ATLANTA, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A disbarred lawyer described by a federal prosecutor in Georgia as a "professional con man" has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

Attorney General warns of fraud mortgage calls

RALEIGH, N.C. – Con Artists are reportedly using news of a national foreclosure settlement to get people’s personal bank account information. “Unfortunately, scammers are trying to use this landmark settlement to line their own pockets,” said North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper. “It’s never a good idea to share personal financial information with anyone you don’t know who calls or emails ...

Judge to Lohan: Keep up good work (AP)

AP - A judge says Lindsay Lohan is in the home stretch of completing her probation and might only need to come to court one more time.

Court seems split on double jeopardy question (AP)

AP - The Supreme Court seems divided on whether to allow an Arkansas man to be retried on murder charges even though a jury forewoman said in open court that they were unanimously against finding him guilty.

Energy Lawyer Elaine Walsh Joins Baker Botts L.L.P. as Partner in Washington Office

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Elaine Walsh, who represents a wide array of energy industry clients in a number of major transactional and regulatory matters, joined Baker Botts L.L.P. today ...

Michigan man pleads guilty in explosives case (AP)

AP - A man from Michigan's Upper Peninsula accused of buying and hiding more than 4,000 pounds of explosives has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Ga. cops: 2 kids missing after helper drives off (AP)

AP - Authorities are searching for two young children reported kidnapped after a stranger offered to help when their family car broke down on the side of an Atlanta-area interstate.

Baez no longer attorney for Casey Anthony

Attorney Jose Baez says he is no longer representing Casey Anthony, the Florida mother whose murder trial last summer made him one of the best known criminal defense lawyers in the country.

Attorney wants key evidence thrown out

The attorney for a doctor accused in a fatal hit-and-run crash is asking for a key piece of evidence to be thrown out.

Prosecutor: Glock lawyer used role to steal money

A Georgia prosecutor says a former lawyer for gun manufacturer Glock Inc. was essentially running the company's U.S. operations and used his position to steal millions from his employer.

Ark. man pleads not guilty in death of teen (AP)

AP - A convicted rapist accused of killing a 16-year-old girl he met online pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday, several days after authorities found the girl's body in a blue, plastic barrel in western Arkansas.

NC terrorism convict faces new beheading plot case (AP)

AP - A North Carolina man recently convicted in a homegrown terrorism plot faces new charges that he attempted to hire a hit man to behead three witnesses who testified against him.

Remains confirmed as 'Speed Freak' victims (AP)

AP - Human remains uncovered in Northern California with the help of a convicted serial killer have been confirmed as two of his victims.

Virginia lacrosse murder trial goes to jury (Reuters)

Reuters - Jurors began deliberating on Wednesday to decide whether a former University of Virginia lacrosse player killed his ex-girlfriend in a drunken rage or if her 2010 death was accidental.

Attorney General Chris Koster to appeal MOSIRA ruling

Judge this week declared science startup fund to have been improperly created

Law Office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC Announces Investigation of ATS Corporation

BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Law office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC announces that it is investigating potential claims against the Board of Directors of ATS Corporation ("ATS" ...

Baez No Longer Casey Anthony's Lawyer

Lawyer Jose Baez says he no longer represents Casey Anthony, whose murder case made him famous

Law professor who fell to death remembered for gay rights battles

Friends of a Chapman University law professor who died after falling from a parking structure last week remembered her as a legal ally to supporters of same-sex marriage. Mary "Katherine" Baird Darmer was one of the founding members and served...

Ex-mine official charged in fatal W. Virginia blast (Reuters)

Reuters - Federal authorities on Wednesday charged the former superintendent of a West Virginia coal mine where 29 workers died in a 2010 explosion with felony conspiracy for impeding mine safety enforcement efforts before the blast.

Jose Baez no longer attorney for Casey Anthony

Attorney Jose Baez says he no longer represents Casey Anthony, the Florida mother whose 2011 murder trial made him one of the best known criminal defense lawyers in the country.

Jose Baez no longer attorney for Casey Anthony (AP)

AP - Attorney Jose Baez says he no longer represents Casey Anthony, the Florida mother whose 2011 murder trial made him one of the best known criminal defense lawyers in the country.

Feds: Leader of NY-based Folk Nation gang arrested (AP)

AP - Federal authorities say they've arrested a fugitive leader of a violent New York City gang linked to a series of armed robberies and shootings.

NH jury being picked in Rwanda genocide case (AP)

AP - Jury selection is under way in federal court in the case of a New Hampshire woman charged with lying about her role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

W.Va. mine boss charged with fraud in deadly blast (AP)

AP - The superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the federal government, becoming the highest-ranking Massey Energy employee to face criminal prosecution so far over the deadly blast.

Legal Talk Network Releases Sensei Enterprises' Digital Detectives Podcast: "The Best Resources for Staying Current in ...

FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal Talk Network has released the latest edition of Sensei Enterprises' Digital Detectives podcast, entitled "Best Resources for Staying Current in E-Discovery." ...

Hyatt Legal Plans, a MetLife Company, Finds Members’ Usage for Debt and Financial Matters More Than Doubled in Tough ...

Employees coping with a difficult economic environment often find that their financial problems require legal solutions. In fact, from 2007 to 2011, Hyatt Legal Plans, a MetLife company, has found that the number of legal services requested by plan participants for debt and financial matters more than doubled and requests for bankruptcy counsel increased nearly threefold.

Fannie, Freddie legal fees: $110 million and counting

A watchdog agency said Wednesday that the legal tab for former leaders of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is at least $110 million.

Suspect in Capitol bomb sting expected in court (AP)

AP - A Virginia man charged following a yearlong FBI investigation with plotting a suicide bombing inside the U.S. Capitol was expected to make a second court appearance Wednesday.

Fannie, Freddie legal tab: $110 million and counting

A watchdog agency said Wednesday that the legal tab for former leaders of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is at least $110 million.

Family Law Matters Do Not Belong in the Courtroom Says Family Law Attorney Mark Baer

LOS ANGELES, CA-- - Family Law matters, such as divorce and child custody , should not be decided in a courtroom, according to Family Law Attorney and Mediator Mark Baer . Instead, he says mediation and ...

Kagan recused herself from Arizona immigration law case

The Supreme Court has agreed to arbitrate the battle between the Obama administration and Arizona on the state's tough immigration law. The law, known as SB 1070, passed in 2010 but lower courts had blocked its full implementation. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan will recuse herself from the court's review of Arizona's immigration law because of [...]

Criminal Defense Attorney Joins University of South Carolina as an Adjunct Professor

COLUMBIA, S.C., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Having spent seven years of undergraduate and law school education at the University of South Carolina, Bea Hightower has decided it's time to return. ...

Prop. 8 backers seek review of gay marriage case (AP)

AP - Same-sex couples in California will have to wait a while to find out if they have regained the right to get married, after the backers of the state's gay marriage ban petitioned a federal appeals court to review a split decision by three of its judges that struck down Proposition 8.

Saudi accused in U.S. bomb plot competent to stand trial: judge (Reuters)

Reuters - A Saudi student accused of plotting to build and detonate bombs against targets including the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush was declared competent to stand trial on Tuesday by a federal judge.

Fannie, Freddie need to tighten legal expenses: regulator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government watchdog on Wednesday said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's regulator needs to curtail the rising cost of their legal expenses since there is no end in sight to the widening taxpayer tab keeping the two firms afloat. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are spending tens of millions of dollars to cover the legal costs of former executives who face various private, class ...

Legal Fees for Fannie and Freddie Near $50 Million

As expenses rise, there are new calls to limit the costs at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and outlays for defending its former executives.

Watchdog: Limit Fannie, Freddie legal fees more

The U.S. government regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must do a better job limiting legal expenses paid by the two mortgage giants to their former executives facing lawsuits, a new watchdog report says.

Lawyer: Bobby broke promises on Whitney funeral

Bobby Brown knew his seating arrangement going into Whitney Houston’s Saturday service and broke an agreement not to contact his daughter unless she reached out first, Houston’s lawyer said Tuesday.

Gay Marriage: why Prop. 8 appeal is not going to Supreme Court ... yet (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Supporters of a ban on same-sex marriage in California on Tuesday asked the full federal court of appeals court in San Francisco to reconsider a ruling by a divided three-judge panel that struck down the controversial law.

Texas man guilty in sexual assault of ex-neighbor (AP)

AP - A Texas man who abducted his former neighbor and tortured the woman while holding her captive for nearly two weeks was convicted Tuesday.