“Teams of lawyers led by Munger, Tolles & Olson and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison are handling the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, who announced Monday the end of their 27-year marriage,” reports Brian Baxter in Bloomberg Law’s Business & Practice.

“Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Inc., is being advised by Munger Tolles partners Ronald Olson, Robert Denham, and Eric Tuttle in Los Angeles.”

“Olson, a name partner at the firm and longtime adviser and confidant of billionaire Warren Buffett, didn’t respond to a request for comment about how his law firm came to land a role on a divorce that will divide an estimated $146 billion fortune.”

Read the article.

“The owners of the Scandies Rose have reached a settlement of more than $9 million with two surviving crew and the families of four men who died when the Washington-managed crab boat went down Dec. 31 off Alaska,” reports Hal Bernton in The Seattle Times.

“The agreement was confirmed by Michael Barcott, an attorney representing the Washington and Alaska owners, who said the settlement will be funded by insurance.”

“The agreement will be subject to review in state Superior Court, and how the money will be divided up among survivors and families of the deceased is under discussion, according to Markham.”

Read the article.

“A lawyer representing Jennifer Dulos’ family has filed a federal complaint seeking to require the state Judicial Branch to foreclose on Fotis Dulos’ former Farmington residence even though housing proceedings have been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic,” reports Lisa Backus in Stamford Advocate’s Local News.

“Attorney Richard Weinstein, representing Gloria Farber and the estate of her late husband, Hilliard, wants the proceedings to move forward on the 14,000-square-foot home that was already in foreclosure when Fotis Dulos died Jan. 30 from an apparent suicide.”

“In March, Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order, putting a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions as the pandemic spread throughout Connecticut. Weinstein filed the complaint against Judge Patrick Carroll, chief court administrator for the state Judicial Branch, out of ‘sheer frustration,’ the attorney said. ‘Judges are precluded from entering into foreclosures and evictions even in non-COVID-related cases,Weinstein said. ‘My client is paying all this money every month and nothing is happening. I did not want to sue the judge, but every day that goes by, it costs the estate money.'”

Read the article.

“A woman whose step-son, an attorney, stole $558,371.13 from her was not entitled to a directed verdict in a case in which she blames her ex-husband for the loss based on his failure to alert her that his son by a previous marriage was addicted to gambling, Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday,” reports a MetNews Staff Writer in Metropolitan News-Enterprise.

“Plaintiff Wendy Sawyer contended that her former spouse, retired lawyer Stephen D. Sawyer, had a fiduciary duty to her in mid-2015—when he allegedly learned of the gambling and stealing—because he was a partner in the law firm of Sawyer & Sawyer to which she was paying a monthly retainer of $25,000. Had she been told of the thievery at that time, she argued, she could have blocked the losses, most of which occurred in 2015.”

“She did not find out about the stepson’s filching until the following year.”

“Joining her as plaintiffs were five of her companies, which had been represented by the step-son, Jason R. Sawyer.”

Read the article.

“A lawyer will stay on the hook for a $300,000 malpractice verdict after walking out on a client who was unhappy with the way settlement talks in a divorce were going,” reports John O’Brien in Legal Newsline’s Attorneys & Judges.

“The California Fifth Appellate District affirmed a Stanislaus County judgment against the Law Office of Leslie F. Jensen, who told her client ‘I’m done’ shortly before the divorce trial was to begin.”

“Jensen wanted Krista Masellis to accept an $800,000 offer, even though valuations placed Krista’s share at $1.5 million or more. Krista had urged Jensen to depose her soon-to-be-ex-husband because she thought he might be hiding assets, but Jensen never did.”

“When Jensen told Masellis she wouldn’t ask for more than $800,000, even though Masellis wanted much more, Masellis told her she didn’t have the client’s best interest in mind.”

Read the article.

“An Ohio lawyer crossed a border and also a line, leading to a two-year suspension and a restitution order under an opinion the state supreme court handed down this week. The suspension was based on ethics violations as to numerous clients, but one involved the prohibitions against unauthorized practice and sexual activity with clients. The opinion continues the disciplinary trend in the Buckeye State to treat all forms of lawyer-client sex harshly — even in the absence of physical contact. It also shines a light on the perils of unlicensed cross-border practice,” reports Karen Rubin in The Law for Today’s How Not to Practice.

“The client’s divorce action was already pending in Monroe County, Michigan when she retained the lawyer, who practiced in Toledo, Ohio, just across the border from Michigan. The lawyer advised the client that he was not licensed to practice in Michigan, but would file a motion for pro hac vice admission and affiliate himself with an Ohio lawyer he knew who was licensed in both states.”

Read the article.

“A policy adviser to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was arrested Monday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly leaving her 4-year-old daughter unattended in her car for more than a half-hour,” reports Mensah M. Dean in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Dana Lynn Bazelon, 40, was taken into custody about 3:30 p.m. on Rittenhouse Street near Lincoln Drive in West Mount Airy, according to Mark Shade, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office, which is handling the matter.”

“Bazelon took her 6-year-old son for a walk and left her sleeping daughter in the backseat of her Ford Fusion with all four windows cracked but not enough for a person to be able to reach inside, a law-enforcement source said.”

Read the article.

The Texas Bar Foundation awarded Legacy Family Court Foundation a $12,500 grant award to support its mission and goal to raise funds and awareness for effective court advocacy on behalf of the Legacy Family Civil Specialty Court program in Dallas County.

The Legacy Family Court Foundation’s project supports the court’s role in the effective recovery, rehabilitation and reunification of families, whose children have been removed from their homes and separated from their parents because of the parent’s alcohol or substance-abuse addiction. This grant will facilitate parents’ recovery from addictions, instill long term sobriety, decrease number of displaced children, and increase family reunification in safer, healthier environments, the foundation said in a release.

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $20 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitable funded bar foundation.

The Legacy Family Court program is a voluntary, 18-month program and represents an intensive, collaborative effort to support families with alcohol or substance addiction issues through their recovery process. It is designed for parents who have a genuine desire to become clean and sober, long term. As such, participants in the Legacy Family Court program must complete substance abuse treatment and maintain sobriety from all forms of alcohol and non-prescribed drugs. Through regular meetings with the court and the Legacy Family Court team members, they will be provided support, services, encouragement and every possible advantage while facing the unique and difficult challenges of learning to live in recovery. For their part, they must be willing to do what is necessary to help themselves and their children. Honesty and willingness are key. Participants are frequently and randomly drug tested for compliance.

Senior Judge Tena Callahan, co-founder of the Court’s program, states: “Parents in crises love their children, but the lie of their addiction prevents them from acting in their child’s best interest. Legacy Family Court works with these parents to alleviate the crises and place the love of their children back at the forefront of their behavior. And that is a game changer – for the parents, their children, and this community. We are very happy to receive this funding from the Texas Bar Foundation, which allows the Court’s program to continue providing services to support the parents in their recovery and rehabilitation from alcohol, substance abuse or dependency and to assist in creating a stable life and a safe environment for their children and their family reunification.”.

The Texas Bar Foundation is the largest charitably funded bar foundation in the nation. Membership is composed of the most elite Texas attorneys.  The Foundation’s members are nominated because of their dedication to the administration of justice and high professional standing among their peers.

For five decades, the Texas Bar Foundation has helped organizations to:

* Educate the public about their rights and responsibilities under the law
* Provide legal services to the poor
* Assist those who turn to the legal system for protection.

Grants are made possible by the generosity of the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation and charitable gifts from individuals and law firms across the state. The Texas Bar Foundation and its members are committed to its mission: Advancing justice in Texas by providing opportunities to support the rule of law in Texas, especially for programs that relate to legal assistance for the underserved, the administration of justice, ethics in the legal profession, the encouragement of legal research, publications and forums, and education of the third branch of government..

The Legacy Family Court Foundation was created by a dedicated group of Dallas area judges, lawyers and interested business leaders to develop the non-adversarial program to support parents with alcohol or substance abuse issues and reunite them with their children who have been removed from their homes and separated from their parents as a result of the parent’s addiction issues.

This Foundation solicits public and private grants and donations to provide funding to the Court to ultimately sustain the Court’s existence. Adult participants (parents), once selected and invited in the program, volunteer to participate in this 15 to 18 month alternative program in Dallas County, which utilizes a team based approach and operates under the Ten Key Components of Drug Courts. The Court is a specialized drug court administered through the 302^nd Judicial District Court. The Court’s purpose is to provide parent(s), facing parental rights termination by the Child Protective Services (CPS), with a unique opportunity within the Civil Courts process, outside of the Criminal Courts process, to establish and sustain lasting recovery from substance addiction. Through their successful completion of the Court’s program and services, the parent(s) have the opportunity to reunite with their children and thus lead healthy, productive lives as a family.

In a stern rebuke, a judge ordered maverick Texas lawyer Phil Ross and his clients to pay more than $220,000 in sanctions for their serial misconduct during an ongoing guardianship case involving Charlie Thrash, a mentally incapacitated millionaire, according to a report in the San Antonio Express-News.

Bexar County Probate Court Judge Oscar Kazen ruled that Ross and his clients, Laura and Brittany Martinez, had “designed and carried out a vexatious litigation campaign … against Thrash, his property, the guardians and the Court,” writes Express-News reporter John McCormack.

The judge characterized the conduct of Ross and the Martinezes as “intentional, knowing and outrageous.” The court’s order cited Ross’ assistance in the marriage of Thrash and his girlfriend Martinez, which had been forbidden by the court because of Thrash’s mental incapacity.

Read the Express-News article.

Bowling Green State University’s top lawyer was placed on leave Friday and will begin serving a 30-day jail sentence Monday after a Wood County judge found him to be in contempt of court while representing himself during his divorce hearings, according to The Toledo Blade.

The Blade‘s Allison Dunn explains:

Sean P. FitzGerald, 58, who is employed as the university’s general counsel and vice president, was sentenced by visiting Judge Stephen Yarbrough following a series of misbehavior incidents while representing himself in the Wood County Common Pleas Court Domestic Relations Division in the divorce from his wife, Margaret A. FitzGerald.

Read the Toledo Blade article.

Taylor Mohr, an associate at Texas family law boutique Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, has earned Board Certification in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mohr becomes the firm’s 14th attorney to earn Board Certification in Family Law, a distinction that has been earned by less than 1 percent of eligible Texas attorneys, the firm said in a release. Additionally, two of the firm’s partners hold Board Certification in a second area of practice.

“Having 14 attorneys board certified in Family Law is a great testament to the talent at our firm,” says firm name partner Keith Nelson. “We are extremely proud of Taylor for earning this recognition and for the work she does on behalf of her clients.”

Mohr joined ONDA in June 2018. Her practice involves divorce, modifications, enforcements and child custody. She also has experience in estate planning and elder law issues, the firm said.

“I’m passionate about family law and helping people who are facing one of the most difficult times in their lives,” says Mohr. “My desire to do my best and to be the best for my clients drove me to achieve this level of distinction in Family Law.”

Recognized in the 2017 and 2018 Texas Rising Stars listing by Super Lawyers magazine, Mohr also has been selected among the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys’ Top 10 Under 40 in Texas and the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys’ Top 10 Best Female Attorneys.

A graduate of Baylor University and Baylor Law School, Mohr is a member of the State Bar of Texas Family Law section and the Texas Bar College.

Early reports on the pending divorce of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie indicate that the couple, despite a combined wealth estimated at close to $140 billion, doesn’t have a prenuptial agreement, points out Androvett Legal Media & Marketing in a release.

“Although it goes against what many expect from high net-worth couples, it’s really not surprising if they don’t have a prenup,” says Dallas family law attorney Brad LaMorgese of Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP. “This is a couple that married long before Amazon became a billion-dollar enterprise. Right or wrong, not many young couples of modest means enter into a prenup when they are just starting out.”

Absent a prenup, how their amassed fortune is divided might be dictated by geography. With their primary residence listed as Washington, a community property state, the property and marital assets accumulated during the marriage will most likely be evenly split.

“Almost all of their entire fortune was earned during the course of the marriage, and each had a hand in building Amazon, so it would be difficult to argue that they shouldn’t now share in those proceeds,” says LaMorgese. “There is more than enough money, which can make divorce go smoother as the couple isn’t going to fight for pennies. This type of divorce can be surprisingly amicable simply because neither spouse is going to suffer real financial hardship.

“However, even in an amicable divorce, there is still much work to do. The devil will be in the details. Even the most seemingly air-tight agreement can fall apart if there is a disagreement over the smallest issue. If emotions don’t get in the way, they should be able to sort this out.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that Democrats, though narrowly outnumbered in the Senate, are embarking on a Hail Mary campaign to block President Trump’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Reporter Sarah D. Wire explains: “Flipping a moderate Republican is probably their only hope. And that only works if they can keep Democrats who represent red states that Trump won from breaking ranks.”

Democrats are planning to stress Trump’s repeated promises to only appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Wire quotes Brian Fallon, Hillary Clinton’s former press secretary, who now runs the liberal advocacy group Demand Justice: “While these litmus-test-style commitments may have been politically sensible for Donald Trump at the time when he was running in the campaign in 2016, we believe they will come back to haunt his nominee in this summer’s confirmation battle.”

Read the LA Times article.

Parental alienation is a vindictive tactic aimed at punishing a spouse, writes Keith Nelson in an article for the Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson blog.

He points out that the subject recently surfaced after the news that a judge warned Angelina Jolie to allow Brad Pitt to spend more time with their children or risk losing full custody of them.

His article discusses how to prove parental alienation court, and the effects of parental alienation.

“Let there be no question: Parental alienation, once confirmed by experienced and trained professionals, is undeniably a form of child abuse that no child should endure,” Nelson writes.

Read the article.

The U.S. Supreme Court, winding down its nine-month term, will issue rulings this week in its few remaining cases including a major one on the legality of President Donald Trump’s ban on people from five Muslim-majority nations entering the country, reports Reuters.

“The nine justices are due to decide other politically sensitive cases on whether non-union workers have to pay fees to unions representing certain public-sector workers such as police and teachers, and the legality of California regulations on clinics that steer women with unplanned pregnancies away from abortion,” write Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung.

On the subject of collecting fees for union from non-members, the court’s conservatives indicated opposition during arguments on Feb. 26 to so-called agency fees that some states require non-members to pay to public-sector unions.

Read the Reuters article.

A Georgia lawyer who represented a woman in a divorce told colleagues he was worried about his client’s ex-husband, and a few hours later the man murdered him, according to police.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Antonio Benjamin Mari, 41, died from multiple gunshots Wednesday afternoon, two hours after the final divorce hearing in a Bartow County court.

“After shooting Mari, [Walter Samuel] Radford called his ex-wife, Cindy Radford, to tell her he’d killed the attorney, according to Lt. M.E. Bettikofer with Cartersville police. From there, Walter Radford, 33, allegedly broke into his ex-wife’s house and shot himself while no one else was home. He was found dead in the Willow Bend Drive home at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday,” reports Alexis Stevens.

Mari had worked nearly 18 years as a high school history teacher before becoming a lawyer.

Read the Journal Constitution article.

Boutique family law firm Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP, has added Taylor Mohr as an associate in the firm’s Frisco, Texas, office.

“Taylor is smart, talented, and dedicated,” said partner Jeff Anderson, who manages the Frisco office. “When we met Taylor, we knew we found the right person and the right fit for our clients.”

In a release, the firm said Mohr joins the firm with experience in complex family law matters involving divorces, modifications, enforcements and child custody matters as well as a background in estate planning and elder law.

“I’m looking forward to working with this talented group of attorneys,” said Mohr. “Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson is well-known for its work on complex family law cases, and I’m glad to be part of this team.”

Recognized in Super Lawyers magazine as a Texas Rising Star each of the past two years, Mohr also has earned selection to the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys’ Top 10 Under 40 in the Texas listing and the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys’ Top 10 Best Female Attorneys. She is a graduate of Baylor Law School and earned an undergraduate degree in history from Baylor University.

America’s favorite sport is at the center of a legal battle between divorced Pittsburgh parents. John Orsini wants their youngest son, who has a history of concussions, to stop playing high school football out of a concern for his safety. However, his ex-wife says their son understands the risks and supports his choice to keep playing. Since the divorced couple cannot agree on terms, the fight has ended up in family court, where a judge has preliminarily allowed the boy to continue to play.

In a post on the website of Androvett Legal Media & Marketing, Dallas family law attorney Lon Loveless of Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP says when divorced parents cannot agree on issues involving their children, the judge in the case is asked to serve as the tiebreaker. Ultimately, he says, the decision will come down to what is best for the child.

Loveless explains:

“Due to the teen’s past concussion history, there is obviously an increased concern about him continuing to engage in contact sports. Although the parents want to be able to make this decision, because they cannot agree, this is a decision that will be left to the court. Even though he is 17, he is still considered a minor and therefore must abide by the court’s decision, but it has been my experience that because of his age a judge will most likely consider the boy’s input in making his ruling. But ultimately, the paramount issue for the court is what is in the best interest of the child. The court will undoubtedly seek input from medical professionals about the likelihood, and potential long-term impact, of another head injury. That input, not the wishes of either parent, will likely carry the most weight in this case.”

North Texas lawyer Paul Hewett has joined the family law boutique Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP, as a partner in the firm’s newly opened Frisco, Texas office.

“We are very pleased to bring an attorney with Paul’s reputation and deep ties to the Frisco community to our firm,” said firm partner and co-founder Keith Nelson. “Family law requires a unique level of trust with a client and a special understanding of what is most important in order to deliver the results that matter. That is exactly what Paul does.”

In a release, the firm said Hewett’s practice involves complex family law, including divorce, property characterization and valuation, and pre- and postmarital agreements. A former child support enforcement officer with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Hewett also focuses on child custody and enforcement actions.

He joins the firm from the Frisco-based family law boutique Woods, May, Rachel, Matlock & Hewett.

“The attorneys at ONDA are hands-down the best in Texas, and the opportunity to join a firm with such a phenomenal reputation was something I could not let pass by,” said Hewett, a longtime Frisco resident and a graduate of Leadership Frisco.

Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2008, Hewett is a member of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the bar associations of Collin and Denton counties. In recognition of his family law work, Hewett has been selected to the Texas Super Lawyers listing of top attorneys in the state annually since 2013.

Valin L. Woodward has joined Langley & Banack, Inc. in its New Braunfels, Texas office. Woodward is a native of New Braunfels and an active member of the community.

The primary focus of Woodward’s practice is family law, including divorce, property divisions, child custody, child support, enforcement, modification, paternity, grandparent access, termination and adoptions, and pre- and post-marital agreements. She also assists clients with the preparation of wills, durable powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney and directives to physicians. Woodward has experience with the probate of wills and other heirship proceedings.

Woodward is a Fellow of the State Bar of Texas, and admitted to practice in United States District Court: Western, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Woodward holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin where she graduated cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law, graduating with honors.

Langley & Banack, Inc. is one of San Antonio’s largest locally owned and operated law firms, the firm said in a news release. The New Braunfels office currently is led by Justin Morley.

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