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Category: Metro

  • US titan Cravath retakes lawyer salary crown with market-topping rises

    What impact will fresh pay war have on associates in the City of London?


    US giant Cravath Swaine & Moore has set down a fresh salary marker for its rivals after upping its already hefty rates for associates by as much as $20,000 (£16,000).

    The uplift comes just days after fellow New Yorker Milbank bumped salaries for newly qualified (NQ) lawyers to $225,000, chucking the same rises the way of its associates in the City of London. This saw it climb to the very top of our 2024 Firms Most List with an NQ sterling rate of £183,409.

    But known for setting the bar when it comes to salaries in the US, Cravath hasn’t wasted anytime in re-taking its crown. The firm — which doesn’t offer UK training contracts despite having presence in London since 1973 — matched Milbank’s rates for NQs through to 3PQE, and went over and above for those further up the ladder.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    Cravath’s 4PQErs will now earn a salary $310,000 (£245,000), which is roughly £4,000 more thank their counterparts at Milbank and equates to an overall rise of nearly £12,000. Meanwhile, those at five and six PQE have seen their salaries swell to $365,000 (£290,000) and $390,000 (£310,000), respectively — increases of $20,000 (£16,000).

    Others US outfits have since moved to match Cravath’s new rates, with the likes of Baker McKenzie, Cleary Gottlieb, Dechert and Hogan Lovells all now offering the same levels of cash to their US associates.

    But a question mark remains over whether this fresh pay war will have any impact on the City of London. Milbank, although quickly trumped by Cravath, is the only firm so far to confirm that its UK associates will receive the new rates. Will other elite US firms follow? Watch this space…

    The post US titan Cravath retakes lawyer salary crown with market-topping rises appeared first on Legal Cheek.

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  • Axiom Ince: Regulator rules out immediate one-off levy on solicitors as claims hit £33 million 

    Remains ‘under review’


    The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has said it won’t be making solicitors cough-up additional cash to help cover compensation claims following the collapse of Axiom Ince — at least not right now, anyway.

    The regulator confirmed yesterday that will not be asking solicitors to make one-off contribution “at this point, but will keep this under review in the light of any further interventions or other unforeseen events”.

    In October the SRA revealed it may require solicitors to make an additional payment as means of addressing the millions of pounds in potential claims from Axiom Ince clients. The firm was shut down last month, not longer after it emerged £64 million had gone missing from its client account.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    The regulator controls a special compensation fund that aims to support people who are owed money by a regulated law firm. Solicitors contribute to the fund through a levy added to the practising certificate fee.

    There has been much speculation in recent weeks over how the fund, which reportedly has around £18 million sitting in it, could adequately cover the vast number of claims which, according to the SRA, currently total £33 million.

    But the regulator says it has come up with short-term solution. It confirmed yesterday that it will not be imposing an overall cap on claims, but rather it would prioritise certain ones — such as for domestic conveyancing — “in order to maintain the financial solvency of the fund”.

    Although the rules of the compensation fund enable the SRA to impose a discretionary £5 million overall cap on claims, the regulator said this wasn’t appropriate in this case.

    “The scale of consumer loss, were the cap to be applied, would be too large, and would lead to an unacceptable loss in public confidence in solicitors,” it said. “However, by adopting a careful prioritisation approach to the settling of claims, the aim is to manage the short-term solvency of the fund and avoid extreme consumer detriment.”

    The post Axiom Ince: Regulator rules out immediate one-off levy on solicitors as claims hit £33 million  appeared first on Legal Cheek.

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  • Homicide victim who was found on California trail in 1974 is identified

    ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (TCD) — With the use of investigative genetic genealogy, officials have recently identified a homicide victim 49 years after his body was found near a fire road trail.

    According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, on Sept. 14, 1974, two individuals who were off-roading discovered a man’s body. Authorities determined the victim died three to five days prior due to alcohol and diazepam intoxication and initially declared his death an accident. In a press release from Othram Inc., investigators believed the victim, who was classified as a John Doe, was between 18 and 25 years old at the time of his death.

    Officials released information about the victim in the hopes that people would come forward with tips that could help identify him. The Criminal Identification and Investigation Division in Sacramento, the Federal Bureau of Identification, and Canadian authorities received the victim’s fingerprint classification but the results were negative, and they were unable to identify the victim.

    Investigators worked for several weeks before the victim was buried as John Doe at El Toro Memorial Park in an unlabeled grave.

    The sheriff’s office later learned multiple people died of alcohol and diazepam intoxication around southern California in 1978, and their deaths were ruled as homicides.

    According to the sheriff’s office, during that time, authorities located numerous deceased men throughout Orange County and Southern California, including several who were within a few miles of where John Doe’s body was found.

    The sheriff’s office said investigators suspected that John Doe may have been an early victim of Randy Steven Kraft, also known as the “Scorecard Killer.” A California Highway Patrol officer conducted a traffic stop on Kraft in May 1983 and noticed a deceased male, later identified as Terry Lee Gambrel, in the front passenger seat. According to the sheriff’s office, the officer also observed several empty beer bottles and an open prescription bottle of Lorazepam near his feet.

    Kraft allegedly kept a “coded list” in the trunk of his car that named at least 67 of his victims. A jury convicted him in May 1989 of killing 16 people. The sheriff’s office said Kraft allegedly killed 10 other victims, but those crimes have not been filed by the Orange County district attorney’s office.

    Kraft is on death row at San Quentin State Prison.

    In November 2022, investigators with the sheriff’s office submitted John Doe’s tissue samples to Othram Laboratories. A DNA profile for John Doe was created and shared with the sheriff’s office in February. Officials there uploaded the information into a genealogy database.

    Investigators reportedly built John Doe’s family tree and identified his grandparents. The sheriff’s office located a granddaughter, and she told investigators she had not seen her 17-year-old brother since April 1974.

    Investigators traveled to Kansas City and collected a DNA sample from John Doe’s potential mother. As a result, officials positively identified the victim as Michael Schlicht of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The sheriff’s office said they have notified the victim’s family members, and they are working to mark Schlicht’s gravestone.

    MORE:

    • John Doe homicide victim identified after 49 years – Orane County Sheriff’s Department
    • Orange County Sheriff’s Department Teams with Othram to Identify 1974 Homicide Victim – Othram Labs

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Soludo condemns burning of houses, vehicles in Iyowa community by hoodlums

    Soludo condemns burning of houses, vehicles in Iyowa community by hoodlums

    By Ovat Abeng

    Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo on Wednesday, condemned burning of houses, vehicles in Iyowa-Odekpe community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the State by suspected hoodlums.

    The governor ordered that anyone involved in the act be apprehended and brought to book.

    Soludo condemned the attacked through his Chief of Staff, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi while addressing the people of Iyowa community under the umbrella of Iyowa Community Landlords Residents Association in Ogbaru LGA, who were at the government house Awka in protest to seek government intervention on their plights.

    He assured the protesters that justice must surely take its course. According to him, the government will take the matter seriously to ensure that it is resolved amicably.

    Read Also: I Will Make Abia SME Hub Of Nigeria-Otti

    “Myself and the state at large strongly condemned the act. The present administration will not relent on it effort in making sure that the vision of making Anambra a livable and prosperous state in Nigeria is achieved.

    “We encouraged you all, particularly, members of Iyowa Community Landlords Residents Association to remain calm and give us time to look into the matter for a peaceful resolution,” Ezeajughi appealed.

    The leader of the protesters, Dr. Tony Chukwunoso Princewil, who spoke to journalists shortly after the exercise, informed the government that those behind the attacked are still moving around the streets for further destructions.

    He said a total of 10 storey buildings and 30 vehicles were burnt down by the hoodlums alleged to have been led by the President General of Odekpe community, Barrister Innocent Nwanosike, on 7th November 2023 at about 7am.

    He added that the hoodlums also inflicted bodily injuries on residents during the attack. He said they were in front of the state government house to draw the governor’s attention for immediate action.

    According to him, Iyowa is a layout owned by Odekpe community and residents in the layout are all strangers; Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas and other ethnicities.

    “The problem started when we refused to continue to pay multiple levies to them. In the layout we have over 10,000 stores and every quarter of the month we are force to pay N10,000 mandatory levies to them. We pay N10,000 every store.

    “In fact, we now pay them for anything we do in our houses we build with our owned hard earned money. We reported the matter to the police authority and the State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Matters, Hon. Tony Collins Nwabunwanne for prompt action but up till this moment, no positive response has been made.

    “So we are calling on the state government to help us look into the matter and fine an actionable way of resolving the issued,” the spokesman stated.

    The protesters expressed their displeasure with various inscriptions such as; Barrow pushers pay tolls in Iyowa, solution please help us, the home of tautism, solution do something, among others.

  • Homeless woman accused of killing social activist in Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES (TCD) — Police arrested a homeless woman this week on suspicion of breaking into a residence and fatally shooting a 33-year-old social activist.

    On Nov. 27, at approximately 6 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department Wilshire Area patrol officers responded to the 900 block of Alandele Avenue to a report of a shooting. Once there, officers learned a male victim had been shot by a home intruder.

    KCBS-TV identified the victim as Michael Latt, the CEO of Lead With Love. According to the organization’s Instagram page, Lead With Love “harnesses the power of art to spark change, bring love, hope and healing to communities and empower others.”

    Paramedics transported Latt to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

    Police named 36-year-old Jameelah Michl as the primary suspect and arrested her on a charge of murder. She is being held at the Los Angeles County Jail on $3 million bail.

    Additionally, police booked Michl’s vehicle, her primary home, into evidence.

    MORE:

    • Homicide Suspect Arrested – Los Angeles Police Department
    • Homeless woman arrested for alleged home break-in murder of philanthropist – KCBS
    • Lead with Love Instagram
    • Los Angeles County Jail

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Baltimore man's braces rubber bands lead to his arrest for allegedly assaulting elderly woman

    BALTIMORE (TCD) — Police arrested a man after linking his orthodonture work to the alleged sexual assault and kidnapping of a 71-year-old woman.

    On Nov. 7 at 6:09 p.m., Baltimore Police Department officers responded to the 4300 and 4400 blocks of North Franklintown Road and located the female victim who said an unidentified man sexually and physically assaulted her while she was walking along the Gwynns Falls Trail.

    Baltimore Police said the suspect “struck up a conversation with her and began to follow her.” Then, he allegedly held onto her and took out his gun. The woman tried to run away, which police said caused a “violent physical assault.”

    The woman ultimately fled and found assistance. She reportedly sustained severe injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

    Baltimore Police investigators tracked down the suspect, 46-year-old Charles Avon Taylor, and arrested him in Towson. Court records show he is charged with kidnapping, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment, use of a dangerous weapon, and a fourth-degree sexual offense.

    According to court documents cited by NBC News, the woman was on a walk in Leakin Park at around 3:30 p.m. when Taylor allegedly approached her and brought up the weather. Then, he allegedly told her, “I’ll kill you,” and grabbed her. The victim bit him, but then Taylor reportedly punched her in the face and choked her, which knocked her unconscious.

    Taylor purportedly took the woman to a homeless encampment where he lived and bound her to a chair. He allegedly kissed her and put his hands on her breasts. He made her lose consciousness a second time by pressing his forearm on her throat.

    The woman told police Taylor had “fits of rage” and she attempted to calm him down.

    NBC News reports the victim untied herself after she told Taylor she lost her glasses, which distracted him as he started looking for them. She ran across a creek and an embankment, then “screamed for help.” A driver pulled over and called police.

    The woman reportedly led police to the scene and investigators found a “blood-stained rope placed in the seat,” as well as “packets of elastics used for braces.”

    A detective reached out to the rubber band manufacturer and found out only one dental office — which was only a few miles from Baltimore — used their brand. Investigators went to the office and showed employees the police sketch of the suspect based on the victim’s description. The office workers reportedly said it looked like Taylor. The victim also reportedly positively identified Taylor.

    NBC News reports Taylor went to a psychiatric facility on Nov. 8, but he is now in custody at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center.

    MORE:

    • Northwest District Aggravated and Sexual Assault Arrest – Baltimore Police Department
    • District Court for Baltimore City 
    • Rubber bands from sex offender’s braces used to link him to woman’s alleged kidnapping from Baltimore park – NBC News

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • 19-year-old arrested after missing girlfriend's body is found in her trunk

    HOUSTON (TCD) — Police arrested a 19-year-old male on suspicion of murder after his missing girlfriend’s body was found in the trunk of her car.

    According to the Houston Police Department, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, the 21-year-old victim’s family reported her missing after learning she did not show up for school that day. Relatives reportedly found her Honda Civic parked on Indigo Street and became concerned.

    Later that day, one of the victim’s relatives forcibly opened the car and discovered the victim unresponsive inside the trunk. Houston Fire Department paramedics arrived and pronounced her deceased. Houston Police said the victim “had signs of trauma to her face.”

    KHOU-TV identified the victim as Idania Maria Campos Muñoz.

    Houston Police said Muñoz’s boyfriend, Ariel Cruz, reportedly joined her family in the search. Homicide detectives spoke with Cruz and he allegedly confessed to killing Muñoz. He was then arrested and charged with murder.

    Court documents cited by KHOU allege Cruz fatally shot Muñoz because she ended their relationship.

    Cruz is being held on $500,000 bond.

    MORE:

    • Suspect Arrested, Charged in Woman’s Death at 5400 Indigo Street – Houston Police Department
    • Ex-boyfriend confesses after family finds body of college student in trunk of her car, Houston police say – KHOU

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Man sentenced for decapitating friend with ax and leaving head in wood stove

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (TCD) — A 30-year-old North Dakota man will spend 35 years behind bars for fatally striking one person with a metal iron and decapitating another within the exterior boundaries of Navajo Nation in 2021.

    According to a Nov. 28 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, a judge handed Shilo Aaron Oldrock the sentence in connection with the deaths of two victims, who were only identified as E.B and P.S.

    Oldrock, a member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, pleaded guilty in federal court in August to second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

    On the night of Jan. 29, 2021, P.S. and E.B. reportedly got into a fight while they were drinking alcohol and using methamphetamine with Oldrock. The attorney’s office said P.S. sustained an injury during the dispute, and Oldrock didn’t render aid. Instead, as a way to “finish off” P.S., Oldrock fatally struck P.S. in the head with a metal iron. He later burned the remains in a barrel to cover up the death.

    P.S.’s family located his abandoned vehicle and reported him missing. The FBI added P.S. to their List of Native Americans Verified as Missing Throughout New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, and for the next two years, his family searched for him.

    According to the attorney’s office, in mid-October 2021, “driven by paranoia from the killing of P.S. and the death of Oldrock’s grandmother,” Oldrock stabbed E.B. approximately 22 times and decapitated him with an ax. Oldrock then threw the head into a wood stove inside the victim’s home.

    According to a criminal complaint, on the day of E.B.’s death, Oldrock waved down a ride from someone and asked them to take him to the flea market where his mother worked. The witness told authorities that Oldrock had a “black eye, cuts on his face, blood on his hands, and blood on his clothes.”

    During the drive, Oldrock reportedly admitted to the witness that he had killed E.B., “chopped off” his head, and “threw his head in the wood stove.” The complaint alleges that Oldrock said he was angry with E.B. because he believed he had killed Oldrock’s uncle and “threw Oldrock’s mother to the ground.” Additionally, Oldrock reportedly told the witness, “What comes around, goes around.”

    Investigators recovered evidence at the scene, including a 4-foot ax and a “charred human head” from the wood stove.

    According to the attorney’s office, Oldrock eventually confessed to law enforcement that he had killed E.B. and P.S.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez said in a statement, “It is our solemn duty to bring justice and answers to grieving Tribal communities.”

    Uballez continued, “No amount of investigation, prosecution, or years in prison will bring back a murdered loved one. But this team of local, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners will meet the case of each missing and murdered Indigenous person with urgency, transparency, and coordination.”

    MORE:

    • Fargo Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Murder and Manslaughter in Navajo Nation – U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico
    • Fargo Man Pleads Guilty to Second Degree Murder and Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, 8/15/2023 – U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico
    • Criminal Complaint – U.S. District Court for New Mexico

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Watchdog Reveals How Much DC Is Spending To Refresh BLM Mural As Violent Crime Surges

    From Daily Caller:

    Washington, D.C., spent an eyebrow-raising amount of money to refresh a Black Lives Matter mural amid concerns of surging crime and declining support for the group, according to Judicial Watch. 

    The nation’s capital reportedly spent $270,000 to repaint “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” according to a statement released by Judicial Watch on Nov. 22. The decision to refresh the Black Lives Matter mural, which rests on a two-block-long portion of 16th street NW, has raised eyebrows by those who suggest the group has heavily contributed to worsening crime rates. 

    The Washington, D.C., city council voted to reduce the police budget by millions in the summer of 2020 as violent riots rocked the nation in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. Violent crime continued to surge in 2023, with the city seeing 13 homicides in just the first five days of August. Left-wing lawmakers pivoted to providing police with additional resources in “hot spots” where violent crime is common. 

    Read more here…

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  • Dem-run city drops six figures to repaint BLM street mural as crime skyrockets

    From Fox News:

    The Washington, D.C., government dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars touching up its “Black Lives Matter” street painting as crime skyrockets in the Democrat-run city.

    The refurbishment of the infamous mural, which Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser initially painted in June 2020 as BLM protests were underway in the city and across the country, appears to have run taxpayers $271,231, including $217,680 in labor costs and $53,551 in paint supplies, according to documents obtained by Judicial Watch from D.C.’s Department of Transportation.

    “DC crime is out of control but local leaders continue to waste $270,000 in tax money promoting the extremist Black Lives Matter movement in the heart of Washington DC that is racist, anti-police, anti-American, and often violent,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.

    Read more here…

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