Utah

Suspicious Lawyer Reported Law Firm; One Counsel Arrested During Bar Exam

The investigation of a Salt Lake City law firm charged with visa fraud may have begun when a suspicious lawyer tipped off the U.S. attorney. Lance Starr says he spotted a problem when two employees of the Alcala Law Firm asked him to review their applications to legalize their residency…

Jul 30, 2009 3:23 PM CDT

Immigration Law Firm Charged with Visa Fraud

An immigration law firm in Salt Lake City has been accused of helping arrange for thousands of fraudulent visas for foreign workers. A federal indictment names the Alcala Law Firm, lawyer James Alcala, two of his partners and five employees, the Associated Press reports. They are charged with visa fraud,…

Jul 29, 2009 1:04 PM CDT

Federal Judge David Winder Dies, Renowned for Kindness & Fairness

A retired federal judge renowned for his kindness, hard work and fairness in the courtroom died yesterday after a long illness. David Winder, a former chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Utah, was 76 years old. Asked by a juror after a complex intellectual property rights case had…

May 20, 2009 6:45 PM CDT

Polygamous Sect Feels Strain of Legal Battles

A polygamist sect in Texas won the return of most of the 400 children removed from its ranch last year. But the group’s legal troubles are far from over. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS, is feeling the strain…

May 11, 2009 3:57 PM CDT

Utah Woman Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail for Texting in Court

A Utah woman who sent two text messages to her husband from a court hearing about his debt collection case has been sentenced to 30 days in jail. Susan Henwood, a mother of four, started serving the sentence in the Tooele County Jail on Monday, according to KSL.com. Henwood’s husband,…

Apr 29, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

High-Profile Vegas Lawyer Accused of Shoplifting Necklace at Sundance Shop

A high-profile Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer has been accused of stealing a necklace from a gift shop at the Sundance Resort in Utah. Gary Guymon has been charged with misdemeanor theft for the March 24 incident, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports. A surveillance video appears to show a…

Apr 20, 2009 1:31 PM CDT

Double-Dipping Government Lawyer Gets 36 Months of Probation

Two government agencies were pleased with the work that attorney Richard David Wyss did for them. But because Wyss told both the Utah Department of Public Safety and the federal Transportation Security Administration that he was working exclusively for that government agency, he was sentenced yesterday by a federal judge…

Apr 8, 2009 5:35 PM CDT

Receiver Seeks Clawback of Legal Fees Paid to Paul Hastings & Fulbright Firms

Asked by a federal judge in Utah to recover money on behalf of investors allegedly fleeced by a claimed Ponzi scheme operator, Val Southwick, a receiver has focused on two major law firms. Contending that money from the Ponzi scheme was used to fund legal defense fees, the receiver filed…

Mar 10, 2009 6:12 PM CDT

BYU Law Prof with ALS Gets Baseball to Raise Money for Cure

A law professor with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has spurred Major League Baseball to raise money for research in an event on July 4, the 70th anniversary of the baseball great’s farewell speech. Michael Goldsmith, 57, is a law professor at Brigham Young University and…

Feb 4, 2009 12:53 PM CST

Judicial Diversity is Lacking, But Here’s What to Do to Improve, Report Says

Women and minorities are still underrepresented on the state trial and appellate court bench, regardless whether the judges are elected or appointed to their positions. But there are things that can be done to include their chances of winning seats proportionate to their representation in the general population, according to…

Feb 2, 2009 9:13 PM CST

Ex-TSA Counsel Accused of Hiding Full-Time State Job

A former legal counsel for the Transportation Security Administration has been charged with making a false statement by hiding a second full-time job with the state of Utah. Prosecutors claim Richard David Wyss held a full-time job as legal counsel for the TSA at the same time we was paid…

Nov 25, 2008 7:29 PM CST

Utah Federal Judge’s $300 Obama Donation Won’t Lead to Sanction

The chief federal judge for Utah won’t face a misconduct complaint for donating $300 to the election campaign of Barack Obama. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell has apologized and agreed not to make any more donations. Because of those actions, the chief judge of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court…

Nov 20, 2008 6:39 PM CST

Utah Supremes: Lack of Qualified Lawyers Could Force Death Penalty Reversals

The Utah Supreme Court has refused to impose Rule 11 sanctions against two capital defense lawyers for raising “unwarranted and unjustifiable” claims in a habeas appeal. But the court’s opinion contained a warning to legislators: A lack of funding to train defense counsel could force the court to reverse capital…

Nov 10, 2008 1:15 PM CST

Utah Lawyer Who Didn’t Pay $197K in Taxes Takes Misdemeanor Plea

A Utah lawyer has pleaded to three misdemeanors in what was originally a felony tax case. According to charging documents in the state court case, Robert Bradley Neff, 48, failed to timely pay $197,000 in income tax after he established the R. Bradley Neff law firm in Sandy in 1994,…

Sep 24, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

AG’s Sanctions Request Called ‘Personal Attack’ on Capital Defense Lawyers

Lawyers for a death-row inmate told the Utah Supreme Court yesterday that a prosecutor’s attempt to obtain sanctions against them had put them at odds with the interests of their client. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Brunker is asking the court to sanction the lawyers for raising 43 issues that were…

Sep 5, 2008 2:12 PM CDT