mississippi…

Dec 5, 2007 7:53 PM CST

No Jail Time for Loyola Law Prof Who Helped Client Find Counsel

A Louisiana appeals court has overturned a contempt finding by a state judge that would have required a law professor working with the Orleans Parish public defender’s office in New Orleans to serve a brief jail term and take a legal ethics course. Steve Singer, who is on leave from…

Dec 5, 2007 7:35 PM CST

Wealthy Lawyers Take Social Nosedive

Pity the poor BigLaw partners and other financially successful lawyers. While many have never been richer and remain well-to-do by ordinary standards, they have taken a social nosedive in recent years compared to megabucks private equity investors and hedge fund titans. Although many BigLaw partners are taking home seven-figure profits,…

Dec 5, 2007 6:30 PM CST

Hackers Hit Duke Law School Site

Computer hackers broke into a website at Duke University School of Law, and may have stolen social security numbers and other confidential information for as many as 1,400 or more prospective and actual applicants. The security breach is still being investigated, but a law school spokeswoman says officials “have some…

Dec 5, 2007 5:30 PM CST