Recent News
DeKalb Judge Dismisses, Then Recuses
A week of bickering between a DeKalb County judge and the district attorney ended with another DeKalb judge saying he would rule in his colleague's favor - and then recusing from the case. DeKalb Superior Court Judge Daniel Coursey (above) listens during Friday's hearing on a suit against a fellow judge. Later, Coursey recused, citing a JQC regulation on not ruling on a colleague's case.
Jury Finds For Attorney In Legal-Mal Case
Following a series of judicial rulings that dramatically reduced the scope of a multicount legal malpractice case down to a single claim, a Fulton County jury found no liability against Atlanta attorney Louis Cohan and his former firm, now-defunct Weinstock & Scavo.
Judge Halts Subpoena for APS Student Records
Atlanta Public Schools don't have to respond to prosecutors' subpoena for students' records related to criminal allegations of school officials cheating on standardized tests - at least not for now.
Redacted emails released in Swartz case
A federal judge has ruled that the estate of late entrepreneur and Internet activist Aaron Swartz may release to Congress and the public some of the information gathered by the lawyers preparing his defense in his hacking case.
3-D Printing Shapes Up as Next Frontier In IP Law
Back in February, President Barack Obama indicated in his State of the Union address that 3-D printing may be the next big thing in manufacturing. What he didn't say is that 3-D printing may also be the next big thing in intellectual property disputes.
Harvard Law opens Applications to Juniors
Harvard University undergraduates who aspire to be attorneys will have a head start on admission to that law school across the way at starting in 2015.
Court Is Asked To Dismiss Clayton Charges
A panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals was asked Thursday to rule on the validity of a Clayton County grand jury's public corruption investigation of Morrow's former city manager and his subsequent indictment. The defendant's lawyer (above), Brian Steel, said the DA's conduct was "egregious."
Facebook's 'Like' Faces a Free-Speech Test in Federal Appeals Court
Danny Carter shocked colleagues when the Hampton, Va., jailer posted a picture of his boss's opponent in the sheriff's race on his Facebook page along with a link to the contender's website.
Citi Survey: Law Firm Leaders' Confidence Falls As 2013 Begins
The beginning of 2013 has seen overall confidence in the state of the legal industry dip slightly among law firm managing partners, despite the same group's growing optimism about which way the U.S. economy is headed.
11th Circuit Hears Bid to Reinstate School Bullying Lawsuit
A federal appeals panel sitting in Atlanta on Thursday wrestled with what appears to be a new kind of case: a school district being sued over claims that a student was bullied because of his disability.
DeKalb DA Disputes Judge's Account of 'Harassment'
DeKalb County's district attorney has responded to a judge's claims that the DA's investigator harassed him by saying it's the judge who is doing the harassing.
LawJam 2013: The Colorful Friends of Comrade Blue
The name Comrades came from the first song we played together in Joe's basement. Simply put, the song is about friends and has become a concert tradition to sing all together with our friends at the end of every show.
Congratulations to Justices Thompson and Hines
On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I am writing to congratulate Justice Hugh P. Thompson of the Supreme Court of Georgia on being elected by his colleagues to serve as Chief Justice beginning Aug. 15, succeeding current Chief Justice Carol W. Hunstein.
Legal Services NYC's Employees Strike; New Case Intake To Be Cut
More than 200 attorneys and staff at Legal Services NYC walked off their jobs Wednesday after voting overwhelmingly to reject management offers for a new contract.
Conn. court: Lawyers can't be sued for fraud
The state Supreme Court has ruled in an ex-NFL player's case that Connecticut lawyers can't be sued for fraud for their conduct in court cases because of a centuries-old legal doctrine.
Defense bid to photograph bombing suspect rejected
A judge has rejected a request from lawyers for Boston Marathon suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to allow them to take periodic photos of him in prison.
Doctor who promised cancer cure faces sentencing
At the age of three, Brianica Kirsch was diagnosed with brain cancer. Her parents, desperate to find alternative measures for their daughter who had undergone surgeries and chemotherapy, turned to Dr. Christine Daniel, who offered an herbal supplement with a success rate she claimed was between 60 and 80 percent.
Turks and Caicos drops charges in bullet cases
Authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands have decided not to prosecute two Americans accused of having one bullet each in their luggage at the airport in the British territory.
NYers furious over photos taken through windows
In one photo, a woman is on all fours, presumably picking something up, her posterior pressed against a glass window. Another photo shows a couple in bathrobes, their feet touching beneath a table. And there is one of a man, in jeans and a T-shirt, lying on his side as he takes a nap.
Photos sought of Guantanamo prisoner hit in clash
A lawyer for a Guantanamo Bay prisoner is calling on the U.S. Justice Department to release photos of wounds the man suffered when struck with non-lethal rounds at a recent clash with guards at the prison.
Real Estate Lawyers Target Closing Vendors
Real estate closing attorneys around the state are battling companies that hire Georgia lawyers to preside over closings just long enough to see that the documents are signed and witnessed. Meredith Ragains, left, Simon Bloom and Stephanie Everett have filed proposed class actions against closing vendors and their lawyers on behalf of more than 3,000 property buyers.
US Agrees To Pay $225K of $250K Judgment
The U.S. government agreed this week to pay $225,000 to satisfy a $250,000 judgment for a log truck driver struck by a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier's Buick in rural South Georgia, according to attorneys on both sides.
Legal Food Frenzy's Final Total Up By 38%
Georgia's legal community donated money and food equating to 840,958 pounds of goods to the state's food banks, a 38 percent increase from last year's effort, in the annual Legal Food Frenzy.
DeKalb DA Tries To Serve Judge During Jury Selection
The chief investigator for the DeKalb County district attorney interrupted jury selection this week to serve a subpoena on a Superior Court judge with whom the DA is sparring.
Lawyers, You Can't Ignore SEO
Search Engine Optimization?or SEO?is the art or science of search. Google, Bing, Yahoo and the others attempt to do the same thing: Match questions with answers. The point of SEO is to make what you post online line up with the questions your intended audience is asking.
U.S. Judge in Boston Bombing Emerges as Target for Republicans
A Harvard Medical School research assistant who went on to serve as a U.S. judge for 23 years now finds herself at the center of the Boston Marathon bombing case, and by extension the post 9-11 issue of whether, and when, suspected terrorists should benefit from constitutional rights.
Lawyers in Texas Explosion Strategize After Insurance News
The focus of lawsuits stemming from the April 17 explosion at the West, Texas, fertilizer plant may change, after news that Adair Grain Inc., doing business as West Fertilizer Co., holds only a $1 million liability insurance policy.
U.S. Porn Maker Goes After Hong Kong 'Cloud' Storage Outfit
Hong Kong-based Oron.com says it's just an ordinary cloud storage company, like Dropbox or Apple's iCloud. So why, it asks, should an American pornography distributor get an order freezing all of its assets and effectively shutting down its business?
Solos: Turn Networking Into Results
A solo practitioner sometimes looks at networking events as a chance to be social and relax with friends. After all, working on your own, often behind closed doors, can be isolating. Perhaps, but you could be missing out on a great opportunity to make contacts that will help you build your business.
Atlanta schools subpoenaed in cheating case
Atlanta Public Schools is notifying parents that it will have to turn over students' education information in response to a subpoena.
Army chief admits failure to stop sexual abuse
The Army's top officer acknowledged on Thursday that his service is failing in its effort to stop sexual assaults, as he and the nation's other top defense leaders were summoned to the White House to discuss the militarywide problem.
Crime not ruled out in Texas blast
Investigators have not ruled out criminal activity as the cause of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed at least 14 people and flattened part of a tiny Texas town, two officials familiar with the findings said Thursday.
NC House passes social media privacy bill
A bill forbidding employers and universities from accessing private email or social media accounts of workers and students has passed the North Carolina House.
Ga. Rep. Brooks of Atlanta indicted for wire fraud
A federal grand jury has indicted state Rep. Tyrone Brooks over allegations claiming he misappropriated more than $1 million in charitable funds.
2nd suspect arrested in NOLA parade shooting
A second suspect has been arrested in the shooting that injured 20 people at a parade on Mother's Day, police said Thursday afternoon.
Lawyer and Client to Pay Attorney Fees of Waffle House CEO
A woman and her lawyer claiming the CEO of Waffle House Inc. sexually abused her will have to pay the CEO's attorney fees for filing sealed documents in the open, a Fulton County judge decided on Monday.
Sutherland Partner Gets 9-0 SCOTUS Win
Atlanta lawyer Thomas Byrne (above) is claiming victory in his first outing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Whistleblower Case Ends With $48 Million Settlement
For years, a local subsidiary of international medical technology company C.R. Bard dominated the market for cancer-fighting radioactive seeds by paying kickbacks to medical centers, according to a federal whistleblower suit unsealed Monday in Atlanta.
Lower Limit on Drunken Driving To .05%, NTSB Urges
States should lower the definition of drunken driving to a blood-alcohol reading of no more than .05 percent, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday, saying the U.S. is too tolerant of impairment behind the wheel.
Wage-and-Hour Suits Up For Fifth Straight Year
For the fifth year in a row, U.S. employers have seen an increase in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits filed against them in federal court, according to calculations by the Federal Judicial Center
Early Lessons From the NLRB On Social Media
Lydia Cruz-Moore didn't like the way her co-workers did their jobs, and she wasn't afraid to say so.
Prison Inmate's Complaint Gets High Court Review
The Supreme Court's running feud with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit resumed Monday with the justices' decision to grant review in a Tennessee case involving civil rights complaints filed by prison inmates.
Georgia Legal Community Mourns Loss of Jack Swertfeger
On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I am writing to express condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Atlanta attorney L. Jack Swertfeger Jr. on his recent passing.
Political Scandal Could Leave IRS Gun Shy
A growing controversy in Washington involving the Internal Revenue Service could mean big changes in the way the agency regulates the political activity of tax-exempt organizations, according to election law experts.
Holder defends subpoenas for AP telephone records
Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress Wednesday that a serious national security leak required the secret gathering of telephone records at The Associated Press as he stood by an investigation in which he insisted he had no involvement.
Ga. groups say IRS asked invasive questions
Leaders of two conservative political groups in Georgia say they say faced invasive questioning from the Internal Revenue Service.
Ga. man sentenced on child pornography charges
U.S. Attorney's officials say a south Georgia man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for distributing child pornography.
Goin' Mobile at the Daily Report
Check out the Daily Report's sleek new site exclusively for smart phones and tablets.
Senate bill would clear Savannah harbor obstacle
A water projects bill approved by the U.S. Senate contains a provision that would remove a bureaucratic obstacle to deepening the Savannah harbor.
Legal challenges begin against ND abortion laws
Abortion rights activists on Wednesday filed the first of what they expect will be several legal challenges to laws recently approved in North Dakota that would make that state the most restrictive in the country for women to terminate their pregnancies.
AP Subpoenas Spotlight Obama's Scrutiny of Press
The Obama administration's record on transparency once again faces criticism—this time from both Republicans and Democrats—following the revelation that the U.S. Department of Justice secretly obtained and reviewed Associated Press telephone records during a criminal investigation into a suspected leak of classified information.
Trade Secrets Law Is Still Murky
It remains to be seen how far a recent state Supreme Court decision will go in limiting the ability of companies to stop their employees from jumping ship to competitors. Greenberg Traurig's David Long-Daniels (above), who represented the executive sued by his ex-employer: the high court correctly balanced mobility and trade secret protection.
Large Firms' Ethical Screens Jeopardized by Ruling, Two Say
The Georgia attorney general and a private lawyer are asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling that prohibits public defenders within the same circuit from representing co-defendants, arguing it would place large law firms in jeopardy.
High Court Rules for Monsanto in Soybean Seed Patent Case
The Supreme Court said Monday that an Indiana farmer violated Monsanto Co.'s patents on soybean seeds resistant to its weed-killer by growing the beans without buying new seeds from the corporation.
Uniform Rules Urged On Access to Judicial Papers
Justice David Souter chose 50 years after his retirement. For Justice Thurgood Marshall, it was two years after his death, and Justice Harry Blackmun settled on five years after his own death. Justice Byron White destroyed a good bit of his own.
Understanding the Dark Side of Shareholder Activism
Shareholder activists are flexing their muscles with a new exuberance this proxy season, running more insurgent slates in proxy contests, stalking larger targets and enjoying a higher rate of success.
PD Council Director Clarifies Bar President's Column
While I greatly appreciate [State Bar of Georgia] President Robin Frazer Clark drawing attention to the important issue of the Constitutional requirement for indigent defense in her recent column ("Marking Gideon's half-century," Daily Report, May 10), it is necessary to clarify a point of confusion.
Failure to Mirandize Does Not Violate Constitution
Much of the discussion in the media on whether the surviving Boston bombing suspect should have been given Miranda warnings when he was arrested appears to be based on a misconception: that law enforcement officers are required to give suspects the warnings set forth in Miranda v. Arizona and that failure to do so is a violation of the law, at least if the public-safety exception doesn't apply. That is not correct.
In Executive's Trade Secret Prosecution, A Company's Outsized Role
The trial of executive recruiter David Nosal for computer hacking and theft of trade secrets drew attention from many quarters.
Gay Marriage Letdown Looms as High Court Weighs Narrow Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court fight over California's Proposition 8, viewed by gay-rights advocates as a historic opportunity to establish same-sex marriage nationwide, may not even settle the issue in the state.
Gov't Probe Obtains Wide Swath of AP Phone Records
The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.
Enforcer for Memphis drug ring gets life in prison
A gang member convicted of working as an enforcer for a violent Memphis-based drug ring with ties to Mexican cartels was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday.
Parents sue SC, hospital over child's sex surgery
A couple is suing the state of South Carolina for what they say was unnecessary sexual assignment surgery on a toddler they adopted.
Man indicted in series of unsolved Ga. rapes
Police say a man has been indicted in a series of rapes from the mid-1980s in the metro Atlanta area.
Ex-Ga. pharmacist guilty in drugs-for-sex scheme
U.S. Attorney's officials say a former pharmacist has pleaded guilty to exchanging prescription drugs for sex for more than two years.
Judge: MIT can redact info in Swartz documents
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology can black out the names of university officials when releasing documents related to the investigation into free-information activist Aaron Swartz, a federal judge has ruled.
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