Morning Docket 11.05.09
* Federal prosecutors accuse Troutman Sanders real estate practice group leader, Leonard Grunstein, of participating in a $50 million kickback scheme. [AmLaw Daily]
* Bank of America’s general counsel was not on active status to practice law in Massachusetts during his first (crucial) eight days as the company’s top lawyer. [Boston Globe]
* Big pay day for the lawyers who helped Walmart workers get their overtime money. [National Law Journal]
* NY AG Andrew Cuomo is going after Intel. [Wired]
* The attorney general of Kenya is mulling a lawsuit against the U.S. for revoking his travel visa. [Associated Press]
* Robber can sue the store he robbed. [CBS News]
* AT&T sues Verizon over map mocking its poor 3G coverage… and brings more attention to how poor its 3G coverage is. [PC World]
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Comments
"Moynihan, who was registered as an inactive attorney in Massachusetts, updated his license to active status in Massachusetts on Dec. 18, eight days after his appointment as general counsel"
"Bank of America’s general counsel was not on active status to practice law in Massachusetts during his first (crucial) 18 days as the company’s top lawyer."
He doesn't have to be licensed, or even a law grad, to be GC of a company. Since he's representing his own company, it amounts to nothing more than what an ordinary person would be doing if he represented himself in court. This is nothing.
NY BAR RESULTS ARE OUT, I PASSED!
The outcast. The slut. The bitch. The whore. The lonely, sad, slutty, bitchy whore.
Suck my ass, Mystal, you race bating, comment removing, Eskimo censoring, WALRUS!
Kash and Elie: According to Clusterstock, one or more attorneys at Ropes & Gray have been arrested for insider trading. Please report on this.
Thanks.
To all the NY bar passers posting "I passed" on ATL:
We don't care
What's all this with Ropes & Gray and Troutman lawyers being accused of crimes. There arene't crooked lawyers out there, are there?
2
I thought the same at first, except the article states "inactive lawyers are legally barred from practicing law in Massachusetts, except for pro bono work." On the other hand, perhaps being a GC is not "the practice of law," but I doubt that is the case. There is a rule that allows a GC to practice in multiple jurisdictions without admission to each jurisdiction, but I believe that is predicated on being admitted to at least one jurisdiction.
9, I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I still don't think an in-house attorney such as a GC has to be licensed in order to do legal work on behalf of his company. It's the same as representing yourself. I guess I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
AmLaw says 23 associates at Latham made partner. Can you get their names?
Colonel Trautman was spotted in the Peach Pit putting the moves on Brenda Walsh. Steve Sanders was present but his role, if any, in the alleged seduction was not described.
2: In many states, a company cannot represent itself in legal proceedings without the person doing the representing being a licensed attorney. Companies cannot act except through people. One of those "people" generally must be an attorney.
Umm... Any actual lawyers on this board? YES, you have to be admitted to the Bar to represent a corporation. (It's a distinct legal person, remember..?) Some states allow non-lawyers to appear for companies in small claims or other minor tribunals, but representing a company is not the same as appearing pro se.
Moynihan likely did not need to be admitted in MA to serve in-house there; but he had to be on active status SOMEWHERE.