Charles Toutant

July 18, 2006 | Law.com

Paralegals in New Jersey earn less than those in other parts of the country, according to a new survey. On average, Newark paralegals earn $53,909, and those in the Philadelphia-southern New Jersey region earn $58,552. But both are below the national scale of $61,134. The smaller paychecks are due, in part, to the fewer hours they put in. But Cindy Lopez, who runs a job-bank Web site for paralegals, says salaries are lower because, with only a handful of large law firms, there are fewer opportunities.

By Charles Toutant

4 minute read

January 11, 2011 | New Jersey Law Journal

Part-time schedules at law firms are growing in popularity as a way of improving recruitment and retention of talented lawyers, but attorneys working reduced hours — predominantly women — remain a small fraction of the total population, says a new survey.

By Charles Toutant

7 minute read

September 22, 2003 | New Jersey Law Journal

A municipality is without power to cite a developer for defects in homes that have already been issued certificates of occupancy and sold, the Appellate Division ruled last Monday in a case of first impression.

By Charles Toutant

3 minute read

May 15, 2006 | New Jersey Law Journal

Johnson & Johnson has adopted a quick-settlement strategy for a spate of suits charging that its Ortho Evra contraceptive patch causes blood clots due to heightened estrogen levels. Some suits have already been ended with confidential settlements, and the company has told plaintiffs' lawyers that it is ready to cut deals in remaining ones.

By Charles Toutant

3 minute read

November 21, 2005 | Law.com

Frustrated at being "unable to get any credit" for his successful blog, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lat recently outed himself as the author of "Underneath Their Robes." Almost immediately after that, he took down the site, which a department spokesman said violated a requirement to seek approval before speaking in the media. Whether or not Lat loses his job for dishing dirt about federal judges, the abrupt end to his blog may give pause to other DOJ lawyers eyeing online outlets for their creativity.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read

October 25, 2010 | Law.com

Bank of America has been hit with a class action on behalf of homeowners seeking damages for alleged disregard of foreclosure process rules. The suit, filed in federal court in New Jersey, accuses Bank of America and two subsidiaries, LaSalle Bank and BAC Home Loans Servicing, of "an undisciplined rush to seize homes" through "pervasive and willful disregard of knowledge, facts and statutes." The putative class consists of all named defendants in pending New Jersey foreclosure actions initiated by BofA or its affiliates.

By Charles Toutant

4 minute read

April 25, 2007 | Law.com

There is no public policy reason against rehiring a Garden State Parkway toll-taker who fired a paintball gun at a vehicle in a fit of road rage, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled. An appellate court, citing the public's interest in roadway safety, had upheld the state's decision to discharge the man, who fired at another vehicle in traffic after his shift had ended. But the high court reinstated an arbitrator's ruling that the toll-taker should be rehired following an 11-month unpaid suspension.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read

July 28, 2003 | New Jersey Law Journal

Three law firms and two nonprofit organizations will share more than $4.5 million in state funds for legal costs under terms of the settlement of a foster care class action suit.

By Charles Toutant

3 minute read

February 07, 2005 | New Jersey Law Journal

A conflict with opponents of capital punishment over cameras in the death chamber is hampering the state Department of Correction's efforts to get relief from a stay on lethal injections. Death penalty foes opponents who packed last Friday's public hearing on the proposed regulations made it clear they would settle for nothing short of full access to executions, from the 'death walk' to the execution chamber to removal of the body afterward.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read

June 23, 2004 | The Legal Intelligencer

A state Supreme Court panel is studying whether to cut back on the generous portions of peremptory challenges served up at New Jersey trials, and trial lawyers don't like it one bit.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read