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Sometime Girlfriend Arrested on Suspicion of Murdering Attorney, After Eviction Filing
'); document.write('A woman who reportedly had an on-again, off-again relationship with a California attorney found dead in his home earlier this week has been arrested on suspicion of murdering him. Mark Hafen, 58, had filed an eviction case against Verginia Turner, 42, early this year when she refused to move out of his Salinas home, reports the Californian. She was given a five-day notice to vacate in July as a result of the Monterey County Superior Court case, according to the newspaper. Hafen worked as a family court attorney. An autopsy has not yet been completed, but authorities say he may?'); document.write('
?Burning Man Barrister? Offers Free Legal Advice to Festival Revelers
'); document.write('In response to complaints about overzealous law enforcement agents at the annual Burning Man art and music festival in the Nevada dessert, a Palo Alto, Calif., attorney has formed Lawyers for Burners, a legal defense team to aid festival revelers in their brushes with the law. David Levin, aka the Burning Man Barrister, accused federal officers of destroying a peaceful counterculture celebration in the Black Rock Desert, reports the Associated Press. \"It\'s a police state out there,\" Levin said of the presence of undercover agents at dances and drug-sniffing dogs that roam the camps, according to the newspaper. \"There\'s very?'); document.write('
Entrepreneurs Are Attracting Major Cash to Draw Legal Services Away from Law Firms
'); document.write('A new class of lawyer-entrepreneurs in U.S. legal services is attracting hundreds of millions of dollars from global investors, even while traditional law firms are forced to cut back. These risk-takers speak a language investors understand. Rather than profits per partner, they talk about market share and return on invested capital. They converse as easily about finance, technology and management as finer points of law. And their enterprises produce steady returns even when unemployment soars and stock markets tank. Some drive down costs by automating routine legal tasks. Others assemble dedicated teams of lawyers for in-house legal departments to draft?'); document.write('
Holy Smokes Batman! Law in Comics Featured in New Exhibit
'); document.write('Lawyers often identify with superheroes, but sometimes don?t get much validation for it. However the library at Yale Law School offers a bit of that, with the new exhibition ?Superheroes in Court: Lawyers, Law and Comic Books.? Mark S. Zaid, a Washington, D.C., lawyer and comic book collector, organized the exhibition, which today got a mention in the New York Times Arts Beat blog. It features illustrations of Superman on the witness stand being accused of murder (falsely, of course) and a handcuffed Batman and Robin, facing a jury full of Jokers, literally. Zaid, a litigator who often represents government?'); document.write('
Firm?s New ?EZ Ticket? Defense Site Aims to Help Drivers Keep Records Clean
'); document.write('A San Antonio personal injury lawyer is adding traffic ticket defense, via the Internet, to his practice. Wallace Brylak Jr. set up EZTicketHelp.com, to handle traffic citations given by the San Antonio Police Department. According to KENS5.com, a local television news website, one can visit EZTicketHelp.com, enter the ticket information, and an attorney will go to court and provide a defense. According to Brylak?s website, most matters are resolved within 72 hours. Attorneys reportedly seek differed dispositions for clients, where tickets don?t show up on the individual\'s driving record. The firm tells prospective clients they\'ll benefit because there\'s: \"No standing?'); document.write('
Madoff Clients Balk at Trustee?s $34M Tab
'); document.write('Former investment clients of Bernard Madoff are challenging the $34 million bill submitted by his bankruptcy trustee, Baker Hostetler partner Irving Picard. The August 20 statement bills for services between Feb. 1 and May 31, according to the New York Post. According to Madoff investors, who made the Manhattan Bankruptcy Court filing, they don?t have the ability to evaluate the services, because the court previously ruled that Baker Hostetler doesn?t have to file detailed billing reports. Kevin McCue, Picard?s spokesperson, declined to comment, according to the Post, but noted that the law firm is paid by Securities Investor Protection Corp.,?'); document.write('
Are Alternative Fees Fizzling? Bloggers Offer Contrarian View
'); document.write('The firestorm over alternative fees has produced more smoke than fire, according to a Canadian legal consultant. Writing at his blog Rants & Raves, consultant Patrick McKenna recalls his own unsuccessful attempt to interest general counsel in alternative fees while representing an AmLaw-listed, regional law firm of more than 500 lawyers. McKenna says he contacted more than 35 GCs of Fortune 500 companies to discuss how the firm could deliver savings of 25 to 40 percent, and possibly more. ?I completely struck out!? he writes. ?No bunts, no hits, not even a sniff of interest.? He later heard from a?'); document.write('
War Funk Band in Battle with Pepsi Over ?Friends? Song
'); document.write('Some members of the original soul-funk band War have sued PepsiCo. for using their 1975 hit song ?Why Can?t We Be Friends? in a Pepsi Max commercial without their permission. The band members say Pepsi should have negotiated with them even if the company purchased rights to the song from music publishers or other owners, according to the Associated Press and TMZ. The suit says the band \"did not consent to the use of their performance\" in the ad. The suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, seeks $10 million in damages. A PepsiCo statement said it believes the lawsuit is?'); document.write('
Lawyer Sues for $700K After His Arrest for Failing to Show ID in Courthouse
'); document.write('A Maryland lawyer in a hurry to file some briefs decided to take a stand when an officer at the appeals court in Annapolis asked to see his ID. Norman Christopher Usiak refused, the Baltimore Sun reports. His resulting arrest spurred Usiak to file a $700,000 lawsuit claiming false arrest, false imprisonment and assault. Being forced to show an ID \"is the antithesis of access to a free court system,? Usiak, a Frederick, Md., lawyer, told the newspaper. ?I took a stand. It was offensive to me.\" According to a police report on the June 2007 incident, Usiak gave a?'); document.write('
Lawyer Censured for Punching Restaurant Patron in Music Dispute
'); document.write('A New York lawyer has been censured for punching a restaurant patron over noisy music. According to a New York appeals court, the dispute began when lawyer William Caits ?was disturbed by noise emanating from a portable DVD player in a nearby booth? that was occupied by the patron and her father. Caits asked them to lower the volume and also complained to the manager. ?After respondent voiced his dissatisfaction with the patron\'s adjustments and the manager\'s suggestion that he relocate, the verbal altercation escalated, culminating with respondent punching the victim,? the opinion says. In 2007, Caits was convicted in?'); document.write('
Lathrop & Gage to Merge with Denver Law Firm
'); document.write('Lathrop & Gage is merging with Denver law firm Kamlet Reichert, giving it 37 lawyers in the city. The merged firm, which will keep the Lathrop & Gage name, will be among Colorado?s largest 20 law firms, the Denver Post reports. Lathrop & Gage chief executive Joel Voran told the Post that the merger is a great fit because of Kamlet Reichert\'s strong corporate and real-estate practices. \"We just thought it would be a great combination,\" he said. Kamlet Reichert will also benefit, partner Jay Kamlet told the newspaper, because the merger ?really brings us areas we weren\'t able to?'); document.write('
Legal Writing Advice: Go Ahead, Split Your Infinitives
'); document.write('Blindly following grammar rules can be a mistake for legal writers, according to a lawyer and a public relations consultant. That means it is permissible to boldly split your infinitives, according to a Recorder article by AT&T lawyer John di Bene and public relations consultant Elizabeth Lampert. ?Lawyers will write the worst sentences in order to keep infinitives together, ruin the flow of their arguments and lose their readers in the process,? they write. ?Remember, you are not writing for a grade, you\'re writing to make a point. While it is important to know a rule, it is just as?'); document.write('
Lawyer Is Back at Thrift Shops After Bedbug Scare
'); document.write('Like a lot of shoppers, lawyer Lisa Slocum isn?t staying away from thrift shops because of bedbug fears. Managers and clerks at vintage stores told the New York Times that they are getting lots of questions about bedbugs, but business is still booming. Slocum suffered through a bout with bedbugs of unknown origin a couple years ago, but that didn?t stop her from buying a $33 velvet coat recently at the City Opera Thrift Shop, the story says. ?I just can?t resist a bargain,? she told the Times. A LinkedIn profile for a lawyer named Lisa Slocum identifies her as?'); document.write('
Sell Championship Ring to Pay $130K Legal Bill, Judge Tells Ex-Rams Player
'); document.write('Although he played professional football for more than a decade and earned a championship ring when the St. Louis Rams went to the Super Bowl in 2001, Chidi Ahanotu says his only income today is about $40,000 a year in disability income. But he could soon be getting free room and board: A Florida judge threatened today to hold the 39-year-old former Tampa Buccaneers defensive end in contempt if he doesn\'t turn over the championship ring and other sports memorabilia for a law firm to auction to help pay Ahanotu\'s $130,000 legal bill, reports the St. Petersburg Times. The debt?'); document.write('
Unprecedented DOJ Suit Seeks Documents From Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Civil Rights Probe
'); document.write('A controversial Arizona sheriff who seemingly scores points with many of his constituents by acting as something of a law unto himself was sued today by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to cooperate with an ongoing civil rights investigation. The suit was virtually a foregone conclusion, notes the CNN Justice blog, after Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in a characteristically aggressive fashion, made his refusal to provide requested documents public in an open letter posted on Maricopa County\'s website. The suit was filed in federal court in Phoenix. The investigation concerns claims that the sheriff\'s department has been conducting sweeps?'); document.write('
Top NY Restaurants Targeted in Suits Filed by Two Law Firms
'); document.write('Federal law allows wait staff and others who receive tips to be paid less than minimum wage—$4.65 an hour to be specific—as long as they can retain the gratuities they earn. Alleged violations of that law are among the workplace wrongs targeted in suits being filed by a handful of lawyers targeting New York?s ?hottest chefs and restaurateurs,? the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Among the defendants are Masaharu Morimoto of \"Iron Chef\" fame and three upscale Italian restaurants in Manhattan. Many of the suits claim employees are required to share their tips. Other claimed violations include a requirement?'); document.write('
The Supreme Court Is Split on Apostrophes
'); document.write('Three dissenting justices—it used to be four—are breaking with their brethren on the issue of apostrophes. Frank Wagner, the soon-to-be retired reporter of decisions for the Supreme Court, revealed the split in a two-part interview with the National Law Journal. The job of his office includes checking opinions for typos, misspellings, grammatical errors and deviations from Supreme Court rules. But there?s no use in changing apostrophes of dissenting justices who disagree with the court\'s prevailing rule on possessives that requires an apostrophe only after the final ?s? in ?Congress.? Wagner tells the NLJ that over the years, four justices informed?'); document.write('
Blogger Hits ?Palpable Sense of Entitlement? Among Lawyers Who Eschew BigLaw
'); document.write('Are elite lawyers who turn down careers in BigLaw for public interest jobs a little too smug, and if so, are they entitled to their sense of entitlement? Blogger Conor Friedersdorf of the Atlantic?s Daily Dish started the debate when he wrote about his continued astonishment at BigLaw?s wining and dining of law grads and new associates\' high-priced lifestyles. How is it, he wondered, that law grads who once existed on Ramen noodles ?earnestly insist that their $165,000 salary isn\'t so much when you think about it?? But his criticism wasn?t reserved for the lifestyles of the rich and elite?'); document.write('
Suit: Abercrombie & Fitch Told Muslim Job Seeker Scarf Not Part of the Look
'); document.write('A Muslim job seeker claims in a lawsuit that an Abercrombie & Fitch manager refused to hire her, telling her that a head scarf is not part of the \"Abercrombie look.\" The suit is the second one filed by a Muslim over the retailer?s look policy since 2009, the San Jose Mercury News reports. In the latest case, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued on behalf of Halla Banafa, who says she was rejected for a job stocking merchandise at a California store because of her head covering. An EEOC press release quotes San Francisco regional attorney William Tamayo. ?This?'); document.write('
2nd Circuit Tosses Ladies Night Suit by Anti-Feminist Lawyer
'); document.write('A self-described anti-feminist lawyer in Manhattan has lost his claim that night clubs are state actors because of liquor sales, making them subject to a constitutional equal protection claim for their ladies night discounts for women. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled ?with evident amusement? against former Cravath lawyer Roy Den Hollander, the New York Daily News reports. \"Without action on our part,? the court said, ?Den Hollander paints a picture of a bleak future, where \'none other than what\'s left of the Wall Street moguls\' will be able to afford to attend nightclubs.\" The Wall?'); document.write('
Defendant Denies Lawyer Was Signaling Witness by Covert Foot Tapping
'); document.write('A Houston lawyer who tapped a deponent?s foot under the table thought he was in contact with a pillar, not a person, according to an insurance company fighting a disqualification motion. Two plaintiffs in insurance coverage litigation against Insurance Company of North America contend in their motion that something nefarious was afoot in the July 12 deposition, Texas Lawyer reports. The motion, supported by a photo snapped by a paralegal, contends that Brown Sims shareholder Kenneth Engerrand was tapping the deponent?s foot in an apparent attempt to coach a witness. ?This was out and out witness tampering, followed by good?'); document.write('
Another Lawyer Sues Avvo Rating Site, Claims Its Practices Are ?Beyond Unfair?
'); document.write('A Florida lawyer has sued the lawyer rating website Avvo, claiming it engages in ?punitive, coercive and manipulative business practices? that are ?beyond unfair.? St. Petersburg lawyer Larry Joe Davis Jr., a board-certified health lawyer who formerly worked as an associate at Foley & Lardner, says he learned he was incorrectly listed as a labor and employment lawyer on the website after he received a call in August from a would-be client with a hostile work environment complaint. The caller told Davis she decided to call him because he had a low rating on Avvo and might be more likely?'); document.write('
3 Seyfarth Partners Form New Suburban Firm to Offer ?Lower Cost? Alternative
'); document.write('In the latest example of a snowballing trend among BigLaw attorneys, three partners at Seyfarth Shaw have left the well-known Chicago-based firm to establish a smaller suburban firm that will, they say, offer clients quality corporate legal services for less. ?We are establishing this suburban-based firm in order to significantly reduce our costs so that we can pass the savings along to our clients,? says Ted Clark of the fledgling Clark Baird Smith firm, which specializes in labor and employment law. \"Our goal is to continue to provide legal representation of the highest caliber but at a lower cost to?'); document.write('
Georgetown 3L?s Supreme Court Appeal: Let Law Students Save Money, Take Bar After 2 Years
'); document.write('A number of law students see their third year as something of a waste of time—and money. But Roger Gordon, 43, is walking the walk. The third-year student at Georgetown University Law Center has taken a leave of absence to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court his loss in a lawsuit seeking California\'s permission to take the bar exam after two years, reports the National Law Journal. Its article is reprinted in New York Lawyer (reg. req.). \"It\'s the first time a law student has said no,\" he tells the legal publication, noting that a law graduate\'s education-related debt can?'); document.write('
Study Finds Declining Lawyer Revenues, Gender Pay Gap at Small and Midsize Firms
'); document.write('Revenue per lawyer at small and midsize firms has dropped two years in a row, according to a new survey. In 2008, revenue per lawyer dropped by an average of almost 5 percent, and in 2009 it dropped by less than 1 percent, according to the survey by ALM Legal Intelligence and the National Law Journal. The two-year decline is unprecedented in the survey, which is dominated by firms of less than 150 lawyers, the NLJ reports. Average revenue per lawyer ranged from $350,000 at firms of two to eight lawyers, to $447,000 at firms of more than 150 lawyers,?'); document.write('