Legal Ethics

In a resounding defeat for government prosecutors, a federal jury in Reno took only six hours Tuesday to acquit prominent criminal defense attorney Patrick Hallinan of helping a former client operate a major marijuana smuggling ring. Prosecutors had hoped to show that Hallinan, one of San Francisco's leading legal figures, had crossed the line from advocate to criminal during the years he represented the kingpin of a $140-million West Coast smuggling operation.

The attorney who arranged a discount Mediterranean cruise for 10 judges and 80 other friends in the legal and medical professions has decided to withdraw a $1.2-million gift to improve the jury facilities at the downtown civil courthouse. Robert W. Parkin, presiding judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, said that trial attorney Thomas V.

The Beverly Hills lawyer who is representing Rodney G. King in a civil suit is being accused of using unethical tactics to get hired in another high-profile case of alleged misconduct by law officers. In a complaint filed last week with the State Bar of California, lawyer Geraldine Green alleged that Steven Lerman used "outrageous" and "reprehensible" means to lure away a client who was expected to file a lawsuit in the death of Keith Hamilton, a mentally ill man killed Aug.

The death penalty phase of the Menendez brothers' murder trial took a dramatic turn Thursday when a psychiatrist for Erik Menendez testified that he altered his notes of their sessions, deleting a section of "prejudicial" material at the request of defense attorney Leslie Abramson. The day's proceedings ended in mystery as Superior Court Judge Stanley M. Weisberg met behind closed doors with defense attorneys, who later were joined by prosecutors.

Pop star Billy Joel's $90-million fraud and breach of contract lawsuit against one of the music industry's most powerful dealmakers entered Round Two on Tuesday. New York attorney Allen J. Grubman, whose connections to recording companies, executives and artists make him one of pop music's most influential insiders, called Joel's claims that he and his firm are rife with conflicts of interest "a sham" and a "contrived and libelous attempt . . . to extort a settlement."

Kenneth W. Starr may be gone from the independent counsel's office, but he's certainly not been forgotten. A Connecticut lawyer's campaign to have Starr sanctioned for alleged misconduct during his investigation into President Clinton's financial and personal affairs has been picking up steam. In the latest development, all seven federal judges in Little Rock, Ark., have recused themselves from the case. That city has been the center of the lengthy Whitewater investigation.

Lyn Nofziger on Thursday became the third former high-ranking Reagan Administration official to be convicted on ethics-related charges, following former White House aide Michael K. Deaver by two months and former Environmental Protection Agency official Rita M. Lavelle by more than four years. Nofziger's conviction on three counts of illegal lobbying stemmed from one of a series of stormy investigations of official misconduct that have marred Reagan's seven years in office.

In an unusual lawsuit that touches on issues ranging from legal ethics to nuclear power plant safety, Westinghouse Electric has sued three law firms, charging them with "purloining" confidential documents and using them to stir up other lawsuits against Westinghouse.

The California Supreme Court on Monday ordered the disbarment of the former lawyer and financial adviser to actress Doris Day, ending an arduous, 19-year legal-ethics dispute between the entertainer and the attorney. The court unanimously upheld a recommendation by the State Bar urging the action against Jerome B. Rosenthal of Los Angeles for a wide range of ethical violations in his dealings with Day and her late husband, Martin Melcher.

So, what's all the shouting about this time? Veteran prosecutor William Hodgman accuses O.J. Simpson's defense team of the most flagrant abuse of legal ethics "in the history of American jurisprudence." Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., Simpson's lead attorney, charges that prosecutors are trying to "shackle" him and deny his client a fair hearing.