| |
|
Week Of Monday February 15, 2010
Judges Ready To Run Reappointment Gantlet 
The first wave of judges coming up for reappointment will be questioned by members of the legislative Judiciary Committee this week, and for most it will be a walk on the beach. For others, it will be more like a shark attack. Once every eight years, Connecticut’s appointed judges are most vulnerable to the checks and balances of popularly elected lawmakers. On that day, civility, decorum and mutual admiration normally carries the day.
Feeding Frenzy Targets Profitable Partners
This year is shaping up to be the year of the aggressor. Law firms that got through 2009 without hemorrhaging money and lawyers find themselves in a position to add significant talent to their rosters. Lateral hiring is up in markets across the country—stretching from Silicon Valley to Chicago and from Philadelphia to New York and Boston, according to The American Lawyer’s recent lateral report.
Solo’s Addicted Sister Allegedly Stole From Clients
The old saying is never mix family and business.
Stamford solo attorney Daniel Barber thought he was helping out his sister, Stacey Williams, when he hired her in August 2005 to help run his practice, which focuses on criminal defense work and real estate. Now Barber’s decision has jeopardized his practice.
Despite Pain In Big Toe, Lawyer Keeps KickingFREE
Everyone has days when they’re feeling aches and pains and not operating at 100 percent. Others work through chronic pain by adjusting their working conditions— placing a pillow on their seat or an ankle on a footrest, or taking breaks to stretch muscles.
Usually, the pain doesn’t threaten one’s job.
But a diabetic Hamden lawyer with a foot ulcer nearly had his practice taken away this month because he is unable to spend a full day in court.
Verdicts & Settlements
Trial-Settlement Hybrid Satisfies All Four Parties
John McGrath v. Bantam Sheet Metal LLC, et al.: Three contracting companies ended up paying nearly a quarter-million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed after a drywall finisher fell off a scaffold at a work site. John McGrath was working in Litchfield on May 31, 2005 in a room being renovated.
Antique Car Touring A Real Blast—Of Steam FREE
With all of the talk about automobiles running on alternative fuels, Hartford attorney John Linderman wonders what has taken everyone so long to catch on. For several years, Linderman has been driving around in a ’10 model car that runs on steam—a 1910 model, that is. Linderman, a partner at intellectual property firm McCormick, Paulding & Huber, has owned his Stanley Steamer since 1997, shortly after he visited the Big E fair in Massachusetts and learned about the technology associated with some of the earliest cars.
Sex Offender Confinement Poses Tough QuestionsFREE
In December, an anonymous veteran corrections officer in Connecticut wrote a letter to state officials voicing his concern over the then imminent release of Brian Wright, who has been in prison the past 25 years for sexual assault. The officer claims Wright committed six “male-on-male sexual assaults” while in prison and expressed fear he would be a threat to both men and women when released from prison. “He is notorious in the prison system,” wrote the officer. “I fear that he will offend again, this time with more serious consequences.”
Court Again Wrestles With Kidnapping LawFREE
In past years, prosecutors often added kidnapping charges to increase the possible punishment for defendants who were also charged with sexual assault or robbery. The theory was that during the commission of the other crime, the victim was detained against his or her will, even if only briefly. Defense attorneys objected to the practice, and in 2008 the state Supreme Court ruled that juries may no longer find someone guilty of kidnapping when the restraint is incidental to the commission of another crime.
Legal Tech
Shaking Up Attitudes About Technology
There probably aren’t many people in their mid-60s who have LinkedIn as the homepage on their computer at work. And certainly not many lawyers that age who are active on the lawyer-rating site Avvo.com or the free legal content site JDSupra.com.
But trust and estate solo attorney Jeffrey L. Crown, 65, sees no reason not to embrace social media.
Q&A
The Year That The Estate Tax Vanished
It’s a complex time to die. Congress surprised most lawyers when it simply allowed the federal estate tax to disappear at the end of last year. How did this happen? A tax-cutting plan endorsed by then-President George W. Bush was phased in beginning in 2001. That year, the value of an estate had to top $1 million before any federal taxes kicked in. By last year, the threshold rose to $3.5 million.
The Sudden Death Of A ‘Remarkable Young Man’ FREE
Michael V. Sage was preparing for an exciting February. He had a skiing trip to New Hampshire planned with a colleague at the New London firm of Suisman Shapiro, and last week was going to mark the first time he handled a personal injury trial on his own. But on Feb. 5, everything changed. Sage, 29, was found unresponsive on the floor of the law firm’s bathroom after apparently collapsing around 10:30 a.m., shortly after he had walked across the street for his usual cup of morning coffee with some fellow lawyers.
A Fein Fit For U.S. Attorney’s Job
David B. Fein’s nomination to serve as Connecticut’s U.S. Attorney caps a long career of significant accomplishments in criminal law. When he came to New Haven’s Wiggin and Dana in 1997, Fein was the firm’s first white-collar defense partner, fresh from a two-year stint in the Clinton White House, where he was an associate counsel.
LeClairRyan Strikes Again
Before last week, William J. McGrath Jr., managing partner of Halloran & Sage in Hartford, did not have LeClairRyan on his radar screen. After all, Virginia-based LeClairRyan has had a Connecticut presence for less than two years. But now McGrath knows what others are quickly learning – LeClairRyan is in a rapid growth mode that includes recruiting top lawyers from established firms.
Verdicts & Settlements
Hospital Settles For $1.5M After Heart Attack Death
Estate of Arkady Mikhelzon v. The State of Connecticut: The estate of a Russian immigrant collected about $1.5 million from the University of Connecticut’s hospital after claiming that doctors failed to implant a device that might have prevented a fatal heart attack. At age 9, Arkady Mikhelzon moved from Russia to the U.S. with his parents, and they moved to Connecticut when he was 15. Growing up, he was active and healthy, but he had a heart condition that can strike young people unexpectedly.
Cracking Open The Door To Juvenile CourtFREE
Several attorneys who represent juveniles in court questioned a new Judicial Branch pilot program that will open up certain court proceedings to the public. “I don’t understand the reasoning for this,” said Daniel Weiner, a juvenile law attorney in Stamford. “I’m a little surprised. Potentially this could taint a kid.” The juvenile docket historically has been shielded from public view due to the age of its participants. But starting Feb. 16, cases in one courthouse involving allegations of child neglect and abuse, as well as petitions for termination of parental rights, can be heard by anyone who is interested.
Q&A
A Healthy Outlook On The AG’s Office
New Haven state Rep. Cameron Staples, a Democrat, was the first to officially declare his candidacy for the office of attorney general, after incumbent Richard Blumenthal said he would run for U.S. Senate. People have been expecting big things from Staples since the conclusion of his freshman term in the legislature in 1994, when his colleagues picked him as the lawmaker with “Best Future Promise.”
Giving Her Credit For Time Served
Two of the state’s most well-respected legal minds disagree on the constitutionality of a state statute requiring the Connecticut attorney general to be someone who has been in active legal practice for at least 10 years. But Susan Bysiewicz isn’t troubled by the differences. She’s heard enough from both Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and appellate advocate and constitutional scholar Wesley Horton to conclude that she is, in fact, eligible for the AG’s office.
Contractors Nailed By Higher Building Permit FeesFREE
There probably aren’t many town politicians familiar with the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. But that may change soon.
Those five letters – CUTPA – could spell trouble for municipalities that might have drastically raised the fees for building permits or other permits and used the funds generated to pay off debts. Such a scenario is what’s alleged in the town of Madison, where a lengthy legal battle has made its way to the state Supreme Court.
Defendant Challenges Detectives’ Pot Bust TacticsFREE
Summary: Prosecutors are challenging a trial court’s decision to dismiss charges against a man found in possession of a pound of marijuana at a traffic light. In its ruling of an illegal seizure, the trial court said the defendant couldn’t have felt free to drive away after a police officer approached the car in traffic.
Taking The Show On The RoadFREE
Dyke Spear Jr. was a fledgling divorce lawyer in Hartford in 1961 when he attended a reunion event at Trinity College.
He heard several groups of a capella singers perform and was impressed. Then he got an idea. He signed contracts with 10 of those groups, rented out The Bushnell and then started selling the show to the public.
Full Decision On Lawyer Advertising Case Now AvailableFREE
The Statewide Grievance Committee on Monday released its full-length decision that brought to an end an array of grievance complaints in the state against attorneys doing business with Total Attorneys, a Chicago-based lawyer-advertising site.
|
|
HOME
