Judge May Conduct Lincoln Settlement Talks: U.S....

Judge May Conduct Lincoln Settlement Talks: U.S. District Judge J. Lawrence Irving, who is quitting the federal bench in San Diego because of frustration over rigid sentencing guidelines, said he may be appointed to try to settle a huge jam of civil suits linked to the failure of Irvine-based Lincoln Savings & Loan. Irving, 55, considered one of the state’s keenest federal judges, said Judge Richard M. Bilby, an Arizona federal judge presiding over the complex and unwieldy collection of Lincoln S&L; suits, asked him recently whether he would be interested in conducting settlement talks.