Attorney Judson A. Waltman of The Lanier Law Firm represented plaintiff George Coley along with co-lead counsel Chris Carver of Lubbock, Texas-based Gibson Carver, L.L.P.

Mr. Coley, 51, was severely injured on Dec. 31, 2003, when he was struck by an 800-pound casing pipe that had fallen from 30 feet above. The impact crushed his left elbow and caused multiple fractures in his left arm. Doctors say Mr. Coley will have limited use of the arm for the rest of his life.

Witnesses testified during trial that the pipe came loose from a nubbin that was being used to lift the pipe before striking Mr. Coley, a subcontractor employed by Lewis Casing Crews of Odessa, Texas.

In the lawsuit against Big Dog Drilling and Endeavor Energy Resources, Mr. Coley's attorneys said that managers with the two Midland, Texas, companies ignored Mr. Coley's concerns about the condition of the nubbin and told him to go back to work.

"This jury sent a clear message that worker safety comes first," says Mr. Waltman of The Lanier Law Firm. "The first response from the drilling company was to get the drilling operation restarted before caring for Mr. Coley's injuries. That kind of attitude is unacceptable in any work environment, and the jury felt compelled to react accordingly."

The verdict was reached on May 1 before state district judge Jay Gibson in Wood County. The award includes $1.58 million in actual damages and $4.92 million in punitive damages. Jurors assessed $420,000 in punitive damages against Big Dog Drilling and $4.5 million against Endeavor Energy.

With offices in Houston and New York, The Lanier Law Firm is committed to addressing client concerns with effective and innovative solutions. The firm is composed of outstanding trial attorneys with decades of experience handling cases involving pharmaceutical liability, asbestos exposure, business fraud, serious personal injuries, product liability, and toxic exposure.

Lanier Law Firm

CONTACT: Kevin Roberts of Lanier Law Firm, +1-713-659-5200

The American Bar Association has granted reapproval to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s legal assistant majors, one of only 14 programs in Pennsylvania to be recognized in that fashion.

The college’s School of Business and Computer Technologies recently was notified of the action by the ABA’s House of Delegates, which follows a successful site visit early last fall and a recommendation by the association’s Standing Committee on Paralegals.

“This notification reaffirms the high quality of the instruction, advising, work-based experiences and job placement provided by our paralegal studies faculty and college for our certificate and associate- and bachelor-degree-seeking students,” said Edward A. Henninger, dean of the school.

Penn College offers a bachelor’s degree in legal assistant/paralegal studies, an associate degree in legal assistant/paralegal and a certificate in nurse/health care paralegal studies. Its curriculum provides students with a mix of essential courses and instruction in specialized areas of the law, providing the background for successful employment in a rapidly growing field.

“American Bar Association approval of paralegal programs is a very rigorous process culminating in a two-day on-site review by an ABA team,” noted Kevin R. Derr, professor of legal assistant in the School of Business and Computer Technologies. “The process involves a thorough review of the paralegal program’s curriculum, faculty credentials, library sources, facility, student services and administration. The process is important to us as an indicator that we meet the very demanding standards set by the national organization, which reviews programs throughout the country.”

All paralegal courses in Penn College’s program, which has been ABA-approved since 1994, are taught by licensed attorneys. Students complete a required internship in a law firm, government agency or law-related office. (Paralegals work under the supervision of licensed attorneys and are prohibited from practicing law.)

Schilt will be sentenced on August 6th, and is expected to serve between 32 and 48 years.

Amy Schilt, Frank Schilt's oldest daughter, stated that the new plea was agreed on by all involved, and was intended to spare the family the drama of a trial.

"We support the fact that he is pleading guilty to second-degree murder" Amy told reporters, "because it would be better for everyone, so that we could kind of move on with our lives, and get over a lot of these things without it coming back in our faces."

Terri Schilt was reported missing in March 2006, and was believed to have been killed in late February of that year.

The gunman who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech failed to get the mental health treatment ordered by a judge who declared him an imminent threat to himself and others, a newspaper reported Monday.

However, neither the court nor community mental health officials followed up on the judge‘s order, and Cho didn‘t get the treatment, The Washington Post reported, citing unidentified authorities who have seen Cho‘s medical files.

Federal, state and local officials contacted Monday by The Associated Press said they had no idea whether Cho received the treatment because they are not privy to that information. School officials did not return calls seeking comment.

On Dec. 13, 2005, Cho e-mailed a roommate at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg saying that he might as well commit suicide. The roommate called police, who took Cho to the New River Valley Community Services Board, the area‘s mental health agency.

On Dec. 14, special judge Paul M. Barnett found that Cho was an imminent danger to himself and ordered him into involuntary outpatient treatment. Special justices are lawyers with some expertise and training who are appointed by the jurisdiction‘s chief judge.

The court doesn‘t follow up because "we have no authority," Teel said.

Virginia law says community services boards "shall recommend a specific course of treatment and programs" for people such as Cho who are ordered to receive outpatient treatment. It also says these boards "shall monitor the person‘s compliance."

The firm's co-founders, William Zisko and Timothy Tomlinson, said they are joining the East Palo Alto office of Greenberg Traurig LLP, which has grown its Silicon Valley office to 43 lawyers since opening in 2004.

Tomlinson Zisko has three other lawyers, all of whom said they are joining other law firms in the area.  Tomlinson Zisko had as many as 20 lawyers at its peak in 2000. But retirements and defections reduced the firm's headcount to five today.

Tomlinson said the firm's dissolution is "amicable. We just reached too small a size to serve our clients' needs ... It was a great run."  The firm advised clients on matters involving corporate finance, securities, intellectual property, litigation, tax and real estate.