Sure like it when everyday citizens find & help solve crimes! Read all about it in this article from California's Auburn Journal:"The message from the Placer County District Attorney's Office was that law enforcement can't go it alone. "'Many ignore the call,' District Attorney Brad Fenocchio said, during a ceremony honoring several who stepped up to assist an investigation or put a...
So, is this good news? Or bad news for the paralegal profession? "A Wailuku paralegal who said she 'filled in the blanks' for a customer on a divorce form has been acquitted of a charge of unauthorized practice of law. "Kitty Atchley, 54, was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of unsworn falsification to authorities for documents she filed in court as part of a divorce case in...
ABC News finds another person involved in the growing D.C. Madam scandal: "A legal secretary at one of Washington's most prominent and well-connected law firms, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, has been suspended after telling her bosses she secretly worked at night for the escort service run by the so-called D.C. Madam, Jeane Palfrey. "The woman both serviced clients and, at...
A compilation of legal & factual issues surrounding this tragic event has been posted on Legal Blog Watch by lawyer & blogger Carolyn Elefant:"As our nation continues to mourn the victims of the senseless Virginia Tech massacre, many bloggers' thoughts turn to the question of whether this tragedy could have prevented or whether others like it can be prevented in the future. ...
Very interesting op-ed in the NY Times from author & lawyer Scott Turow, all about how advances in forensic technology may also impact statutes of limitations. He raises some intriguing questions about changes in law & the passage of time:"THIS Friday a 33-year-old man named Juan Luna will go on trial here for the murder of seven people in a Brown’s Chicken restaurant in Palatine,...
I hate news like this about paralegals. Innocent until proven guilty, of course....: "A Ware County paralegal was released on $20,000 bail Tuesday after pleading not guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and theft of government funds. "Gina A. Wooten, 50, of Waycross, is accused of stealing more than $110,000 in a bank fraud scheme that an FBI investigation revealed involved forged...
I just hope the paralegal who blew the whistle doesn't have her career damaged: "A human rights group on Thursday accused the U.S. military of failing to adequately investigate the latest allegations of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay and urged officials to open the detention center to more independent monitors. "An investigation was launched in October by U.S. Southern Command, which...
NOT the kind of news about paralegals I like to read: "A paralegal here with the Cooper Levenson law firm has been charged with theft by deception and forgery after allegedly ripping off a client’s account of $6,000, police said."Kara Swinney, 35, of Washington Street, Trenton, surrendered at police headquarters Tuesday and was arrested by Detective Sgt. Scott Porreca following an...
Oh, this news can't be good for anyone: "A Marine paralegal who reported that she overheard guards at Guantanamo Bay brag about beating detainees was accused by a military investigator of filing a false report, the paralegal’s boss, a Marine officer, said Friday. "Army Col. Richard Basset, who was ordered by the U.S. Southern Command to investigate the allegations into guards’...
Oh. My. Not the kind of headline one likes to see, but I had to read the article: "A Polk City man was arrested Wednesday after detectives said he impersonated a lawyer and offered a woman free legal service if she performed sex acts on him."Leonard W. Yanke Jr., 55, who is a paralegal, faces charges that include unlicensed practice of law, solicitation of legal services and compelling...