Lawyer Rating Site Faces Suit

A prominent Seattle class-action lawyer says he will file suit against Avvo, a new Web site that rates lawyers.

Steve Berman claims the site does not benefit consumers because its rating system is unreliable, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

Mark Britton, the former general counsel of Expedia, is the founder of Avvo. He defends the rating system, saying it shines a light on information that is hard to find.

Jun 13, 2007 2:58 PM CDT

Courts Differ on Wal-Mart Suits

Courts in two states yesterday differed on workers’ quests for class action status in lawsuits against Wal-Mart.

A Missouri appeals court ruled that a class action suit could proceed after a trial judge revises definitions for subclasses, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.).

A New York court refused to certify a class in a similar suit, saying the claims should be tried individually.

Jun 13, 2007 2:37 PM CDT

Tears Flow as ALJ Presses ‘Pantsuit’

The administrative law judge who filed a $67 million lawsuit against a dry cleaners that lost his pants cried on the witness stand yesterday.

Roy L. Pearson Jr., a former legal aid lawyer, testified that he wanted to dress nicely for his new job as an ALJ and became annoyed when the cleaners lost his expensive pants, according to the New York Times.

He began to cry as he testified that the business tried to pass off a cheaper pair of pants as his.

The courtroom was packed with reporters from media outlets in at least five countries, along with a tort reform lobbying handing out green buttons protesting the “pantsuit,” the Washington Post reports.

Jun 13, 2007 1:47 PM CDT

PIs Help Defeat Class Actions

Los Angeles lawyer David Aronoff has found a new way to oppose class actions.

Aronoff thought that too many judges were displaying a “rubber stamp mentality” and routinely certifying class-actions.…

Jun 13, 2007 1:10 PM CDT

PD Who Helped Partner Tie Sham Knot Seeks Legal Immigration Alternative

A St. Louis public defender who chose to break the law rather than lose the man he loves admits he made a serious mistake. But the lack of legally recognized…

Jun 13, 2007 12:48 AM CDT

Legal Fees an Issue in Dynegy Case

The case of a former executive at Dynegy Inc. illustrates the importance of company-paid legal fees.

Former Dynegy accountant Jamie Olis maintains he didn’t have the resources to mount an adequate defense against criminal charges after his company ceased paying fees, according to a Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) account of his case. He claims then-U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby pressured the company to stop paying fees.

A civil jury in Texas agreed, ordering the energy company last month to pay $2.5 million in damages for wrongly holding back the fees.

But the verdict came too late for Olis, who is serving a six-year prison term for helping create sham financial transactions.

Jun 12, 2007 3:52 PM CDT

Ex-Partner Files Suit, Seeks Arrests

The departure of a partner from an Atlanta business boutique has turned acrimonious.

Bradley E. Heard agreed to leave Molden Holley Thompson Fergusson & Heard in January, less than two…

Jun 12, 2007 2:15 PM CDT

Firm Sues Tax Lawyer’s Estate

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey has filed a lawsuit to recover a loan against the estate of tax lawyer Sherwin P. Simmons.

The suit filed in February in Miami-Dade Circuit Court…

Jun 12, 2007 12:56 PM CDT

DC Firm Racks Up Big Bill in RI Case

A well-known Washington, D.C., law firm is sending the state of Rhode Island six-figure monthly bills for ongoing representation in a huge environmental clean-up case.

When the state asked Sutherland,…

Jun 12, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Nuremberg Attorney: Gitmo Trials Unfair

An 88-year-old American lawyer who helped try war criminals at Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II says today’s Guantanamo Bay cases fly in the face of the prosecutorial precedent he…

Jun 12, 2007 12:27 AM CDT

Studies: Death Penalty Saves 3 to 18

In results that have horrified death penalty opponents and are hotly contested among scientists, studies claim to have quantified the number of innocent lives that are saved each time a…

Jun 11, 2007 8:19 PM CDT

New Trial Due to Judge’s Plea Comment

A federal judge who suggested that he might sentence a defendant to even less time than the prosecution was offering in a plea bargain had good intentions but made a…

Jun 11, 2007 7:47 PM CDT

Lawyer vs Lawyer: Bears Tickets Mine

Four years ago, Douglas Warlick and Donald Ramsell decided to share the cost of season tickets for the Chicago Bears, splitting the $10,000 application fee for four seat licenses. But…

Jun 11, 2007 7:03 PM CDT

Wake-Up Call to Parents: 2 Years in Jail for Serving Teens Drinks at Party

A crime that many adults still consider equivalent to exceeding the speed limit and risking a traffic ticket has resulted in two-year jail terms for an Earlysville, Virginia, couple.

Serving…

Jun 9, 2007 5:56 AM CDT

Celebrity Gossip: Contested Legal Fees

It isn’t every day that Us magazine reports about an attorney’s claim against a client for legal fees. But it did so in detail today, after celebrity lawyer Debra Opri…

Jun 9, 2007 5:08 AM CDT