Sonnenschein Claims Paterson Crony
But for the state of Illinois, New York State would be receiving more national recognition for its state political situation. Even the President is embarrassed by the performance of New York Governor David Paterson.
Perhaps Paterson’s chances of beating Andrew Cuomo, or Rudolph Giuliani, or the Naked Cowboy are depressed because of stories like these. From the New York Post:
Gov. Paterson’s former economic-development czar, Avi Schick, stepped down from his post at the helm of the Empire State Development Corp. in January — but, astonishingly, continued to quietly draw his $213,000 annual salary for eight more months, The Post has learned.Schick, who has close ties to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, managed to hang on to his full salary — more than what the governor earns — in return for advising Paterson on lower Manhattan issues, said ESDC spokesman Warner Johnston.
In case you’re wondering, Sheldon Silver is essentially the most powerful state official left in New York State, owing to his ability to perform his duties at a basically competent level. That is a rarity in Albany.
But how did Avi Schick’s state salary become exposed? Details after the jump.
The Post had been trying to figure out how much money Avi Schick was making for over a month. But then Mr. Schick got a new job:
The ESDC revealed Schick’s continuing compensation to The Post last week after more than a month of requests, and just days after he was removed from the payroll on Sept. 11 so that he could begin a new job with a law firm that began three days later.
Which law firm hired this master of state politics?
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP announced today that Avi Schick, a former New York deputy attorney general, who most recently served as president of the Empire State Development Corporation, has joined the national law firm as a partner in its Litigation Practice. Schick will reside in Sonnenschein’s New York office, focusing on complex civil litigation, enforcement and regulatory matters.
Sonnenschein’s press release about its new hire — announced just one week ago — has a different take on Schick’s work on the Empire State Development Corporation:
“Avi is a successful litigator who ran several high-profile litigation matters while working in the New York attorney general’s office,” said Michael H. Barr, national chair of Sonnenschein’s Litigation Practice. “He is perfectly situated in this growing regulatory environment to help our clients with some of their more complex legal needs.”During the past decade, Schick has played a key role in New York state government. At the Empire State Development Corporation, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the state’s economic development agency and represented the state in all aspects of significant real estate development projects.
After today’s news, the firm’s position on hiring Mr. Schick hasn’t changed. This morning, a Sonnenschein spokesperson told Above the Law:
We’re very pleased to have Avi at Sonnenschein, but have no comment on any compensation or benefits he has received through his prior work for the State of New York.
At least Schick is back on the private market. I only want my tax dollars going to shovel ready projects. And, you know, banks and insurance companies of course.
Dave crony collects ‘money for nothing’ [New York Post]
Obama administration asks Gov. Paterson not to seek reelection in 2010 [NY Daily News]
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Comments
first
QUINN REMAINS FIRST
DAMN
-QR
these chips make me thirdsty
GOVRENOR?
GOVRENOR?
Learn how to spell, 5.
WHO
THE
FUCK
CARES
Calling him PaTTTerson really is an insult to us third TTTier law grads...
So Commissar Obama is embarrased of a fellow Black and blind politician? Talk about hypocrisy. I would support Rudy Gulliani over Paterson, who I imagine will use his physical disabilities as an excuse for his poor performance. And for those impudent ruffians that have accused me of racism, as I mentioned before, I would have no problem voting for Colin Powell if he chose to run against Commissar Obama.
Colin Powell is a liberal whitey.
We need to bomb blind people back to the Stoneage!
-DOJ SEcure
Great use of your thesaurus, O mighty PE.
neeeewwww jeeeerrrrsssseeeeyyyy
Are the rumors about Texas true?
PaTTTerson better get ready to live in van down by the river.
Sorry - I usually love a little scandal invovling Democrats, but I don't see at all what the story is here. Schick gave up one of his titles in January, but continued to get paid for continuing one of his other responsibilities. What about this is scandalous or evidence of incompetence? How does this make Schick a "crony" of Paterson?
Sorry - I usually love a little scandal invovling Democrats, but I don't see at all what the story is here. Schick gave up one of his titles in January, but continued to get paid for continuing one of his other responsibilities. What about this is scandalous or evidence of incompetence? How does this make Schick a "crony" of Paterson?
Sorry - I usually love a little scandal invovling Democrats, but I don't see at all what the story is here. Schick gave up one of his titles in January, but continued to get paid for continuing one of his other responsibilities. What about this is scandalous or evidence of incompetence? How does this make Schick a "crony" of Paterson?
I can't see where you're going with this post
It's shady. And therefore unsurprising that Sonnenschein hired the guy. That firm hired the shadiest bitch from my law school class. If anything, Sonnenschein hiring the guy makes anything he's done in the past more shady.
21
sour grapes huh? sorry you didn't get a sonnenschein offer. i personally consider them a great firm.
Sonnenschein > Latham, Alston & Bird.
Latham is an evil law firm. Watch yo ass around them.
22 -
If getting hired by a Top 10 firm gives me sour grapes, then yeah, I'm rolling in sour grapes.
Please link to the SNL skits featuring a bumbling Gov. Paterson when posting nonsense about him in the future, thanks.
The big news in this story is that Sonnenschein still exists. Who knew?
In the past, Sonnenschein has hired a lot of laterals who have had problems with the law. But they already settled up, paid their debts to society, and were back being clean. Avi's problems with the law are just beginning. He's the "crony" of a governor who is an admitted serial adulterer, who thumbed his nose at President Obama, Hilary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, Andrew Cuomo, and the people of New York State, who rewarded him with a 17 percent approval rating. And he continued to pay Avi $216,000/year for a nine-month no-show job, until the the Post is about the blow his cover--then Sonnenschein, the employer of last resort, makes a bet that they can get 18 months of rainmaking out of Avi before Patterson's successor--Andrew Cuomo--goes after Avi, Avi cops a plea, no jail time, but no more law license. In the meantime, is the Post going to give Avi/Sonnenschein a free pass? Don't bet on it.
Sonnenschein's got its Avi end game ready. Eighteen months from now, Avi will get caught in an "office etiquette accident," just like the one Sonnenschein rigged on Ira Schreger. Poof, no more Avi.
Doesn't Sonnenschein do any due diligence before they hire "partners"? Like a simle Google search, maybe? The very first hit produced by a Google search on Avi produces the New York Post's Page Six July 23, 2008 Tombstone on Avi titled "Avi Irked Over Grasso Story": "It's been a bad run for Eliot Spitzer's former pitbull Avi Schick, who ran the doomed overcompensation case against New York Stock Exchange Head Dick Grasso. Schick is said to be upset at Spitzer's successor as Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, for choosing not even to try pursuing the case after the state's highest court threw it out. But Schick told Page Six he has no feelings whatsoever about the decision.' I've moved on. It's someone else's responsibility,' he said. Schick was pushed out of his job as downstate head of the Empire State Development Corp. after Spitzer quIt as governor. Now there's word in political circles that Gov. Paterson will soon remove Schick as head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. over the failure to demolish the contaminated Deutsche Bank building [killing two firefighters in the process] , despite support for Schick from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." So, Schick's career highlights are that he flunked out of Rabbinical School, took credit for a nationwide tobacco case settlement that was finalized by Southern trial lawyers before Schick ever got his first goverment lawyer job, lost the unloseable Grasso case because Brendan Sullivan took is pants off, got a no-show job from Spitzer, but lost it when Spitzer lost his trousers, got another no-show job but lost it because he couldn't even tear down a building (but two of his firefighters died trying), and now has been hired to Co-Chair Sonnenschein's Nationwide Litigation Practice. Talk about a cat with nine lives.
Doesn't Sonnenschein do any due diligence before they hire "partners"? Like a simle Google search, maybe? The very first hit produced by a Google search on Avi produces the New York Post's Page Six July 23, 2008 Tombstone on Avi titled "Avi Irked Over Grasso Story": "It's been a bad run for Eliot Spitzer's former pitbull Avi Schick, who ran the doomed overcompensation case against New York Stock Exchange Head Dick Grasso. Schick is said to be upset at Spitzer's successor as Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, for choosing not even to try pursuing the case after the state's highest court threw it out. But Schick told Page Six he has no feelings whatsoever about the decision.' I've moved on. It's someone else's responsibility,' he said. Schick was pushed out of his job as downstate head of the Empire State Development Corp. after Spitzer quIt as governor. Now there's word in political circles that Gov. Paterson will soon remove Schick as head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. over the failure to demolish the contaminated Deutsche Bank building [killing two firefighters in the process] , despite support for Schick from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." So, Schick's career highlights are that he flunked out of Rabbinical School, took credit for a nationwide tobacco case settlement that was finalized by Southern trial lawyers before Schick ever got his first goverment lawyer job, lost the unloseable Grasso case because Brendan Sullivan took is pants off, got a no-show job from Spitzer, but lost it when Spitzer lost his trousers, got another no-show job but lost it because he couldn't even tear down a building (but two of his firefighters died trying), and now has been hired to Co-Chair Sonnenschein's Nationwide Litigation Practice. Talk about a cat with nine lives.
Doesn't Sonnenschein do any due diligence before they hire "partners"? Like a simle Google search, maybe? The very first hit produced by a Google search on Avi produces the New York Post's Page Six July 23, 2008 Tombstone on Avi titled "Avi Irked Over Grasso Story": "It's been a bad run for Eliot Spitzer's former pitbull Avi Schick, who ran the doomed overcompensation case against New York Stock Exchange Head Dick Grasso. Schick is said to be upset at Spitzer's successor as Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, for choosing not even to try pursuing the case after the state's highest court threw it out. But Schick told Page Six he has no feelings whatsoever about the decision.' I've moved on. It's someone else's responsibility,' he said. Schick was pushed out of his job as downstate head of the Empire State Development Corp. after Spitzer quIt as governor. Now there's word in political circles that Gov. Paterson will soon remove Schick as head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. over the failure to demolish the contaminated Deutsche Bank building [killing two firefighters in the process] , despite support for Schick from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." So, Schick's career highlights are that he flunked out of Rabbinical School, took credit for a nationwide tobacco case settlement that was finalized by Southern trial lawyers before Schick ever got his first goverment lawyer job, lost the unloseable Grasso case because Brendan Sullivan took is pants off, got a no-show job from Spitzer, but lost it when Spitzer lost his trousers, got another no-show job but lost it because he couldn't even tear down a building (but two of his firefighters died trying), and now has been hired to Co-Chair Sonnenschein's Nationwide Litigation Practice. Talk about a cat with nine lives.
Doesn't Sonnenschein do any due diligence before they hire "partners"? Like a simle Google search, maybe? The very first hit produced by a Google search on Avi produces the New York Post's Page Six July 23, 2008 Tombstone on Avi titled "Avi Irked Over Grasso Story": "It's been a bad run for Eliot Spitzer's former pitbull Avi Schick, who ran the doomed overcompensation case against New York Stock Exchange Head Dick Grasso. Schick is said to be upset at Spitzer's successor as Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, for choosing not even to try pursuing the case after the state's highest court threw it out. But Schick told Page Six he has no feelings whatsoever about the decision.' I've moved on. It's someone else's responsibility,' he said. Schick was pushed out of his job as downstate head of the Empire State Development Corp. after Spitzer quIt as governor. Now there's word in political circles that Gov. Paterson will soon remove Schick as head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. over the failure to demolish the contaminated Deutsche Bank building [killing two firefighters in the process] , despite support for Schick from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." So, Schick's career highlights are that he flunked out of Rabbinical School, took credit for a nationwide tobacco case settlement that was finalized by Southern trial lawyers before Schick ever got his first goverment lawyer job, lost the unloseable Grasso case because Brendan Sullivan took is pants off, got a no-show job from Spitzer, but lost it when Spitzer lost his trousers, got another no-show job but lost it because he couldn't even tear down a building (but two of his firefighters died trying), and now has been hired to Co-Chair Sonnenschein's Nationwide Litigation Practice. Talk about a cat with nine lives.
Doesn't Sonnenschein do any due diligence before they hire "partners"? Like a simle Google search, maybe? The very first hit produced by a Google search on Avi produces the New York Post's Page Six July 23, 2008 Tombstone on Avi titled "Avi Irked Over Grasso Story": "It's been a bad run for Eliot Spitzer's former pitbull Avi Schick, who ran the doomed overcompensation case against New York Stock Exchange Head Dick Grasso. Schick is said to be upset at Spitzer's successor as Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, for choosing not even to try pursuing the case after the state's highest court threw it out. But Schick told Page Six he has no feelings whatsoever about the decision.' I've moved on. It's someone else's responsibility,' he said. Schick was pushed out of his job as downstate head of the Empire State Development Corp. after Spitzer quIt as governor. Now there's word in political circles that Gov. Paterson will soon remove Schick as head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. over the failure to demolish the contaminated Deutsche Bank building [killing two firefighters in the process] , despite support for Schick from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." So, Schick's career highlights are that he flunked out of Rabbinical School, took credit for a nationwide tobacco case settlement that was finalized by Southern trial lawyers before Schick ever got his first goverment lawyer job, lost the unloseable Grasso case because Brendan Sullivan took is pants off, got a no-show job from Spitzer, but lost it when Spitzer lost his trousers, got another no-show job but lost it because he couldn't even tear down a building (but two of his firefighters died trying), and now has been hired to Co-Chair Sonnenschein's Nationwide Litigation Practice. Talk about a cat with nine lives.
Doesn't Sonnenschein do any due diligence before they hire "partners"? Like a simle Google search, maybe? The very first hit produced by a Google search on Avi produces the New York Post's Page Six July 23, 2008 Tombstone on Avi titled "Avi Irked Over Grasso Story": "It's been a bad run for Eliot Spitzer's former pitbull Avi Schick, who ran the doomed overcompensation case against New York Stock Exchange Head Dick Grasso. Schick is said to be upset at Spitzer's successor as Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, for choosing not even to try pursuing the case after the state's highest court threw it out. But Schick told Page Six he has no feelings whatsoever about the decision.' I've moved on. It's someone else's responsibility,' he said. Schick was pushed out of his job as downstate head of the Empire State Development Corp. after Spitzer quIt as governor. Now there's word in political circles that Gov. Paterson will soon remove Schick as head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. over the failure to demolish the contaminated Deutsche Bank building [killing two firefighters in the process] , despite support for Schick from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." So, Schick's career highlights are that he flunked out of Rabbinical School, took credit for a nationwide tobacco case settlement that was finalized by Southern trial lawyers before Schick ever got his first goverment lawyer job, lost the unloseable Grasso case because Brendan Sullivan took is pants off, got a no-show job from Spitzer, but lost it when Spitzer lost his trousers, got another no-show job but lost it because he couldn't even tear down a building (but two of his firefighters died trying), and now has been hired to Co-Chair Sonnenschein's Nationwide Litigation Practice. Talk about a cat with nine lives.
Word has it that many of Portnoy's partners were concerned about Schick's inglorious, notorious post-rabbinical career as a failed litigator, failed building demolisher, failed "crony" and as a man with a Sumo wrestler's physique and a Vesuvian temper. But Portnoy allegedly calmed the waters with one of his favorite sayings, "There is no such thing as bad publicity."
Word has it that many of Portnoy's partners were concerned about Schick's inglorious, notorious post-rabbinical career as a failed litigator, failed building demolisher, failed "crony" and as a man with a Sumo wrestler's physique and a Vesuvian temper. But Portnoy allegedly calmed the waters with one of his favorite sayings, "There is no such thing as bad publicity."
Word has it that many of Portnoy's partners were concerned about Schick's inglorious, notorious post-rabbinical career as a failed litigator, failed building demolisher, failed "crony" and as a man with a Sumo wrestler's physique and a Vesuvian temper. But Portnoy allegedly calmed the waters with one of his favorite sayings, "There is no such thing as bad publicity."
Word has it that many of Portnoy's partners were concerned about Schick's inglorious, notorious post-rabbinical career as a failed litigator, failed building demolisher, failed "crony" and as a man with a Sumo wrestler's physique and a Vesuvian temper. But Portnoy allegedly calmed the waters with one of his favorite sayings, "There is no such thing as bad publicity."
Word has it that many of Portnoy's partners were concerned about Schick's inglorious, notorious post-rabbinical career as a failed litigator, failed building demolisher, failed "crony" and as a man with a Sumo wrestler's physique and a Vesuvian temper. But Portnoy allegedly calmed the waters with one of his favorite sayings, "There is no such thing as bad publicity."