In a motion seeking bond, R. Allen Stanford alleges he’s taking so many prescription drugs in prison that he’s impaired and cannot effectively assist his lawyers with preparing for his upcoming criminal trial. Stanford, former chairman of Stanford Financial Group, alleges in his Dec. 6 Opposed Motion for Bond that his “mental, emotional, and physical health are drastically deteriorating.” He alleges that prior to his detention that began in June 2009, he did not take prescription medication, but he is currently prescribed a “variety” of medications due to his incarceration that have him in an “unfocused and numbed state-of-mind.” Stanford listed the medications in a sealed document in United States v. Robert Allen Stanford . “Mr. Stanford’s impaired mental condition, noted in the sealed addendum, along with the physical impairments now well documented and known to the Court have created a condition where the Accused can no longer assist Counsel or invoke constitutional rights,” Stanford alleges. He alleges he suffers from tremors of the limbs, diminished range of facial expression, slowness of speech, and drowsiness and fatigue, which are the side effects cited in Riggins v. Nevada, a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court case. In Riggins, the court found those side effects can inhibit a defendant’s ability to obtain a fair trial. Stanford alleges he was assaulted by an inmate in September 2009, and since then he has frequent headaches, has permanently lost the ability to read with his right eye and permanently lost all feeling on the right side of his face. Stanford also seeks bond from Senior U.S. District Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas on the ground that his ability to review documents and thereby assist his attorneys is hampered by his pretrial incarceration and prohibition against using the Internet to read documents in the discovery database. According to Stanford’s motion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuting him opposes his request for bond. Gregg Costa , an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Texas, declines comment. Citing a gag order in the case, so does Ali Fazel , a partner in Scardino & Fazel in Houston who represents Stanford. Hittner has denied Stanford’s three previous motions seeking release on bond. Stanford is in federal custody awaiting trial on criminal charges in connection with an alleged conspiracy to defraud investors who bought about $7 billion in certificates of deposit sold through the Stanford International Bank Ltd. He has pleaded not guilty and goes to trial in January 2011.
It’s App-Tastic
When she takes out her iPhone these days, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell spokeswoman Julie Gilbert has an app she likes to show people. No, it’s not the one that lets you blow out a birthday candle or check on how many calories you’ve consumed. It’s an app Locke Lord launched Dec. 6 that allows firm clients and prospective clients to connect with Locke Lord lawyers quickly through their iPhones or iPads. Locke Lord is one of the first firms in Texas and in the nation to launch such an app, Gilbert says. So why did??the firm take the plunge into app-mania? Gilbert says the branding move made sense given that clients and prospective clients operate on a 24/7 basis, and “everybody is always looking at one of these [iPhones].” She says firm leaders??found applications for companies such as airlines extremely useful and wanted to provide that same type of option for Locke Lord’s customers. The Locke Lord app, which is free at The App Store online, lets users click to find a Locke Lord attorney and click again to contact him or her by iPhone or e-mail. Users also can locate hotels and restaurants close to a Locke Lord office, use GPS to find out how to get to a??firm office, sign up for firm events, and check out a partner’s biographical information.
