Texas

Texas Gov Commutes Death Sentence

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has never commuted a death sentence before. But he did so today for Kenneth Foster, 30, who was scheduled to be executed tonight for serving as the getaway car driver in a 1996 fatal robbery. Following another highly unusual development in the case—the Texas Board of…

Aug 30, 2007 8:56 PM CDT

Spare Getaway Driver, TX Parole Board Urges

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted today to recommend that the governor spare the life of a man who drove three companions on a robbery spree that resulted in the death of one of the victims. Kenneth Foster was scheduled to be executed today and will be the…

Aug 30, 2007 4:18 PM CDT

Lawyer Switches Sides, Faces Suit

A Houston lawyer who represented four plaintiffs who settled with BP over an oil refinery explosion in Texas City is encountering some problems now that he wants to represent the energy company as it fights suits by other plaintiffs. A Texas appeals court refused to boot lawyer Ronald Krist from…

Aug 28, 2007 1:10 PM CDT

Small Attorney Fee Grows

A fight to collect $28,000 in attorney fees will cost Houston lawyer Robert S. “Bob” Bennett more than $250,000, according to a Texas appeals court. The 1st Court of Appeals has affirmed an award of more than $150,000 to Houston lawyer Kelly Coghlan for his attempts to collect a judgment…

Aug 28, 2007 12:39 PM CDT

Suit Blames Susman Godfrey for ADR Loss

A software maker’s lawsuit against Susman Godfrey blames the law firm and two of its Dallas partners for the company’s loss in a 2004 arbitration hearing. The suit claims the defendants concealed documents and offered false testimony to obtain a favorable ruling for their client, New Century Mortgage Corp., Texas…

Aug 27, 2007 12:24 PM CDT

Meckler Raids Megafirm, Marches Into Texas and Arizona

A Chicago-based firm known for its insurance work will soon establish new offices in Dallas and Phoenix. The new Dallas office, which opens Sept. 1, will be staffed by six attorneys, including two partners, that Meckler Bulger & Tilson (which has 90 lawyers counting the new additions) is stealing from…

Aug 24, 2007 9:15 PM CDT

Law Firm Benefit: $4 Back-Up Child Care

One of the biggest personal issues faced by attorneys and other law firm employees is emergencies that require them to stay at home with their children or other family members. “You really need a safety net for all purposes,” says Marcy Greer, a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski’s office in…

Aug 23, 2007 5:53 PM CDT

Rove Comments Led to Firing, Lawyer Says

A Texas lawyer contends in a lawsuit that she was fired from the state secretary of state’s office in violation of her First Amendment rights for comments she made in an article about Karl Rove. Elizabeth Reyes claims she was fired in 2005 because her remarks to a Washington Post…

Aug 23, 2007 12:15 PM CDT

Big TX Firms Pay Grads $160 K But Balk at Raises for All

Two more Texas firms have joined the move to raise starting pay for first-year associate attorneys to a top-of-the-market $160,000. They are: Dallas-based Gardere Wynne Sewell, which has 282 lawyers, and Jackson Walker, with 315, according to a New York Lawyer (reg. req.) article that reprints a Texas Lawyer story.…

Aug 22, 2007 9:19 PM CDT

Man Who Killed Wife Failed Bar 4 Times

After Clifton Eames failed the Texas bar exam four times, he helped persuade the state supreme court to adopt a more flexible rule last year about how many times applicants could take the test. By this point, however, his life was spiraling downward. Monday afternoon, he allegedly murdered his wife…

Aug 22, 2007 8:41 PM CDT

Texas Denies EU Call to End Executions

On the eve of its planned execution of the 400th inmate to be put to death since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the ultimate penalty in 1976, Texas has rejected a call by the European Union for a death penalty moratorium. Responding to an EU statement denouncing the death penalty…

Aug 21, 2007 11:01 PM CDT

Malpractice Deal Revealed

Details of a confidential agreement to settle a legal malpractice case have been revealed in a lawsuit over disputed attorney fees in the case. Dallas securities attorney Phillip W. Offill Jr. and his former law firm settled the malpractice case against them last spring for $4.8 million, according to a…

Aug 20, 2007 12:54 PM CDT

ID Theft Ring Focused on Forbes 400

An alleged identity theft gang has been charged with attempting to steal more than $12 million from super-wealthy individuals, at least some of whom reportedly were on the Forbes 400 list. Run by a 24-year-old Russian immigrant, according to prosecutors and a New York County grand jury indictment, the ring…

Aug 17, 2007 6:33 PM CDT

If Horses Win, Lions Lose: All-Beef Diet?

A possible federal ban on slaughtering horses for their meat isn’t supported by at least one group of animal-lovers: lion-keepers and other fans of big cats. It turns out that zoos, which often feed horse meat to their carnivorous animals, are the biggest consumer of domestic horse meat. Nonetheless, some…

Aug 14, 2007 11:05 PM CDT

Dateline NBC Faces Lawsuits

Dateline NBC is facing lawsuits in connection with a program that exposed would-be predators who thought they were meeting underage kids for possible sexual encounters. One suit has been filed by the sister of a former district attorney who shot himself after he was caught by the sting, the Dallas…

Aug 14, 2007 4:42 PM CDT