William L. Taylor, a Washington lawyer and civil rights activist who fought in courts and in government to desegregate schools, has died. He was 78.

His oldest daughter, Lauren Taylor, says he died Monday of complications from a fall.

Taylor began advocating for civil rights while working for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund alongside Thurgood Marshall.

Taylor served as general counsel and staff director to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He led research that contributed to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

In the 1980s, he led negotiations that established a voluntary school desegregation plan in St. Louis.

Founding Partner Mathew B. Tully has been awarded the impressive Air Force Space Badge due to his completion of space training. Tully is among one of the few Army Officers awarded this prestigious badge, and among an even smaller number of National Guardsmen authorized to wear it. 

In late 2008, Tully attended the clandestine National Security Space Institute (NSSI), the Department of Defense’s premier institute for providing service members with the space education and training required to support military operations. Upon graduation, he became one of only 200 space operations officers in the Army and the only space professional in New York. 

“I am honored to be one of the few National Guardsmen authorized to wear the Air Force Space Badge and grateful that the Army has given me the opportunity to experience our country’s space systems technology and capabilities firsthand,” said Tully. “I look forward to my continued space training and service to our country in the Army National Guard.”

Tully is a Major in the New York Army National Guard, holding the position of Space Operations Officer. His military service and experiences have led him to dedicate his legal career to protecting and upholding the rights of veterans and service members across the country. Founded in 2003, Tully Rinckey PLLC has pioneered many landmark Veterans Preference and USERRA cases.                                                                                        

To speak with Tully or to learn more about Tully Rinckey PLLC, please contact Jessica Brociek at 202-787-1900 or via email at jbrociek@tullylegal.com.

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Max Mizejewski (pronounced Majeski) received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993. In 1997, Max graduated from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College and went on to work in the public sector before entering private practice. As Manager of the Oregon Department of Transportation Environmental Unit, Max gained valuable experience negotiating, problem solving and working through confrontational issues with emotionally charged individuals. Max brings this experience to his private practice which focuses on criminal defense and family law.

Max believes in taking the time to understand each clients unique situation and specific needs. Max represents clients in criminal prosecutions, administrative hearings, dissolution of marriage, custody matters and appeals. Max's tenacious attitude and strategic mindset make Max the right advocate to have on your side.

The Florida Bar is investigating at least 35 former senior lawyers in the now-bankrupt Fort Lauderdale law firm headed by Scott Rothstein, who was disbarred before he was criminally charged last month with using the firm to run a $1.2 billion investment racket.

The Bar confirmed to The Miami Herald Wednesday that it is examining whether those members of the former firm -- Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler -- lied about the amount of money in client trust accounts and whether they stole any of it.

Rothstein is scheduled to plead guilty Jan. 27 to federal racketeering, fraud and money laundering charges stemming from his massive Ponzi scheme, which was fueled with plundered client and investor funds.

Several of Rothstein's former partners have said they were unware of his scam, in which he used the law firm to sell bogus legal settlements to wealthy investors over the past four years.

But prosecutors, without mentioning names, have said that some of the law firm's employees ``do have apparent criminal culpability.''

The Florida Bar board of governors and its president, Jesse Diner, launched their investigation into Rothstein in early November when word of the scandal broke, and then the following month decided to pursue the probe of the other lawyers.

``The Bar takes this issue very seriously,'' Diner, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer, said Wednesday. ``The Bar is actively investigating and will pursue remedies against anyone who has violated any rules. This investigation didn't stop with Scott Rothstein.

A California attorney has died after being shot in the head outside his Los Angeles area home.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says the lawyer died in a hospital at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was shot 11 hours earlier and found on the driveway of his home in Rolling Hills Estates, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

Neighbors and a woman who answered the phone at the victim's law firm identified him as Jeffrey Tidus, who handled a wide variety of business litigation.

Whitmore said he could not confirm the victim's identity.

to announce that it will open a San Francisco office and gain 29 lawyers from the litigation powerhouse of Folger Levin & Kahn LLP (FLK). The firms have agreed to join together in December, adding a team of highly regarded trial lawyers, including nine partners, to Crowell & Moring's Litigation Group. The move will provide enhanced trial capabilities in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where Crowell & Moring has long served clients in matters ranging from climate change litigation to antitrust and consumer class action matters.

"Many of our top clients are located in the Bay area, and our new lawyers provide them an instant bench of leading litigators and trial lawyers who have proven themselves on the toughest cases involving a wide range of federal and state court matters. Folger Levin & Kahn has been an icon in San Francisco for over 30 years, and now our clients will benefit from their demonstrated experience and longstanding presence in the community," said Crowell & Moring Chairman Kent A. Gardiner.