Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly articles from July 2007

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly archives from July 2007

Mass. Appeals Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Judgments affirmed Blagrove v. Walgreen Company, et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 81-544-07) (4 pages) (challenge to a summary judgment granted to a defendant employer in a handicap...

Mass. Department Of Industrial Accidents Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Workers' compensation Permanent and total incapacity - Harmless error Where a self-insurer has appealed an award to an employee of permanent and total incapacity benefits for a Nov. 29,...

Mass. Labor Relations Commission Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Labor Prohibited practice charge - Timeliness Where a union filed a prohibited practice charge against the Board of Higher Education more than six months after the union knew or should...

Mass. Land Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Real property Merger Where the defendant zoning board ruled that the plaintiffs' property was not buildable, I hold that the defendant erred, as evidence shows that the plaintiffs' two...

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Employment Age discrimination Where a complainant was laid off at the age of 74, her age discrimination complaint must be dismissed because the respondent employer's stated reasons for...

Mass. Supreme Judicial Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals G.L.c. 211, Sect. 3 - Mootness Where (1) a man indicted on charges of burglary and aggravated rape filed a G.L.c. 211, Sect. 3 petition challenging certain interlocutory rulings...

Mass. Superior Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Damages Condominium - Benefit of bargain Where plaintiff purchasers claim that they negotiated and contracted for the purchase of a condominium unit but received a different unit, their...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Discharge denial - Concealment Where the United States Trustee has moved for the denial of a Chapter 7 debtor's discharge, the motion should not be granted, as the debtor's...

1st U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil rights Political discrimination - Puerto Rico Where a plaintiff brought suit claiming political discrimination and a violation of his civil rights in connection with his demotion by...

U.S. District Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Contract Construction - Bid preparation costs Where a plaintiff construction company, having filed a complaint challenging the defendant town's awarding of a library construction project...

U.S. Magistrate Judges Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Insurance Indemnification - Dismissal Where an issue has been raised as to whether the defendant insurer is obligated to indemnify the plaintiff policyholder in connection with...

U.S. Supreme Court Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Constitutional First Amendment - Pro-drug banner School officials did not violate the First Amendment by confiscating a pro-drug banner and suspending a student who displayed it at a...

Massachusetts Lawyers in the News: July 2, 2007.(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff New associations John Chapman has joined Duane Morris in Boston as a partner in the corporate practice group. Honors Fish & Richardson, which has an office in Boston, has been...

Commentary: The Federal Circuit: no special treatment for this specialized court.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Barbara A. Fiacco Twenty-five years ago, Congress created the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Unlike other federal appellate courts, its jurisdiction is defined by subject matter, reflecting congressional intent to...

Commentary: 'One step at a time' trumps fear, stress.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Edward Poll I could hear the stress on the other end of the phone. A coaching client had called and obviously needed help, but he couldn't verbalize why. His practice seemed to be spinning out of control, and he couldn't...

How to ... throw a summertime law-firm picnic.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff How To... offers advice on a variety of subjects related to the management of a law practice. With warm weather in full swing, Lawyers Weekly presents a primer on throwing a summertime law-firm...

Verdicts & Settlements July 2, 2007: Waitress takes employer to court over unpaid wages.(F&B Concepts, Inc.)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $73,500 verdict The plaintiff brought action against the defendants for failure to pay her wages over a period of 19 months from October 2001 to April 2003. The plaintiff worked for the...

Verdicts & Settlements July 2, 2007: Woman fractures ankle while descending stairs.(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $120,000 settlement The plaintiff was injured on May 23, 2006, while descending an outdoor, back staircase at a house in Lowell. She twisted her right ankle when she stepped into a hole at the...

Verdicts & Settlements July 2, 2007: Passenger's injuries untreated following motorcycle accident.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $545,000 settlement The 20-year-old plaintiff was an invited guest at the defendant's home where she was served alcohol. After the plaintiff, defendant and another guest had consumed a large...

Verdicts & Settlements July 2, 2007: Company, president don't make requisite loan payments.(Premier Capital, LLC, Northeastern Environmental Services, Inc.)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $160,000 verdict On April 17, 1996, Fleet Bank granted the defendant, Northeastern Environmental Services, Inc., an unsecured line of credit in the amount of $100,000. Northeastern's president...

Verdicts & Settlements July 2, 2007: Boy sustains brain injury in fall from play structure.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $1.3 million settlement On Dec. 30, 1999, while playing on a structure consisting of a multi-level maze surrounded by netting and access doors, the minor plaintiff fell 13 feet to the floor,...

Commentary: The net effect of the 'Duke lacrosse' case.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff The so-called "Duke lacrosse" rape case has now officially come to a close. The North Carolina attorney general has declared that the three defendants, who were charged with sexually assaulting a...

Commentary: An out-of-control judiciary? Sure, isn't it obvious?
July 2, 2007... Byline: David Yas What's the deal with our legal system, anyway? Pundits around here speak of lenient judges, out-of-control attorneys and preferential treatment for the rich and connected. They lament "dirt bags committing crimes and...

Mass. governor signs bills: July 2, 2007.(Brief article)(List)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff 45.An act relative to the relocation and alteration of the layout of High Poll Hill Road in the Town of Provincetown. App. and eff. June 7, 2 pages. 46.An act exempting the position of...

Boston attorney Peter F. Zupcofska featured in GQ.(Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Described as a "master" divorce lawyer, perhaps it is fitting that Burns & Levinson partner Peter F. Zupcofska makes his GQ debut on a page featuring the mug of multiple-divorce Larry King of TV...

Massachusetts Bar Assn. considers endorsement for law to create survivors' benefits for judges.(Massachusetts Bar Association)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff It's a touchy subject, but it's clear that judges concerned about recent incidents involving courthouse violence would rather be safe than sorry. Take a proposed law, for example, that would...

Boston attorney wins suit claiming breath alcohol interlock devices unreliable.(attorney Geoffrey G. Nathan)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff For those OUI defendants ordered to install breath alcohol interlock devices in their cars, the premise is simple: Pass the breath test or the car won't start. Even if the car starts, however,...

ISB attorney disappointed by column on mosque case.(Independence Standards Board)(Letter to the editor)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: I was disappointed and disturbed to read David Yas' June 11 "From the Publisher" column, "Rights, passions collide: Is Muslim mosque case Boston's Skokie?" which centered...

Ex-judge pitches 'on call' jury idea to ease shortage.(James W. DolanBoston)(Letter to the editor)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: A recent article indicated the jury pool in Suffolk County is likely to run dry this summer, so how can we better operate our jury system to minimize inconvenience yet assure...

Mass. Appeals Court says driver's friends not liable for OUI injury.(Massachusetts, operating under the influence)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Eric T. Berkman A man hurt by a drunk driver could not sue the driver's drinking companions under a theory of social-host liability, the Appeals Court has ruled. The injured plaintiff argued that, because the driver and his...

Mass. Land Court judge: Truro lot was never merged, thus buildable.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Owners of a lot in Truro that conforms to current zoning laws should be entitled to build on their property despite the fact that it had previously "merged" for a period of time with a neighboring...

Mass. Dept. of Industrial Accidents board says prison guard entitled to workers' comp.(Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, workers' compensation)
July 2, 2007... Byline: David Frank A corrections officer accused by prisoners and later the media of throwing feces in the cell of pedophile priest John Geoghan was entitled to workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder, the Department of...

Settlement with Mass. radio station includes rare on-air apology.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: David E. Frank On a recent Monday morning, listeners tuning into WEEI sports radio were treated to something they hardly ever hear on the station: an apology. John Dennis, co-host of the No. 1-rated "Dennis & Callahan" show,...

Mass. Division of Banks says co. can't collect debts.(Massachusetts, company)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Noah Schaffer In the latest chapter in the ongoing legal battle between an Ohio debt collector and its Massachusetts critics, the Division of Banks has found that the Cadle Co. is not authorized to collect debts from Massachusetts...

Notices from the Mass. Courts: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff 1st Circuit proposes amendment to rule OFFICE OF THE CLERK UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT NOTICE OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO LOCAL RULE 33.0(d) The United...

Boston attorney William Ober Rizzo dies at 58.(Obituary)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff William Ober Rizzo, a Boston attorney, died June 12 following a battle with leukemia. He was 58. Rizzo was of counsel to Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye in Boston, having previously founded...

Commentary: Dallas firm's demise holds lessons for Massachusetts lawyers.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Thomas E. Peisch The recent demise of Dallas-based Jenkens & Gilchrist is more than simply a tale of a national law firm's falling on hard economic times. Jenkens & Gilchrist went out of business as the result of a few of its...

Mass. Appellate Tax Board: July 2, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Taxation Greenfield real estate - Overvaluation Where the appellant owner of a Greenfield residential parcel is seeking a property tax abatement for fiscal year 2006, I find that an...

District Court/BMC Appellate Division Case Summaries: July 2, 2007.(Boston Municipal Court)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Negligence Slip and fall - Shopping plaza Where a plaintiff customer filed a negligence action against a defendant shopping plaza after she fell on snow and ice and suffered injuries, a...

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Admonitions: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff ADMONITION NO. 07-28 A petition for discipline was filed by bar counsel on January 26, 2006, against the respondent, James Doe. The respondent, appearing pro se, filed an answer on March 9,...

Commentary: Time to remove the caps.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Even if you haven't read about the state's crumbling infrastructure, chances are you've experienced it driving over dangerous bridges or traversing worn-out crosswalks located all over...

A Suffolk Superior Court jury's choice: How the man with no voice will live out his life.
July 9, 2007... Byline: David Yas A few simple words on a piece of paper would script the rest of Paul Vasquez's life. As he sat stoically in a Suffolk Superior courtroom and watched the court officer hand Judge Raymond Brassard the ballot, Vasquez...

Search is on for person to play Atticus Finch in Arlington Friends of the Drama's stage adaptation.(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Lawyer by day, aspiring actor by night? For those of you who have dreamt of seeing your name in lights one day, the quintessential attorney role is just an audition away. Atticus Finch, the...

Hurry up and wait: Speculation swirls about nomination for Mass. Supreme Judicial Court.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff At the recent federal Judicial Conference -- a first-ever event to make lawyers feel welcome in the U.S. District Court -- Gov. Deval L. Patrick looked around the Newton Marriott ballroom and...

Case proves Bush is nothing if not consistent.(Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: Recently, President Bush pressured Solicitor General Paul Clement into refusing to support small investors in their fight for the right to take action against the investment...

On gay marriage, 'the people' voted.(Letter to the editor)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: Having read all of the post-Constitutional Convention comments from pundits on both sides of the issue, one thing has become clear: The proponents of the anti-gay-marriage...

Bail review issue in a Mass. Superior Court may impact murder cases.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: David E. Frank A recent decision by a Superior Court judge to consider a bail review in a first-degree murder case pending in District Court could significantly impact the way similar requests are handled across the state. As...

Web-mail subpoenas complicate e-discovery.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Noah Schaffer With the enduring popularity of web-based mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail and Google's Gmail, it's hardly surprising that courts have found themselves considering requests in civil lawsuits for electronic...

Man can't get benefits for his female partner, rules U.S. District Court judge.(Judge Joseph L. Tauro)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Eric T. Berkman An unmarried male employee was not entitled to health-care benefits for his female partner, even where his company provided domestic-partnership benefits to same-sex couples, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled....

Notices from the Mass. Courts: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Division of Insurance issues hearing notice COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation DIVISION OF INSURANCE IN THE MATTER OF THE ACQUISITION...

Retired U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Keeton dies at 88.(Obituary)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Retired U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Keeton died July 2 at Mount Auburn Hospital of complications from a pulmonary embolism. He was 88. Keeton was widely known for his sharp intellect,...

Commentary: In negotiating the departure of an employee, talk is cheap.
July 9, 2007... Byline: J. Charles Mokriski After a difficult and contentious struggle, Paul Wolfowitz resigned from the presidency of the World Bank recently. The bank's board announced the move with the following statement: "He assured us that he...

Commentary: Philanthropy: as simple as giving your money away?
July 9, 2007... Byline: William Bagley Let's say that you logged onto www.networkforgood.org. It's a website that allows you to make donations to many of your favorite charities. Assuming that the intended charity is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization,...

Mass. Appellate Tax Board Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Taxation Mall property - Overvaluation Where the owner of a North Attleborough mall asserts that the property was overvalued for real estate tax purposes for the fiscal years 2002 through...

District Court/BMC Appellate Division Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.(Boston Municipal Court)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorneys Legal malpractice - Auto accident Where a judgment has been entered in favor of a plaintiff client in a legal malpractice action arising in the wake of a 1994 auto accident...

Mass. Appeals Court Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Admiralty Death on the High Seas Act - Interest Where a plaintiff obtained a judgment under the Death on the High Seas Act, the interest on the judgment shall be calculated according to...

U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Third-party plan - Overbroadness Where a debtor has appealed an order confirming a secured party's third-party plan under which the debtor's assets would be liquidated either...

Mass. Dept. of Industrial Accidents: July 9, 2007.(Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Workers' compensation Insurance - Cancellation Where an insurer cancelled an assigned risk policy mid-term, the cancellation cannot be given effect, as the insurer did not follow the...

Mass. Labor Relations Commission Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Labor Prison - Workforce Where the Department of Corrections has reduced the number of correctional officers assigned to each housing unit within each cellblock at MCI-Shirley without...

Mass. Land Courts Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Real property Title Where a dispute has arisen regarding ownership rights in a piece of Beverly land, I conclude that title exists in the defendant. I reach this conclusion after...

Mass. Superior Courts Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Insurance Home damage - Police Where a policyholder's home was damaged in the course of a police altercation with her husband, the insurer is under a duty to pay the policyholder for (1)...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Divorce Where the Chapter 7 trustee claims that the debtor's bankruptcy estate includes property owned by the debtor's former wife, summary judgment must be granted to the...

1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal RICO Where defendant gang members, who were engaged in violent but noneconomic criminal activity were convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, we...

U.S. District Court Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Employment Preemption - ERISA Where (1) a healthcare employee initiated a proceeding in the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, (2) the employer then filed a complaint asking...

U.S. Supreme Court Case Summaries: July 9, 2007.(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Antitrust 'Rule of reason' A challenge to a product maker's retail price floor for an item should be evaluated under the Sherman Act as a possible antitrust violation using a "rule of...

Mass. Lawyers in the News: July 9, 2007.(Massachusetts)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff New associations Douglas A. Zingale has joined the Boston office of Foley Hoag as a partner in the corporate, M&A and private equity practices. James E. Riley Jr. has become affiliated...

Commentary: Coach's Corner: Hanging a shingle on a 'shoestring'.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Edward Poll You've decided to open your own practice. You've heard that it takes up to five years to get a new practice established. You know the rule of thumb that you need six months of living expenses saved before you pay...

Commentary: Write On: Editing is a mandatory part of the legal writing process.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Lisa Healy Write On provides guidance on writing memoranda and briefs that will lead to the results their authors -- attorneys -- are hoping for from readers of those legal documents. Whether you hated the ending of "The...

Verdicts & Settlements July 9, 2007: Woman dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at hospital.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $3.5 million settlement On Sept. 7, 2000, a 35-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital under the care of the defendant primary care physician with a presumptive, but erroneous, diagnosis...

Verdicts & Settlements July 9, 2007: Bullet strikes real estate agent at condominium complex.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $425,000 settlement In January 2002, the plaintiff was accidentally shot in the face with a handgun at a newly-developed condominium complex in South Boston. The accident resulted in serious...

Verdicts & Settlements July 9, 2007: Newborn in fetal distress suffers brain damage.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $5 million settlement The plaintiff mother was expecting the birth of her second child on April 14, 2001, and prenatal testing showed a well-developed, healthy baby. On April 11, the...

Verdicts & Settlements July 9, 2007: Patient dies of pulmonary emboli after different diagnosis.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $1.7 million settlement On June 12, 2000, the decedent presented to the defendants' office with complaints of left-sided chest, shoulder and back pain that had originated in her lower left...

Verdicts & Settlements July 9, 2007: Parties dispute demand letter in insurance case.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $150,000 settlement The plaintiff brought a tort suit against the underlying defendant, who had liability insurance. The defense did not timely disclose an expert. The plaintiff made a...

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Admonitions: July 16, 2007.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff SJC No. BD-2007-035 IN RE: MICHAEL M. OZULUMBA Last known address:16 Quincy Street - #2Boston, MA 02121 Order of Term Suspension Board Memorandum The respondent, Michael M....

Commentary: Combating med-mal delay in Massachusetts.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Some medical-malpractice cases in Superior Court are now routinely being given special trial assignments, sometimes on a first-case-out basis for the beginning of a month, sometimes with priority...

Commentary: Lawyers not always equipped to work with family-owned businesses.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Thomas D. Davidow As a family business consultant, I have found lawyers to be some of the smartest professionals with whom I work. As a group, they are highly conceptual and intellectually curious about how to resolve the most...

Commentary: First-session kibitzing, and why courts should be like the RMV.(registry of motor vehicles)
July 16, 2007... Byline: David Yas Another installment in my quest to visit 100 Massachusetts courthouses before the year is out. "I hope you enjoyed your dinner last night," the judge says to a jury in Concord District Court. "Did you stay up to watch...

In Mass. Superior Court, homeowners reach agreement with operators of Middlebrook Country Club.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Two property owners whose homes have been pelted with thousands of wayward golf balls from a nearby country club will finally get the peace and quiet they have long been seeking. In a case...

10 former Donovan Hatem lawyers in Boston to join newly formed Boston office of LeClair Ryan.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff The offices of Donovan Hatem got a whole lot emptier last week with news that a group of partners have left the 69-lawyer firm to join the newly formed Boston office of Virginia-based LeClair Ryan....

The write time: Big-firm Boston corporate lawyer retires and writes book about Bart Giamatti.(Robert P. Moncreiff)
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff What does a big-firm Boston corporate lawyer do at the end of a long legal career? For some, it's golf; for others, fishing. But for Robert P. Moncreiff, retirement offered him the...

Letter could chill appropriate ineffective-counsel claims.(Letter to the editor)
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: I write as a criminal defense lawyer in response to the May 28 letter to the editor by Kevin J. Reddington ("'Sick and tired' of specious ineffective-counsel claims"). No,...

Duke editorial left 'misleading impression'.(Letter to the editor)
July 16, 2007... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: Your July 2 editorial has an unfortunate omission that leaves a very misleading impression ("The net effect of the 'Duke lacrosse' case"). The editorial appropriately uses...

RICO covers violent, noneconomic activity, rules 1st Circuit.(Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act )
July 16, 2007... Byline: Eric T. Berkman The federal government could prosecute gang members under RICO for conspiring to kill members of a rival gang, even where the alleged crime lacked an economic component, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has...

Massachusetts budget underfunds Trial Court.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Noah Schaffer Gov. Deval L. Patrick has made Trial Court spending one of the biggest targets of his fiscal 2008 budget vetoes. Last Thursday, Patrick announced that he was vetoing $10 million from the $134 million that the...