Husband swears in wife as he retires and she takes his seat on the bench

Retired Ohio judge James Kimbler plans to spend more time making dinner these days, now that he no longer has to spend his days adjudicating cases. That makes a lot of sense, since his wife, Joyce Kimbler, has taken his seat on the Medina Common Pleas Court bench. Elected in…

Jan 12, 2015 5:45 AM CST

‘Notorious RBG’ biography in the works will be co-authored by blog creator

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has forthrightly and humorously embraced her blog-given, hip-hop-based alias “Nortorious R.B.G.,” is the subject of an upcoming biography based on that meme. The Tumblr blog Notorious R.B.G regularly publishes updates like one on Tuesday linking to a Washington Post story that informs…

Jan 7, 2015 2:40 PM CST

1915-1924: Wilson, women and war

Jan 1, 2015 5:35 AM CST

Can a new breed of firms solve the attrition problem for women in the legal industry?

Earlier this year, The National Association of Women Lawyers released the results of its National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms. This annual survey provides sobering news on the state of women at the 200 largest firms in the country, collectively known as BigLaw.

Dec 17, 2014 8:45 AM CST

Female law review authors are cited at a higher rate than men, study finds

The conventional wisdom is that scholarly research by women is cited less often than that of male authors. But that doesn’t hold true for legal scholarship, the National Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. Law review articles with at least one female author are cited at a higher rate than those…

Dec 12, 2014 5:45 AM CST

New mom will get stop-the-clock breaks to pump breast milk during bar exam

Told there was no procedure for appealing a decision by Illinois bar exam authorities not to provide stop-the-clock breaks when she needed to pump breast milk, Kristin Pagano nonetheless wrote a letter requesting reconsideration. On Tuesday, that request was unanimously granted by the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.…

Nov 26, 2014 9:30 AM CST

Judge to end case over nude photos posted online by her husband by retiring from bench

As a 10-day hearing was set to begin Monday in a legal ethics case over nude photos of a senior Canadian judge, a lawyer for the Manitoba jurist asked that the case be dropped because her client plans to retire in May. Although the graphic photos were posted on the…

Nov 24, 2014 2:07 PM CST

Pregnant lawyer is denied trial delay in ‘tumultuous’ hearing; law partner blasts prosecutors

A pregnant lawyer who sought a delay in a federal corruption case because a “grueling” trial would be too taxing during her third trimester was turned down by a federal judge last week. The New York Times described the hearing as “tumultuous” while the New York Daily News referred to…

Nov 24, 2014 8:35 AM CST

Expectant mom is denied extra time to breast pump during February bar exam

An expectant mother who plans to take the Illinois bar exam a month after she gives birth to her child has been denied extra time to breast pump. Kristin Pagano, a California lawyer who recently moved to Illinois with her husband, plans to breastfeed her newborn. Her due date is…

Nov 20, 2014 9:19 AM CST

Attorney Alice Lee, sister of famed ‘Mockingbird’ author, dies at age 103

Alice Lee, reportedly the oldest practicing lawyer in Alabama until recently and the sister of famed author Harper Lee, died Monday after “her heart wore out,” according to a local minister. She was 103 years old. Lee, who began practice in the 1940s in their father’s law office, still was…

Nov 19, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Lawyer cites high-risk pregnancy in trial delay request; federal judge questions her travel plans

Criminal defense lawyer Deborah Misir is still waiting for an answer after citing her pregnancy in an Oct. 16 request for a delay in a federal corruption retrial scheduled for Jan. 5. Federal prosecutors have opposed Misir’s request, and U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas of Manhattan has yet to decide…

Nov 10, 2014 7:36 AM CST

Federal prosecutor is nominated to replace Eric Holder

Updated: Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch has been nominated to replace Attorney General Eric Holder. The formal announcement was made Saturday, the New York Times and the Washington Post reported. “She has spent years in the trenches as a prosecutor, aggressively fighting terrorism, financial fraud, cybercrime—all while vigorously defending civil…

Nov 7, 2014 6:00 PM CST

‘Neurotic November’ is retired judge’s latest mystery novel

Barbara Levenson defied naysayers, including her own mother, by becoming the first woman to hold public office—as a school board member—in her then-hometown of Columbus, Ohio, in the 1960s; returning to college in the 1970s, after she moved with her family to Florida; and, once she earned her law degree…

Nov 5, 2014 9:30 AM CST

‘Bad Judge’ TV show is canceled after lawyer group protests

NBC has decided to cancel the TV show Bad Judge after it garnered unimpressive ratings and a letter of protest from the Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. The show, which first aired Oct. 6, depicted a party-loving but tough judge whose car sported a bumper sticker…

Nov 4, 2014 12:08 PM CST

On the Ball: NBA union’s new leader called ‘relentless, brilliant’

Washington, D.C., litigator Michele A. Roberts became the first female executive of a major North American professional sports union when she was selected to lead the National Basketball Players Association in July. Roberts relishes the challenge, but she doesn't focus on any gender issues. "I'm delighted that people are delighted,…

Nov 1, 2014 6:40 AM CDT