Legal Industry News
Ex-Colorado District Attorney Given One-Year Prison Sentence for Demanding Sexual Favors from Workers
January 23, 2012
The Combined Court of Montrose County, Colorado has sentenced Myrl Serra, a former District Attorney for the 7th Judicial District of Colorado, to one year in prison followed by 60 days in the Montrose County Jail after pleading guilty in October 2011 to criminal extortion, a class-four felony, and unlawful sexual contact, a class-one misdemeanor. More...
Part-time Work Among Lawyers Declined for First Time in 17 Years, NALP Study Finds
January 20, 2012
A study conducted by the National Association for Law Placement, Inc. (NALP) showed that most large law firms have made part-time schedules available to their experienced lawyers for many years. More...
Ex-Thompson Partner, Also the Ex-Prez of the Ohio State Bar, Goes to Jail for Overstating Law Firm Expenses in Tax Returns
January 19, 2012
Leslie “Les” W. Jacobs, a former Thompson Hine senior partner and former Ohio State Bar Association president, was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison, as well as an additional four months, less one day, of home confinement, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine after previously pleading guilty to making and subscribing false personal income tax returns, according to information released by Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. More...
Westwood College’s Criminal Justice Program in Illinois under Fire for Deceptive Marketing
January 18, 2012
Illinois Attorney General Attorney General Lisa Madigan today filed a lawsuit against the national, for-profit college Westwood for engaging in deceptive practices that left Chicago area students with up to $70,000 each in debt for degrees that failed to qualify them for careers in criminal justice. More...
Nation’s Top Attorneys Unite Once More: This Time They Urge Congress to Reauthorize Law on Violence against Women
January 12, 2012
The nations top attorneys, numbering at least 54, have banded themselves together in calling on the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse. More...
Ex-M&A Partner of Sullivan & Cromwell Sentenced to 28 Months in Prison for Failing to Pay Taxes on $10M of Income
January 11, 2012
John J. O’Brien, a former mergers and acquisitions partner at the New York office of international law firm Sullivan & Cromwell (“S&C”), was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 28 months in prison for failing to file tax returns and pay taxes on over $10 million in income, resulting in over $2.5 million in tax losses to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). More...
Defense Attorney Tries to Hide Drugs for His Client inside Balloons and Wallet, But Gets Caught Both Times
January 9, 2012
A defense attorney who allegedly tried to smuggle drugs to his client at the downtown Criminal Courts building and who was arrested a month later at a separate courthouse allegedly possessing drugs was arraigned Thursday on the charges, according to information released by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. More...
Penn. AGO: County Attorney Claims Traffic Accident Incapacitated Him, But He Gets Caught Playing Tennis and Going to the Gym
January 6, 2012
Agents from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Insurance Fraud Section have filed criminal charges against a Montgomery County attorney accused of making false statements under oath in connection with his own injury claim following a traffic accident to support a lawsuit seeking $125,000 in damages. More...
Proposed Bill Allowing Robo-Calls to Cell Phones Withdrawn after Strong Opposition by 50 State Attorneys
January 5, 2012
The sponsor of a congressional effort to allow robo-callers to target cell phones has withdrawn the proposed legislation, according to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller who was one of the fifty state attorneys who expressed their strong opposition to this bill. More...
Fraudsters Widen Scope on Potential Victims with Use of Social Media as Agencies Issue Various Alerts to Protect the Unwary
January 4, 2012
Government agencies have alerted investors about fraudulent investment schemes that may involve social media, even as they intensify the crackdown on internet fraudsters pouncing on the unwary. More...
