Texas

Lawyer Accused of Striking Court Deputy Who Objected to Knife

Updated: A Texas lawyer has been charged with assaulting a public servant—a courthouse deputy who says he told her she couldn’t bring a tool that included a knife past the security checkpoint. The lawyer, Leander solo practitioner Carolyn Machalec Barnes, 53, was accused of striking the Travis County deputy after…

Jan 12, 2010 5:11 PM CST

Texas Law Students Accept Jobs Despite Unknown Pay and Start Date

At least nine big law firms in Texas sent out job offer letters without specifying the salaries they would be paying their new associates. Some firms also declined to set a start date. But that didn’t stop summer associates from accepting, Texas Lawyer reports. An example is the offer letter…

Jan 12, 2010 3:16 PM CST

Latham to Open Office in Houston; New Hires Include Ex-Akin Gump Energy Chief

Latham & Watkins is opening a new office in Houston with three transactional energy lawyers. They include Michael Dillard, who formerly headed the practice area at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The new office will initially be staffed with Dillard; another ex-Akin Gump lawyer, J. Michael Chambers; and Sean…

Jan 11, 2010 5:33 PM CST

Judge Gets 30 Days for ‘Stupidity’ of Seeking Relationship with Defendant

Defense lawyers argued that a middle-aged Texas judge had been waylaid by the feminine wiles of a 20-something defendant in a drunken-driving case on his call. But a jury decided otherwise, convicting Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law Judge Donald Wayne Jackson of official oppression on Friday for seeking a relationship with…

Dec 21, 2009 10:58 PM CST

Attorney O’Quinn’s Estate OKs $46M Settlement With Former Clients

If John O’Quinn had been around to defend himself, it’s possible that attorney Terry Scarborough would still be fighting for a settlement on behalf of almost 3,500 clients of the famed trial lawyer. But after O’Quinn’s death in an auto accident in October his estate has agreed to pay $46.5…

Dec 21, 2009 7:10 PM CST

Retired 32-Year Prosecutor Indicted Over Forfeiture Fund Expenditures

The former lead prosecutor for Kimble County has been indicted there on two charges of misapplication of fiduciary property. Former District Attorney Ron Sutton, who retired at the end of 2008 after 32 years with the prosecutor’s office, is accused of spending seized funds for travel and staff bonuses, reports…

Dec 18, 2009 6:40 PM CST

Law Firm Trades Library for Xmas Shop, Employs All Hands on Sales Floor

Once upon a time, Bayless & Stokes needed a law library. But today it is largely duplicated on the Internet, and members of the small Houston firm began to wonder how it could better use the space. The answer, they decided, was to create Christmas shop selling holiday items on…

Dec 17, 2009 6:07 PM CST

Police Theorize Howrey Associate Was Willing Participant in Murder-Suicide

Police believe a Howrey associate and her two daughters may have died at the hands of the lawyer’s mother, who then turned the gun on herself. Police theorize the associate, 38-year-old Elizabeth Fontaine, was a willing participant in the apparent murder-suicide that happened minutes after a sheriff’s deputy arrived at…

Dec 17, 2009 3:18 PM CST

Billionaire Stanford & His Lawyers Held in Contempt Over Legal Fees Suit

Granting a motion filed by insurer Lloyd’s of London, a federal judge in Dallas today found billionaire and accused swindler R. Allen Stanford and his counsel in contempt. They violated a court order, found U.S District Judge David Godbey, by attempting to collect reimbursement for Stanford’s defense costs under a…

Dec 16, 2009 10:51 PM CST

Bad Date With Defendant Puts Judge on Trial; Defense Alleges Batted Eyelashes

As the trial of a Texas judge begins, over a bad date with a defendant who had a drunken-driving case pending in his court, his lawyers are blaming the woman for allegedly instigating the encounter that led to the misdemeanor official oppression case. There’s no dispute that Harris County Court-at-Law…

Dec 15, 2009 10:17 PM CST

Dallas-Based Gardere Trims $20K From Associate Pay, Cuts Billables

Dallas-based Gardere Wynne Sewell announced Thursday that, effective Jan. 1, first-year pay will drop to $120,000 from $140,000. Along with the salary cut, billing expectations have also been altered at the 275-lawyer firm. New associates will now be expected to bill 1,700 hours, down from 2,000, according to a news…

Dec 11, 2009 12:33 PM CST

Former AG Gonzales Turns Reflective in Magazine’s Meaning of Life Issue

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reflected on what’s important and what he would have done differently in a magazine’s meaning-of-life issue. “This may sound egotistical, but to me it is important that when I leave this earth, I would have made a difference—that people would know Al Gonzales lived, he…

Dec 9, 2009 3:20 PM CST

Capital Defense Lawyer Explains Missed Appeal Deadline

A Texas death-penalty lawyer, called on yesterday to explain why he blew a deadline for filing an appeal, blamed a lack of time to prepare and his client’s increasingly erratic behavior. It was the second time that lawyer David Dow was in the news for filing a late appeal. The…

Dec 3, 2009 7:45 PM CST

A Second Late Appeal Puts Death-Penalty Lawyer on the Hot Seat

The chief judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals faced mounting criticism and ethics charges over her refusal to accept a late emergency death-penalty appeal two years ago. Now the lawyer who wanted to keep the courthouse open to file the documents is facing scrutiny for a second late…

Dec 2, 2009 6:01 PM CST

Lawyer Ponies Up Charity Money In Lieu Of Contempt Finding for Using Profanity in Court

A Texas defense lawyer who in September was slapped with a contempt of court order with the threat of jail time because he used profanity in court, has struck a deal with the judge. Instead of a contempt finding, $1,250 fine and 10 days in jail, Austin lawyer Edmund “Skip”…

Dec 1, 2009 6:54 PM CST