SAN FRANCISCO - The California man charged with kidnapping and raping long-time captive Jaycee Dugard has a serious mental illness and may not be competent to be a defendant, his defence lawyer said in court papers filed Wednesday.

Marvin wrote:

I came across this post today and thought I would pass it along.

"DUBAI - The lawyer of a businessman, accused of raping a Syrian saleswoman, requested the Court of First Instance on Wednesday to frame charges against the plaintiff also as she had sex out of wedlock."

Would anyone care to comment on this?

"An Italian prosecutor asked the top appeals court to drop a case against a British lawyer convicted of taking a bribe from Silvio Berlusconi, a surprise development that could kill off charges against the prime minister."

From UK.NEWS.YAHOO.COM, thanks Cathy

A lawyer representing the Northern California man charged with kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard says her client is mentally ill and incapable of trying to manipulate his victim from jail.

Glenn wrote:

I came across this post today and thought I would pass it along.

"Sir Ian Brownlie QC, who died in a car accident in Egypt where he was on holiday, was an international lawyer who was as successful in practise as he was in academia. Widely respected for his integrity, knowledge of cases and sharp mind, he was also acknowledged for his warmth and sense of humour, and his "cab-rank principle", which meant if he was free he was available, which often saw him ..."

Would anyone care to comment on this?

I saw this posted at NEWS.YAHOO.COM.

"The Supreme Court said Wednesday a request for a lawyer from someone under police interrogation is valid only for 14 days, reinstating the confession of a child molester who asked for a lawyer nearly three years before he confessed."

"Australia will face strong criticism of the Northern Territory intervention when it appears before the UN Human Rights Commission in September, a human rights lawyer says."

I saw this posted Thursday on WWW.FMQB.COM.

"A lawyer representing accused file sharer Joel Tenenbaum is claiming that his client only did $21 worth of damages to the music industry, and should not have to pay out $675,000 in fines."

A lawyer for a US graduate student who was convicted for sharing copyright music online has asked that his client be given a retrial.

NORFOLK A local lawyer has been charged in federal court with wire fraud in what authorities allege was a $1 million mortgage fraud scheme. Stephen M. Gunther, who lives in Hertford, N.C., but has his law office off Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach, is accused of failing to identify third parties involved in four home sales in 2006.

Janice writes: "A lawyer for a group of New Haven firefighters that won a reverse discrimination case before the U.S. Supreme Court last year is seeking to have a lower court judge step down from the case."