ABA Journal Top Stories

These BigLaw firms had the highest spreads in partner compensation

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:10:52 -0500

For the first time this year, the American Lawyer has asked the nation’s 200 largest law firms to supply figures on the spread in compensation between their top-paid and lowest-paid partners. The publication received responses from 111 law firms, the American Lawyer reports. For law firms in…

Which law firms were honored for placing women in leadership roles?

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:05:55 -0500

Forty-two law firms have received a “gold standard certification” for placing women in leadership roles. Women in Law Empowerment Forum created the list to emphasize leadership roles by women equity partners, rather than law firm policies or practices, according to the group’s website. The 42 firms met at…

Barbershop doubles as a law office

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:39:55 -0500

Connecticut lawyer Don Howard notes that the city of Hartford is “oversaturated with lawyers and barbershops.” That’s why he has opened a barbershop on Main Street in New Britain and placed his office in the back of the place, the New Britain Herald reports. A criminal…

Federal judge OKs suit over ‘shocking’ claim 911 operator told harassed man to return to crime scene

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:15:21 -0500

Disagreeing with a recommendation by a magistrate that a civil rights case should be dismissed, a federal judge in Denver gave a green light on Monday to a family's lawsuit over the death of a Sudanese refugee. Soon-to-be victim Jimma Reat, 25, and others called 911 in April 2012 reporting…

Google asks intelligence court to relax gag orders on secret data requests

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:29:26 -0500

Citing its First Amendment rights, Google has asked the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to relax long-standing gag orders restricting what can be said about the information the court requests. In a Tuesday motion (PDF) that seeks a declaratory judgment, the Internet search-engine Goliath says it wants to…

Feds raid 7-Eleven stores at 54 sites, allege $180M ‘plantation system’ immigrant fraud

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:42 -0500

In one of the biggest criminal cases ever brought by the Department of Justice over the employment of immigrants, federal agents have seized the franchise rights of 14 7-Eleven stores and announced charges against nine individuals responsible for their operation. The feds also seized five homes and are executing search…

Partner pay holdback of 20 percent at Becker & Poliakoff is not popular

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:20:17 -0500

A new policy at Becker & Poliakoff of holding back 20 percent of partners' pay is not popular, managing shareholder Gary Rosen admits. However, he said such measures are a standard business procedure at law firms today in order to maintain a cash reserve and insisted that the holdback is…

Lawyers sanctioned for billing mentally ill vet for tasks such as shopping and moving

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:42:49 -0500

Two Iowa lawyers have each been suspended for 18 months for billing up to $125 an hour for “conservator services” that included nonlegal tasks such as attending birthday parties. The lawyers are Donald Laing and Scott Railsback of Keota, Iowa, according to the Associated Press and the…

Winning, so far, in trial court, Hearst wants 2nd Circuit to clarify intern issue after new ruling

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:40:18 -0500

In an unusual effort to obtain federal appellate court clarification, Hearst Corp., which has been successfully defending a case over the use of unpaid interns in its publishing ventures, is supporting the plaintiffs in their request for an interlocutory appeal of a recent trial court ruling, Reuters reports.…

Did Superman have a legal duty to save lives?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:30:58 -0500

Man of Steel spoilers follow: As most readers probably remember from law school, there's generally no duty to rescue unless a special relationship applies or the Good Samaritan has voluntarily assumed the duty. But that legal rule can create discomfort, as the Superman movie Man of Steel illustrates, attorney and…

Family of slain law grad Lauren Giddings files wrongful death suit

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:53 -0500

The family of a Georgia law graduate allegedly slain by a neighbor and law school classmate two years ago has filed a wrongful death suit seeking answers about the case. Although jailed suspect Stephen McDaniel doesn't have any money and isn't likely to, the family wants answers about what happened…

Labor Department lawyer accused in stun-gun assault is found dead in his jail cell

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:00:33 -0500

Updated: A Labor Department lawyer accused of assaulting a co-worker was found dead today in his jail cell in Washington, D.C. The lawyer, 58-year-old Paul Mannina, was found dead a day after a detective summarized the allegations during a preliminary hearing, the Washington Post reports. Mannina sobbed…

Pig-and-gun tattoo naming cop posted on Facebook; defendant inks it over and gets probation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:30:35 -0500

A Minnesota man who is a reputed gang member got probation Monday after inking over a tattoo that was thought to pose a threat to a Minneapolis police officer working in a gang-investigation unit. Antonio Fransion Jenkins Jr. had faced a felony terroristic threat charge in the Hennepin County case…

Law faculty perk at NYU includes loans for pricey vacation homes

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:28:00 -0500

New York University has loaned money to some of its star professors—including law faculty—to buy expensive vacation homes in places such as East Hampton, Fire Island and Litchfield County, Conn. University spokesman John Beckman confirmed such loans in an interview with the New York Times, but…

Judges’ mandatory-retirement challenge fails in Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:49:06 -0500

Pennsylvania judges challenging the state’s mandatory retirement age have failed to persuade the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that the state constitutional provision is invalid. The court rejected the judges’ challenge on Monday, saying they should pursue a constitutional amendment if they dislike the provision requiring retirement at age 70, according to…

‘If you can’t dry clean it, don’t wear it’; partner advises male lawyers on business casual

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:00:04 -0500

Harrumph! After receiving several complaints, the office managing partner of a national law firm has decided the firm’s poorly dressed male lawyers need some business-casual guidelines. No. 1 on the list: “If you cannot dry clean it, don’t wear it.” Above the Law published the entire…

SCOTUS accepts Fair Housing case, but it could be resolved in settlement talks

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:30:55 -0500

The U.S. Supreme Court has once again agreed to decide whether Fair Housing Act cases may be based on disparate impact analysis, and once again an agreement could derail the case. The court granted cert on Monday in a suit filed by residents of a predominantly minority neighborhood in Mount…

Slain lawyer’s daughter says he would have been first to defend teen charged in the killing

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:46:38 -0500

A 16-year-old youth has been arrested in the April 15 stabbing deaths of a long-time California lawyer and his wife. The name of the teen, who lives in Davis, has not been released, report CBS13, the Daily Democrat, and…

Controversial eminent domain approach to restructuring underwater mortgages gathers steam

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:45:07 -0500

A venture capital firm's bid to help some struggling homeowners avert foreclosure by using the government's eminent domain power to purchase their property at actual value is gathering steam. Several cities in California have agreed to pursue the idea, and others, including North Las Vegas, Nev., are pondering the plan,…

Hurricane Sandy still a daily reality for law firms left homeless by the storm

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:14:59 -0500

Hurricane Sandy was over months ago, but it's still a daily reality for a number of New York law firms struggling with the aftermath. Among that group are law firms which were located at 110 Wall Street, where leases were cancelled due to flood damage. Finding new office space is…

New legal battle for ex-prisoner awarded $6M: Ex-wife who he divorced in 1992 wants a share

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:23 -0500

An exonerated former inmate who was awarded a $6 million compensation package after serving 24 years for rapes committed by another man is still racking up big legal bills. First Steven Phillips did battle with the lawyer who represented him in the compensation case, contending that the $1 million fee…

Juries must find facts that increase mandatory minimums, Supreme Court says

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:11:08 -0500

Any fact that spurs a higher mandatory minimum sentence must be decided by a jury, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion (PDF) overruling Harris v. United States, a 2002 decision that allowed judges to conduct such fact-finding. Harris was decided two…

Is a fee-laden debit card ‘lawful money’ for worker pay purposes? Class action seeks court ruling

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:09:23 -0500

A worker at a Pennsylvania McDonald's who says she was told she would not be paid unless she accepted her money in the form of a debit card that carried hefty charges for virtually every transaction has filed suit against her employers. Natalie Gunshannon, a single mom who was to…

Lawyer held in lieu of $2M bail, accused of shooting his wife in a domestic violence case

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:15:48 -0500

A southern California lawyer is being held in lieu of $2 million bail on attempted murder charges in a domestic violence case, accused of shooting his wife at his home last week. Mark Madrigali called 911 in the early hours of June 12 to report that she was injured. On…

SCOTUS: Silence can be used against defendant who didn’t claim privilege in voluntary meeting

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:47:24 -0500

A defendant who didn’t expressly invoke his privilege against self-incrimination in a voluntary police interview before his formal arrest can have his silence used against him in court, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a fractured decision. The court ruled in the case of Genovevo Salinas, who had attended…