The University of Alabama law school was spared from a tornado that devastated parts of Tuscaloosa, but some students studying for exams soon learned they had had to cope with lost or damaged homes. After tornado warnings sounded on Wednesday, administrators moved students studying in the library to the school’s interior hallways, the National Law Journal reports. A video shot at the law school shows a large funnel cloud came close, but the building had no damage. Auxiliary generators kept some lights on when the power went out. The school was able to account for all of its students, but…

In a voice choked with emotion, a South Dakota judge today pleaded with the state's top court to let him stay on the bench until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. "I'm not perfect, but I have changed," said Circuit Judge A.P. "Pete" Fuller of Rapid City, who is accused of repeated rudeness to lawyers, parties and court staff. The ethics trial of the 68-year-old judge is the first time in the 121-year history of the state that its supreme court has been asked to remove a judge from the bench, reports the Associated Press. Fuller said he…

A South Florida law firm known for its high volume of mortgage foreclosure work is making another 146 layoffs as part of a plan to exit the practice area. Ben-Ezra & Katz had nearly 600 employees at one time, but made 280 layoffs earlier this year after losing Fannie Mae business over concerns about the way the firm handled foreclosure cases, the Palm Beach Post reports. The article doesn't say how many lawyers are among those laid off. Although the firm will no longer do foreclosure work, it plans to continue a boutique real estate practice. The article also notes…

The Colorado attorney general's office has filed a lawsuit in state court over alleged unauthorized practice of law by a Florida attorney and his firm. It seeks a court order to prevent further "debt management" work on behalf of residents unless and until the firm complies with registration requirements. The Associated Press says it could not immediately reach attorney Clint Johnson for comment. Both he and his Orlando firm, the Johnson Law Group, are listed as defendants. The registration requirements they are accused of violating are imposed by a state law concerning businesses that provide debt-management services to consumers, explains…

A federal judge in Tennessee has ordered attorneys involved in a sex-trafficking case not to listen to recordings of almost 300 phone calls between Bell Tennent & Frogge and the law firm's jailed clients while he figures out how to handle the fact that they were provided to others in discovery in the 29-defendant case. Although Davidson County sheriff's office has a policy of not recording attorney-client phone calls made from the metropolitan jail in Nashville, lawyers have to request in advance that a specific phone number or numbers be designated as nonrecorded, according to the sheriff's website. Meanwhile, U.S.…

Updated: A onetime Pentagon worker and her lawyer who alleged in a suit that the Sept. 11 attacks were arranged or allowed by U.S. leaders could face sanctions as a result of their appeal. In an opinion (PDF) issued on Wednesday, the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order to show cause why sanctions should not be imposed. The case had been argued only three weeks before. The court said the complaint was frivolous and affirmed dismissal, calling the suit a “fantastical alternative history.” The plaintiff, April Gallop, said she was working at the Pentagon…

A federal judge in Manhattan doesn’t want the last Sept. 11 wrongful death trial to drag out for too long, so he is placing strict time limits on the lawyers. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein will give both sides in the suit against United Airlines the same number of hours to present their cases, the New York Times reports. To ensure compliance, he will “time the trial like a speed chess match,” the newspaper says. Current estimates are that each side will get 50 to 60 hours. The plaintiffs, the family of passenger Mark Bavis, contend United was negligent when…

A lawyer's tip has led to felony charges against a Connecticut homeless woman accused of lying to get her child into a better school. Police investigated Tanya McDowell after a lawyer for the Norwalk Housing Authority contacted authorities, the New York Times reports. The Housing Authority alleged that McDowell had used her baby sitter’s address so her son could attend a suburban kindergarten in Norwalk. McDowell is charged with felony larceny and conspiracy, and she could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if convicted. She is represented by a lawyer with the Connecticut NAACP Legal Redress Committee,…

A macho culture? That’s not our law firm, Dechert says in an answer (PDF) to an associate’s bias suit. Former Boston associate Ariel Ayanna had claimed in a lawsuit filed in December that the law firm retaliated against him for taking paternity leave and derided him for being the primary caretaker of his children. He claimed he “did not fulfill the Dechert male stereotype” when he took on additional child-care responsibilities because his wife suffered from mental illness. He says he was fired four weeks after returning from a leave to care for a newborn child. In an answer to…

An armed Ohio lawyer who barricaded himself in his apartment was shot and killed by police on Wednesday. Police went to the Bowling Green apartment of 46-year-old lawyer Robert B. Blackwell after a family member asked for a check on the man's welfare, report the Toledo Blade, WTOL.com and ABC13.com. Police pushed aside a couch to enter the home and shot Blackwell after he pointed a gun at them, police told WTOL.com. Police said Blackwell has a “history of violence” and a record, although it wasn’t criminal in nature, ABC13 says. The other stories don’t mention past violence, but WTOL…