A death investigation and missing person case has been unfolding in Georgia that’s unlike anything local authorities have ever seen, with cops spending nearly a month looking for the fiance of a Spelman College instructor who was found dead and floating in a lake, along with her partner’s boat and shoes. The U.S. Secret Service has even been called in to assist, according to officials.

“There’s never been anybody looked for like this,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told local Fox affiliate WAGA this week as police entered day 22 of looking for Gary Jones, husband of Joycelyn Wilson, at Lake Oconee — the last place they were seen alive together — in what officials have dubbed the largest search effort in county history.

Jones, who is believed to be dead, was boating with Wilson on Feb. 8 when they disappeared sometime that evening. His boat was found circling a portion of Lake Oconee with no one on board, roughly seven miles away from where he and Wilson were caught on video at a boat launch. Cops say they can be seen putting the vessel into the water together. Witness testimony and phone records show that whatever happened with the couple unfolded between 5:01 p.m. and 5:24 p.m., according to Sills.

“This is a huge area,” he told Fox and ABC affiliate WGXA last week. “Not to mention the cold weather and the cold water preventing normal surfacing. There is a Herculean effort going on here trying to locate his body.”

Federal courts regularly engage in public outreach and civics education efforts. A new interactive civics map is helping the public more easily find court educational resources and civics program information nationwide.

The tool, developed by the Federal Judicial Center (FJC), the education and research agency for the federal courts, acts as a central repository for local court-created educational resources and civics programs. It includes, for example, information about notable or historic cases and courthouse history and about recurring programs, such as courthouse tours, institutes for teachers, and civics contests for students. 

Visitors can navigate across multiple display types and filtering options to view various civics offerings from different judicial districts. One view links to program information pages from the respective court website about its recurring civics programs.

Learn more about the new tool from the FJC civics education and outreach page.

Visit the educational resources section on the U.S. Courts website for additional information about the federal Judiciary’s national civics initiatives and educational activities.

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Verdicts & Settlements

NRA general counsel violated statutory duties but caused no monetary harm, jurors find; LaPierre liable for $5.4M

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 26, 2024, 12:41 pm CST

The general counsel for the National Rifle Association was among three senior NRA leaders found to have violated their statutory duties by jurors Friday.

Jurors found former NRA executive vice president and former CEO Wayne LaPierre liable for $5.4 million in damages and former chief financial officer Wilson “Woody” Phillips liable for $2 million. Jurors also found that the NRA didn’t handle charitable funds properly and violated state whistleblower laws.

But jurors found that NRA corporate secretary and general counsel John Frazer did not cause financial harm and was not liable for damages. Jurors found that he made false statements in NRA filings, but there was no cause to remove him.

Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the Feb. 23 verdict in a press release.

Law360, NBC News and the Associated Press have coverage.

James had sued the NRA and top officials for civil fraud. Her lawsuit alleged that LaPierre exploited the NRA for the benefit of himself and his inner circle, using donor money to pay for private jets, expensive meals and family vacations.

According to the press release, James presented evidence that Phillips allegedly had a no-show post-employment contract, that whistleblowers faced harassment and intimidation, that the NRA paid invoices for LaPierre’s repeated flights to the Bahamas, and that invoices worth more than $4 million were passed through a vendor to conceal expenses incurred by NRA executives.

LaPierre has already repaid the NRA more than $1 million, leaving him liable for $4.35 million.

A separate bench trial will determine whether an independent compliance monitor should be appointed. The trial will also determine whether the NRA and Frazer should be barred from soliciting funds for charitable organizations in New York.

A lawyer from Frazer, William Fleming, told Law360 that he is disappointed with the verdict.

In an online statement, the NRA said the jury verdict “confirms what the National Rifle Association of America … contended all along—that it was victimized by certain former vendors and ‘insiders’ who abused the trust placed in them by the association.”

“During a 24-day jury trial, the NRA established the [New York attorney general] cannot prove self-dealing or bad faith by the NRA board of directors,” the statement said. “The NRA disputed key allegations in the [New York attorney general]’s complaint—namely, that any governance issues at the NRA are ‘persistent.’ As importantly, the NRA established that it adopted new policies and accounting controls, displaced vendors and ‘insiders’ who abused the association, and accepted reparations for costs determined to be excess benefits. Most of these corrective measures—part of an internal investigation ignited by the NRA board—were adopted before the [New York attorney general] filed her lawsuit. The NRA’s commitment to good governance was on full display during the trial proceedings.”

See also:

“Civil fraud trial seeking independent monitor for NRA begins after CEO’s resignation, official’s $100K settlement”

“Ex-NRA CEO didn’t consult GCs office about key legal decisions, general counsel testifies”

Zachariah DeMeola, senior director of strategic initiatives with the Law School Admission Council, has spent a lot of time stressing the importance of lawyers developing their own professional identity.

DeMeola, whose work includes developing a professional identity formation program for the LSAC’s subscription-based platform, LawHub, says the term refers to practice skills and competencies that allow students to define their roles in the profession. 

The son of a plumber and a secretary also claims professional identity formation can create space for all law students, including first-generation college graduates, which has been a struggle.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t understand the system. I kind of ambled my way through. It’s a major reason for my motivation to improve the legal system, including legal education, and help others navigate it,” DeMeola says.

The importance of professional identity was acknowledged by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in 2022, when it added language about the subject to Standard 303, which addresses curriculum. The change directs schools to provide students with professional identity development opportunities.

DeMeola learned about professional identity while working for the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, an independent research center housed at the University of Denver. The former litigation associate at Mayer Brown and Baker & Hostetler saw an IAALS job posting in 2017 and decided to apply. In his cover letter, DeMeola wrote that private practice wasn’t a good fit. “I did my best to just be myself. I told them I wasn’t fulfilled, but I think I would be fulfilled if I came and joined you,” he explains.

His work included exploring how to use data and insights from a 2016 IAALS study, Foundations for Practice: The Whole Lawyer and the Character Quotient. It was based on a survey of 24,000 lawyers who were asked questions about what skills, professional competencies and characteristics made attorneys successful. Many respondents indicated that having common sense, knowing how to write well and being a good listener were more important new-lawyer traits than having legal skills.

Respondents also were asked about candidates’ prior job experiences. One employer said it would want to know if someone had managed a fast-food restaurant because that would show the person was a hard worker and could handle customer service.

DeMeola admits some new lawyers may not want to advertise their fast-food experience because the legal profession puts significant emphasis on traditional prestige factors. “Lawyers will tell us they want something, but they won’t behave the same way when it comes to actual hiring practices. We tried to use the data to get a shift in behavior,” says DeMeola, 45.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, DeMeola worked as a short-order cook, a jazz club host and a paralegal. He initially enrolled at Tulane University Law School in 2005 but left after Hurricane Katrina hit. After working for a few years, he went to William & Mary Law School, graduating in 2010. 

“After Hurricane Katrina, I had the opportunity to reassess what kind of a lawyer I wanted to be, and I was mindful that I was entering law school as an older student with work experience,” says DeMeola, who lives in Virginia.

While at IAALS he worked with fellow 2023 Legal Rebel Natalie Anne Knowlton, and the two recently formed Access to Justice Ventures, a consulting and information group. They plan to educate the legal profession and other industries as well about what they see as a connection between access to justice, legal services innovation and regulatory reform.

Legal Rebels Class of 2023

Stacy Butler

Josh Blandi

Zachariah DeMeola

Sonja Ebron and Debra Slone of Courtroom5

Natalie Anne Knowlton

Uzoma Orchingwa and Gabriel Saruhashi of Ameelio

Patrick Palace

Janis C. Puracal

In This Podcast: