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Disbarred lawyer seeks to change plea in federal fraud case
EAST ST. LOUIS - Jason Caraway of Belleville, who the Supreme Court suspended for spending money that belonged to clients, seeks to change his plea on wire fraud charges.
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Judicial Inquiry Board: Appeals judge Sheldon Harris talked with other judges about nephew's case, testified falsely
The Illinois state board tasked with investigating misconduct accusations against judges has asked the Illinois Courts Commission to discipline First District Appellate Justice Sheldon A. Harris, who has announced he is retiring later this year
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ARDC issues complaint against Duebbert over investigation resulting in exoneration of murder suspect
SPRINGFIELD – Attorney regulators filed a complaint against Ron Duebbert on May 5, over conduct that cost him his job as circuit judge.
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Belleville lawyer suspended for year over handling of client funds
SPRINGFIELD – Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court suspended Belleville lawyer Paul Storment, Jr., 83, for a year on May 18.
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Blagojevich is disbarred by Illinois Supreme Court
SPRINGFIELD – Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court disbarred former governor Rod Blagojevich on Monday, May 18.
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ARDC files complaint against Lowery saying she made false statements about Gleeson
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission alleges Belleville attorney Margaret Lowery made false or reckless statements about Twentieth Circuit Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson.
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Edwardsville attorney disbarred after allegedly charging client's credit card for personal expenses
EDWARDSVILLE — Edwardsville attorney Gray Milburn Magee has been disbarred following an Illinois Supreme Court order after he allegedly charged more than $1,700 in personal purchases to his client's credit card and then lied about it.
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Wood River attorney Maag faces suspension over real estate transaction with client that allegedly created conflict of interest
SPRINGFIELD — Wood River attorney Thomas Grodon Maag faces suspension following a Sept. 16 Illinois Supreme Court decision for allegedly taking a client's house as payment for legal fees without advising the client that the transaction posed a conflict of interest.
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Lawyer in porn shakedown scheme sentenced to 5 years; Courts across country were scammed, including St. Clair
A former Chicago lawyer, one of the principals at Prenda Law and one of the masterminds behind a scheme to secure millions of dollars in settlements as part of a shakedown targeted at those downloading online porn, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
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Public defender says unlicensed attorney lied about retaking bar exam in Chicago
Chief Public Defender John Rekowski said that a former employee who worked as an attorney without a law license said she was at a relative’s funeral when she was attempting to retake the bar exam in Chicago.
Discipline
DUI cases affected by clerical error include woman driving on revoked license
The list of drivers whose DUI cases were affected by a clerical error along with former U.S. attorney Stephen Wigginton when a Madison County clerk failed to timely schedule statutory summary suspension hearings includes a woman with a long criminal history who had been driving on a revoked license.
Discipline
Sides spar over clerical error that allows Wigginton to keep license - and just who is politicizing it?
Did former U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton receive intentionally favorable treatment in the handling of his Madison County DUI case, or, is an admitted clerical error that allows him to retain his driving privileges being unfairly politicized?
Discipline
Wigginton to keep license while DUI case pends due to court clerk's scheduling error
After receiving his second DUI in two years, former U.S. attorney Stephen Wigginton, 55, will be allowed to keep his driver’s license while his current charges are pending due to scheduling mistake by the Madison County Circuit Clerk's office.
Discipline
JIB complaints have resulted in 10 censures, 25 reprimands since creation in 1970
SPRINGFIELD – Some judges fall to the Judicial Inquiry Board (JIB), some rise above it, and some suffer consequence in a single word.
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Ald. Burke indicted over alleged attempted shake down; Property tax appeal law firm at heart of charges
Powerful Chicago Ald. Ed Burke was indicted Thursday on a charge of attempting to shake down the owner of a Chicago fast food restaurant seeking to renovate their establishment. And at the center of the charge stands Burke's law firm, which has built a huge business specializing in appealing property tax assessments.
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Fifth District upholds conviction on protective order violation; Prosecutor's motion to withdraw granted
MOUNT VERNON – A woman's conviction for violation of a protective order was upheld on an appeal that the Office of the State Appellate Defendant (OSAD) had argued "lacks merit."
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Belleville attorney’s ARDC censure comes after clean 37-year record
SPRINGFIELD – Belleville attorney George Ripplinger was censured by the Illinois Supreme Court on May 24, about a year after appellate judges affirmed sanctions against him and client Vikki Henley of Metropolis.
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Corn growers allegedly fell for lawyer racket in Syngenta litigation; Suit claims Enyart misled farmers
MINNEAPOLIS – Sixty thousand corn growers fell for a racket that Texas lawyer Mikal Watts led, lawyer Douglas Nill of Minneapolis claims in U.S. district court.
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Wife of former U.S. Attorney seeks divorce in Madison County
The wife of former U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton has petitioned for divorce in Madison County Circuit Court citing irreconcilable differences.