Lawyer - News

A federal judge Thursday rejected an attempt by DeKalb County, Ga., CEO Vernon Jones to bar public access to a transcript and videotape of his deposition in a civil rights suit he faces by three DeKalb police officers. Jones' lawyers had argued that the suit could embarrass Jones as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate. The judge also labeled as public records several tape recordings of black DeKalb officials as they talked, often crudely, about denying promotions to white employees at Jones' direction. No comments

A former employee has accused a New Hampshire child advocacy agency of harassing and discriminating against her because she shared her Christian beliefs in the office. In her lawsuit, Penny Nixon said she was sarcastically referred to as the "good Christian" at Casey Family Services. She says she was forbidden from giving out religious Christmas cards and that the agency would not allow her to hold voluntary lunch-hour Bible studies but permitted a gay and lesbian group to meet during business hours. No comments

In a new breed of "take-home" asbestos lawsuits, plaintiffs are suing employers over secondhand exposure to chemicals brought into the home on clothing -- so far with mixed results. But James Nowak, who is currently representing companies in a number of suits involving take-home asbestos, believes that the courts "are leaning toward the plaintiffs bar." Nowak thinks that these suits are on the rise because few asbestos manufacturers and suppliers remain, so plaintiffs are focusing on employers. No comments

The Department of Justice's latest effort to deal with complaints about prosecutors inappropriately seeking waivers of attorney-client privilege in corporate probes often falls short of providing protection, according to a report to a Senate committee by former Delaware Chief Justice E. Norman Veasey, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. At the request of the Coalition to Protect the Attorney-Client Privilege, Veasey acted as a "neutral narrator" of experiences by defense counsel with the McNulty Memo. No comments

Wilmer Cutler attorney John Harwood, who was a Marine Corps platoon leader in the Vietnam War, and Nicholas Henry, a third-year law student and an Iraq veteran, don't know each other, but they have a common mission: providing legal services to wounded veterans. They're not alone. Law firms, corporate legal departments and law schools are setting out to help thousands of disabled soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan receive fair and timely benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. No comments

The 4th Circuit is under the microscope as senators, legal experts, and conservative and liberal groups watch to see if five vacant judgeships will trigger an ideological shift in one of the nation's most conservative federal appellate benches. An even split, coupled with President Bush's inability to get his nominees confirmed by the Senate, could shift the court toward the left and affect decisions in a key terrorism case, death penalty appeals, immigration issues and labor disputes. No comments

New Jersey's Disciplinary Review Board is sticking to the view that a suspended three-month suspension is the correct punishment for lawyers who are rehabilitated after being caught with cocaine-type drugs. The board recommended such punishments Monday for a Newark lawyer arrested for possession of cocaine and a Miami lawyer, admitted in New Jersey, who was caught with Ecstasy. No comments

Authorities on Tuesday investigated an Internet posting that seemed to threaten the judge in Phil Spector's murder trial, as jurors continued to deliberate whether the music producer killed actress Lana Clarkson. The posting was on a MySpace page described as "Team Spector," said Steve Whitmore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Whitmore would not comment on the wording, but a court spokesman said the posting, which has since been removed, included the phrase "The Evil Judge should DIE!!!!" No comments

A federal complaint against two federal judges -- one of whom could be the next attorney general -- describes U.S. marshals being ordered to empty the trash, carry groceries and tote golf clubs as part of their duties on protective security details. Allies of AG nominee Michael B. Mukasey have been quick to rally around the retired New York jurist. Nonetheless, Mukasey's security detail was shut down in 2005 shortly after deputy marshals filed the grievance against him, another judge and their wives. No comments

For Broadway producer Martin Richards, how New Jersey's high court defines "spouse" will determine whether he gets a bigger slice of the fortune left by John Seward Johnson Sr., the son of the founder of Johnson & Johnson. On Tuesday, the court was asked to determine Johnson's mind-set in 1961 when he drafted a trust for four children, 11 grandchildren and their spouses. At issue is whether Richards, who married Johnson's daughter Mary Lea, can be considered a spouse even though Mary died in 1990. No comments