Texas

Justices Side With Prosecutors Who Reneged on Plea Bargain

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that a defendant upset when prosecutors renege on a plea bargain need to bring the issue up at trial, not on appeal. With a vote of 7-2, the court in Puckett v. U.S (PDF), cleared up a split in the circuits and narrowed a…

Mar 25, 2009 5:56 PM CDT

Top Texas Judge Blames Inmate’s Lawyers for Alleged Execution-Eve Appeal Snafu

In a filing today, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denies disciplinary charges of misconduct and incompetence filed against her last month by the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. Publicly castigated after she refused a request to allow the court clerk’s office to stay open to…

Mar 25, 2009 2:12 AM CDT

Ousted Duquesne Dean Gets New Job at South Texas

It didn’t take long for the ousted dean of Duquesne University’s law school to find a new job. After claiming he was forced to resign late late year from the Pittsburgh law school because of a personality conflict with the school’s president, Don Guter is now headed to a new…

Mar 24, 2009 8:29 PM CDT

Six Executed Inmates Lost Appeals Because Lawyers Were Late

Nine death-row inmates in Texas, including six who were executed, lost their appeals because their lawyers missed filing deadlines. Two inmates had the same court-appointed lawyer, who used the same excuse for blowing the deadline in both cases, the Houston Chronicle reports. The lawyer, Jerome Godinich, said a malfunctioning filing…

Mar 23, 2009 2:58 PM CDT

Jailed in Wedding Gown, Texas Bride Complains About Web Photo

A Texas bride arrested on her wedding night after her new husband was pulled over in March 14 drunk driving sweep, dubbed “March Madness,” in Harris County had to spend the night in jail. But that wasn’t the worst of it. A photo taken by an unknown man of Jade…

Mar 20, 2009 4:37 PM CDT

Lawyers on ‘Heidi Fleiss of Houston’ Client List May Be Interviewed

A few Texas lawyers may soon be feeling a bit uneasy over the latest high-profile prostitution prosecution, if they aren’t already. An arrest of the alleged “Heidi Fleiss of Houston” netted a white-collar client list of 1,500 or so, which includes a number of attorneys, reports the Houston Chronicle, relying…

Mar 17, 2009 10:50 PM CDT

Lawyer and Staff Layoffs at Baker Botts

Baker Botts had hoped that a hiring freeze imposed last year would avert potential law firm layoffs. But now they have become necessary, the firm says in an internal memo circulated today: “The recession has been so deep and long-lasting … that we regrettably have also had to reduce our…

Mar 12, 2009 9:37 PM CDT

Texas DA Blasts Prosecution & Defense for Wrongful Rape Conviction

In a rare public rebuke, District Attorney Pat Lykos of Harris County, Texas, has blasted both prosecution and defense lawyers in a wrongful conviction case. She also blames police and a dysfunctional police crime lab, for “a cascading, systemwide breakdown” that caused an innocent man to be convicted and sentenced…

Mar 12, 2009 7:22 PM CDT

Move Over, ‘Boston Legal’: ‘Dallas DNA’ Is on Deck

First came LA Law. Then Boston Legal. Now, Dallas DNA is poised to hit the nation’s airwaves. But, unlike the earlier award-winning television dramas, this one is set in real life. “Dallas DNA chronicles a pioneering unit within the Dallas County’s District Attorney’s office where post-conviction DNA testing is being…

Mar 11, 2009 11:53 PM CDT

Broaden Job Search, Maybe Go Solo, Officials Tell Worried Law Students

As a growing number of major law firms delay start dates for incoming associates and make record-breaking layoffs (some 2,700 have been announced since Feb. 27), it’s obvious that worried law students have good reason to be concerned about finding work. For the first time, there wasn’t enough employer interest…

Mar 11, 2009 8:49 PM CDT

Akin Gump Axes 47 Associates, 57 Staff

A law firm thought to be on the verge of making layoffs today has now confirmed the bad news. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which is based in Dallas, has announced that it is cutting 47 associates and 57 paralegals and staff because of economic conditions, reports Texas Lawyer.…

Mar 7, 2009 2:09 AM CST

Recruiters Confirm Reports of Andrews Kurth Layoffs

Three legal recruiters are confirming reports of layoffs at Andrews Kurth several weeks ago. The recruiters told Texas Lawyer that layoffs were made in several of the firm’s offices. Two former associates told the publication that at least 20 lawyers were cut, and at least seven were in the firm’s…

Mar 6, 2009 12:17 PM CST

Former IRS Commissioner to Affiliate with Plaintiffs Firm

A former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service is taking on a new role advising whistle-blowing clients of the Dallas-based law firm Baron & Budd. Margaret Milner Richardson, who was IRS commissioner from 1993 to 1997, will serve as co-counsel on a case-by-case basis to represent clients who report suspected…

Mar 4, 2009 4:59 PM CST

Hunton Prowls for Litigators; Akin Denies Trouble

Although California appears to be ground zero for U.S. attorney layoffs, Richmond, Va.-based law firm Hunton & Williams is targeting the Golden State and Texas in its quest to hire large groups of laterals, particularly litigators, as part of an aggressive five-year national expansion campaign The nearly 1,000-lawyer firm has…

Mar 3, 2009 10:20 PM CST

Texas Supreme Court Justice Cleared in Election-Related Ethics Complaint

Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht no longer faces an ethics complaint claiming he misused campaign cash to pay for personal trips to his hometown near Dallas. The Texas Ethics Commission determined the complaint should be dismissed because of insufficient evidence of a campaign law violation, the Houston Chronicle reports.…

Mar 2, 2009 12:50 PM CST