States

PI Law Firm, Lawyer Plead Guilty

A New Jersey lawyer and his former law firm have pleaded guilty to paying runners $70,000 to find people to submit false accident claims. The charges were the result of an undercover insurance fraud investigation spurred by complaints from Allstate and Prudential insurance companies. Irwin Seligsohn of Kinnelon, N.J., admitted…

Aug 9, 2007 12:41 PM CDT

Firm Hit in ‘Windfall’ Settlement

Updated: A Florida appeals court affirmed a ruling vacating a $7 million “windfall” settlement and disgorging attorney fees in an opinion that chastised the law firm that represented the plaintiffs. The law firm, Adorno & Yoss of Coral Gables, obtained the settlement for seven plaintiffs who challenged the constitutionality of…

Aug 9, 2007 11:54 AM CDT

Paris Hilton Sets Celebrity Precedent

It isn’t the kind of precedent that attorneys learn about in law school. But the media circus surrounding Paris Hilton’s brief stint in the slammer earlier this summer shows that the legal rules for celebrity attorneys are different than those that take priority in less-scrutinized practice areas. “The Hilton mess…

Aug 8, 2007 11:28 PM CDT

Company Charged in ‘Big Dig’ Death Case

A grand jury has charged with involuntary manslaughter the Brewster, N.Y.-based company that provided the glue that is being blamed, in part, for the collapse of the “Big Dig” tunnel in Boston last summer. A passenger in a car underneath was crushed to death when the roof of the Interstate…

Aug 8, 2007 8:48 PM CDT

Warrant Issued for Missing Lawyer

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of the lawyer who disappeared after admitting in a letter that he embezzled money from clients. Police belief Jonathan Hoyt stole at least $500,000 from clients before he disappeared, leaving his abandoned Lexus in a parking lot near a Bridgeport, Conn., train…

Aug 8, 2007 6:16 PM CDT

Trophy Prank Cost: Law License & More

Helping a buddy hide a stolen Florida State University national football title trophy may have seemed like an amusing prank at the time. But the incident is now providing a painful lesson for a 30-year-old attorney who graduated from law school at the University of Florida, FSU’s archrival. Jason Paul…

Aug 8, 2007 5:39 PM CDT

‘Dirty’ Money Enforcement Blitz in FL

So-called dirty money is big business in Florida. And that means the state is a magnet for enforcement of federal laws banning banks from participating in money-laundering and similar schemes. ”On a proportional basis, [given] the number of institutions that Miami has, South Florida leads the country in Bank Secrecy…

Aug 8, 2007 5:08 PM CDT

Suitors Seek Minority-Firm Alliance

Minority-owned Indianapolis firm Coleman Stevenson heard from some big law firms seeking an alliance to please corporate clients concerned about diversity. Seven-lawyer Coleman Stevenson chose Indianapolis firm Bingham McHale, for its alliance partner, The Indianapolis Star reports. “Corporations are recognizing the importance of diversity in legal representation,” said name partner…

Aug 8, 2007 4:16 PM CDT

VA Roads Law Challenged

A group of 18 anti-tax activists and conservatives has filed suit challenging Virginia’s new transportation law, including its high fees for driving offenses. The suit claims the driving fees violate federal and state constitutional provisions regarding double jeopardy, equal protection and exorbitant fines, the Washington Post reports. The fees range…

Aug 8, 2007 2:30 PM CDT

Firm Loses Fee Appeal

A New York judge has ordered a law firm to return legal fees for an appeal and collateral litigation because the original fee agreement never specified additional payment beyond a one-third contingency. Katz & Associates had taken a fee of about $870,000 out of a $1.7 million judgment for its…

Aug 8, 2007 11:51 AM CDT

Two Texas Firms Hike Associate Pay

Two more Texas law firms have announced they will pay new associates $160,000. The latest firms to jump on the pay bandwagon are Haynes and Boone, and Baker Botts, Texas Lawyer reports. The firms also announced pay hikes for more senior associates, with billable-hour requirements for bonuses. Haynes and Boone…

Aug 8, 2007 11:33 AM CDT

King & Spalding Delays Pay Controversy

Atlanta’s King & Spalding matched Alston & Bird when it announced it will pay salaries of $145,000 to new associates, a $15,000 increase. But it sidestepped controversy when it left a decision on pay hikes for more senior associates for another day. More senior associates at Alston & Bird have…

Aug 8, 2007 11:12 AM CDT

Tobacco Rulings Conflict

A New York judge has allowed a lawsuit seeking damages for defects in the design of cigarettes, setting up a conflict that may be destined to reach the state state’s highest court. Judge Charles Ramos refused to dismiss a case filed against Philip Morris and other tobacco companies, the New…

Aug 8, 2007 10:45 AM CDT

Did Affair With Mom Help Prosecute Son?

A prosecutor in Washington state has been accused of gaining information through an affair with the mother of an arson defendant to help prosecute her 17-year-old son. Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden reportedly admits he had a relationship with Kristine Wallace, but denies any wrongdoing, saying that the relationship ended…

Aug 7, 2007 9:16 PM CDT

WA Teens Sue for Custody of Parents

In what may be the first case brought under a new Washington state law that gives children a legal pathway to seek a restoration of parental rights, two twin brothers are petitioning to be put back in the custody of their parents. Timothy Wolcott was removed from the family home…

Aug 7, 2007 8:32 PM CDT