Attorney Misconduct
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Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Prostitution, Sex, Small Law Firms
Lawyer of the Day Last Week: Seeking a Sexy Secretary
Ed. note: We gave this a shout-out last week in non-sequiturs (second item), but it’s egregious enough to merit more discussion. Biglaw attorneys frequently complain about how hard it is to date given the amount of hours they devote to work. Attorneys at a small immigration firm in Chicago may have encountered a similar dilemma. […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics
(Former) Lawyer of the Day: Allen Feingold
Allen Feingold, a former Pennsylvania attorney, really loved practicing law. Even after being suspended and eventually disbarred, he continued to service clients — and went to extraordinary measures to do so. From Gina Passarella of the Legal Intelligencer: [Feingold] created letterhead in the name of attorney Jeffry Stephen Pearson, another attorney who apparently handled some […] - Sponsored
Diving Into Generative AI: A Practical Guide For Law Firms Starting From Scratch
NetDocuments’ Michelle Spencer on where to start, what to ask, and considerations for implementing generative AI tools in your organization. -
Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Harvey Miller, Intellectual Property, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Partner Issues, Screw-Ups
$40 Million Benchslap for Weil Gotshal
Don’t get too comfortable with that shiny new #6 Vault ranking, Weil Gotshal. The firm just got served, Texas-style. The ABA Journal reports: The Texas judge who ordered Microsoft to pay $290 million for infringing a patent included a $40 million enhancement that he said was partly justified because of alleged trial misconduct by a […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day, Sex
Lawyer of the Day: Gary Appelblatt
Gary Appelblatt, 58, a California divorce lawyer, was a bit too thorough in his interviews with his clients. From the Associated Press: Prosecutors say Appelblatt would tell clients that he had a pharmacy degree and touched them under the guise of performing medical procedures during divorce case consultations. Appelblatt has admitted to improperly touching five […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Celebrities, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Hotties, Legal Ethics, Media and Journalism, Reader Polls
Elizabeth Wurtzel Calling Herself a 'Lawyer': A Reader Poll
Yesterday we heard from legal ethics experts about whether Elizabeth Wurtzel’s referring to herself as a “lawyer,” despite not having passed the bar yet, could get her in trouble. The two we consulted, Professors Steven Lubet and Stephen Gillers, did not see it as a big deal. There’s an interesting follow-up over at Gawker, which […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Celebrities, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Hotties, Legal Ethics
Elizabeth Wurtzel: Can She Call Herself a 'Lawyer' Without Having Passed the Bar?
To those of you getting ready to take the bar exam this week, here’s some reassurance for you: even if you fail, life goes on. Consider this list of famous failures, people who didn’t pass the bar exam but went on to tremendous success anyway. And here’s another boldface name who failed the bar: Elizabeth […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day
Ragin' Cajun Courtroom Fracas
Lawyer fight! The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that competition for clients is heating up in the bayou: Two attorneys competing for clients, prestige and a bounty of legal fees opened a hearing at Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Monday with a schoolyard brawl that shocked the buttoned-up crowd and ended with one led away […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Legal Ethics, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Weirdness
Former Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Resigns for Defrauding Clients and the Firm (to the tune of $500K)
Back in July, we were the first to wonder about the mysterious departure from Sullivan & Cromwell of Carlos Spinelli-Noseda, a rising star at the über-prestigious (and profitable) law firm. Some commenters viewed our interest in his departure as unseemly, prying, or reflecting bias against S&C. We don’t mean to gloat — okay, maybe just […] - Sponsored
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ATL Idol, Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Legal Ethics
Follow-up: Character and Fitness...and Character
Update / Clarification: Some commenters have complained about a formatting problem in an earlier version of this post. If you encountered this formatting problem, it’s time for you to enter the 21st century, ditch Internet Explorer, and adopt a better browser, like Firefox (download it here). Or get a Mac. But just for the record, […] -
ATL Idol, Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Legal Ethics
Character & Fitness: Scooter Libby Passed, So I Think You're In The Clear
[Ed. note: This post is by FROLIC & DETOUR, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Frolic & Detour’s avatar (at right).] It’s puzzling that lawyers have a reputation as a bunch of thieving shysters. After all, we have to prove […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle
Lawyer of the Day: Loren Elliotte Friedman
Ah, those inscrutable transcripts from the University of Chicago Law School — gotta love ’em. They’re chock full of numbers, but they don’t use the standard “As = 90s, Bs = 80s” scale. For example, if your grades are all in the 80s, you’re a rock star. Nobody can make heads or tails of the […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)
So What Did You Think of the MPRE? Open Thread
Some of you took the MPRE recently — and we’re gathering, from your comments, that you’d like a place to talk about it. Here is an open thread. To be totally honest, we’re not really sure how much there is to say about the MPRE. It’s not a super-difficult test, and it hasn’t exactly achieved […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Federal Judges, Intellectual Property, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Trials
Lawyers of the Day: McDermott Will & Emery(And they just canceled their associate retreat, too.)
Pity the poor partners of McDermott Will & Emery. Sure, their firm is highly regarded and highly profitable. But when they head off to try cases in far-off places, they often get benchslapped silly. You may recall the case of bankruptcy partner William Smith, who found himself in the deep-fat fryer after telling a judge […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Jack Thompson, Lawyer of the Day, Rudeness
Lawyer of the Day: Jack Thompson
Florida lawyer Jack Thompson, who is completely crazy somewhat colorful, has surfaced in these pages before. But he has never been an ATL Lawyer of the Day. With this post, we officially bestow the honor upon him. From Game Politics: [T]he Florida Supreme Court alleged [last] week that controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson has “abused […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Document Review, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Qualcomm, Screw-Ups
Lawyers of the Day: An Embarrassment of Riches
Or a richness of embarrassment. Today we’re going to name not one, but seven Lawyers of the Day. Our first Lawyer of the Day is Mark Mersel (formerly of Morrison & Foerster, now at Bryan Cave). In case you missed the shout-out in Morning Docket, here’s a bit more, from the WSJ Law Blog: It’s […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Celebrities, Deaths, Hillary Clinton, Hotties, Murder, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, White-Collar Crime
Non-Sequiturs: 01.04.07
* Hot lawyers make more money. And we needed a study to tell us this? [Legal Blog Watch via ABA Journal; WSJ Law Blog] * A truly insane murder case. And yes, Debra Opri — who has represented Michael Jackson and Larry Birkhead, among other boldface names — is on the scene. [DealBreaker; HedgeFund.net] * […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Hair, Job Searches, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Media and Journalism, Non-Sequiturs, Paralegals, Pornography, Sex
Non-Sequiturs: 10.25.07
* Professor Eugene Volokh wonders: Does engaging in a three-way with a current client and the client’s girlfriend count as having sex “with a current client” — a practice forbidden by state bar rules? [Volokh Conspiracy] * Professor Ann Bartow wonders: Why call it “law porn”? [Feminist Law Professors via Blawg Review] * Paralegal of […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Blogging, Cars, Drinking, Law Professors, Non-Sequiturs, Orin Kerr, Sports, Tax Law
Non-Sequiturs: 10.17.07
* It’s hard to believe this car was parked in Brooklyn, of all places. [Althouse] * The law school hiring process privileges glibness — and is that a bad thing? Law professors are hired (1) to train lawyers, of all people, and (2) to write articles that sound like they’re saying a lot, even when […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Document Review, Email Scandals, Heller Ehrman, Lawyer of the Day, Layoffs, Legal Ethics, Qualcomm, Screw-Ups
Lawyers of the Day: The Qualcomm Gang of 19
Tomorrow is a very big day for almost 20 California lawyers. From Blogonaut: A federal district court has ordered 14 California lawyers to explain why they should not be sanctioned for their “exceptional misconduct” on behalf of Qualcomm in a lawsuit that the San Diego wireless company lost. All of the lawyers subject to the […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Bankruptcy, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Rank Stupidity
Lawyer of the Day: Peter Cannon
Just like Justice Anthony Kennedy, Bankruptcy Judge Paul J. Kilburg (S.D. Iowa) does his own internet research. This is a lesson that Peter Cannon, Esq., learned the hard way. From TaxProf Blog: Mr. Peter Cannon, a West Des Moines, Iowa attorney, represented Defendant John Petit in an adversary proceeding initiated by Trustee to uncover assets […]