Attorney Misconduct
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Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Legal Ethics, Loretta Preska
Benchslap of the Day: Judge Preska Reprimands (Wait for It)... Cleary Gottlieb?
Judge Loretta K. Preska (S.D.N.Y.) has it all: a lifetime appointment to the federal bench, a rich husband, and killer shoes. As well as, it appears, no patience for lawyers who play fast and loose with the rules. From the WSJ Law Blog: Cleary Gottlieb conjures images of Ivy League bookishness and international savoir faire, […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Carol Lam, Legal Ethics, Qualcomm
Benchslap of the Day a Few Days Ago: The Qualcomm Debacle
We briefly mentioned that Carol Lam, one of the controversial U.S. Attorney firing victims, is now the interim general counsel of Qualcomm. If you’d like to know about the scandal that caused her predecessor, Lou Lupin, to resign, check out the WSJ Law Blog: It’s something no lawyer wants to get — a ruling from […] - Sponsored
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Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Crime, Legal Ethics, Practice Pointers, Taser, Violence
ATL Practice Pointers: Don't Taser the Client
Even if you have a possible justification for doing so — ’cause it might be illegal. From the ABA Journal: Proceedings have been delayed in a California misdemeanor case in which the defense is claiming that police brutalized their client with a stun gun during his arrest at a shopping mall last year. That’s because […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Sex, Sex Scandals
Lawyer of the Day: Liam Michael Golden
We just learned a new word today: “tomcatting.” From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Chehalis, Washington — The tomcatting of the elected prosecutor in this conservative rural town has jeopardized as many as four cases brought by his office and prompted a complaint to the state bar association. Liam Michael Golden, a Republican who ran unopposed for […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Case, Legal Ethics, Michael Nifong, Pets
Mike Nifong to N.C. State Bar: The Dog Ate My Law License
Quite literally. From TSG: In a pathetic end to the Mike Nifong saga, the disgraced North Carolina prosecutor who handled the Duke rape investigation has turned in his law license, noting that he never framed or displayed the document because it had been damaged “by a puppy in her chewing stage.” Additionally, in an August […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Money, Plaintiffs Firms
Lawyer of the Day: Hank Adorno
Actually, this is a two-for-one. We can also get a Benchslap of the Day out of this item. From the Miami Herald: Prominent attorney Hank Adorno — already under Florida Bar investigation for his role in Miami’s fire-fee scandal — on Wednesday was blasted by the Third District Court of Appeal for what the judges […] -
Attorney Misconduct, In-House Counsel, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics
Lawyer General Counsel (Who Doesn't Give Legal Advice) of the Day: Horace Nalle
We apologize if we seem a little fixated on Atlanta these days. They seem to have a lot going on down there (even though it’s not all good). From the Fulton County Daily Report (which we’ve been reading a lot lately, despite that obscure-sounding name): Horace “Hod” Nalle has been general counsel for Merial, a […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Plaintiffs Firms
Lawyer of the Day: John O'Quinn
Lately we’ve been writing a lot about the Lone Star State. So it’s fitting that John O’Quinn, the “legendary and controversial” Texas trial lawyer, is ATL’s Lawyer of the Day. Why? Here are at least 35.7 million reasons. Breaking: Wood v. John O’Quinn ruling [Overlawyered] John M. O’Quinn bio [The O’Quinn Law Firm] John O’Quinn […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Alison Maynard, Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics
Lawyer of the Day: Alison Maynard (again)
It’s not easy to be a two-time winner of our Lawyer of the Day award. But after reading this post, we think that you’ll find Colorado lawyer Alison Maynard more than worthy of this honor. Longtime readers of ATL will surely recall Alison “Sunny” Maynard from our prior coverage. But in case you don’t, here’s […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Food, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Non-Sequiturs, Paris Hilton
Non-Sequiturs: 06.27.07
* Who says Loyola 2Ls can’t land good jobs? [SCOTUSblog] * Lobster rolls. And Chipwich. Yum. [Gawker; Althouse] * It’s nice to know that you can neglect your caseload, fabricate documents, and still get reinstated to the bar. [Boston Globe] * Law firm ranking schemes are kind of like blogs. If everyone has one, who’s […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Legal Ethics
Benchslap of the Day: Wiley A Little Too Wily?
So what’s Wiley Rein LLP going to do with its record-setting profits per partner from last year? One possibility (for a small portion of the haul): Pay off the $1.25 million fine that Judge Alvin Hellerstein (S.D.N.Y.) just slapped them with, for allegedly withholding information about an insurance policy in the World Trade Center insurance […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Case, Legal Ethics, Michael Nifong, Politics
When the Headline Says It All
It’s official: Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong was disbarred over the weekend. From the AP: The five-day ethics trial ended Nifong’s three-decade legal career, which he spent entirely as a prosecutor in Durham County. He was generally viewed as an honest lawyer before taking over the case of a woman who told police she was […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Case, Legal Ethics, Michael Nifong, Monica Goodling
Breaking: Mike Nifong To Resign as Durham District Attorney
It’s a Friday afternoon in June. Of course it couldn’t pass without a high-profile resignation. From WRAL: Mike Nifong made the announcement at the end of his testimony Friday at his State Bar ethics trial to the surprise of the families and defense attorneys of the cleared lacrosse players. “Throughout the years I have served […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Case, Legal Ethics, Michael Nifong, Rape
Mike Nifong: The Doodoo Deepens
Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, who rose to international infamy due to his handling of the Duke lacrosse team “rape” case, must now face the music. His trial on ethics charges brought by the North Carolina State Bar started today. According to WRAL.com, Nifong’s lawyer, David Freedman, offered this argument in his opening statement: “It […] -
Asians, Attorney Misconduct, Rank Stupidity
Why Did the Lawyer Cross the Road?
Chinese judges: they’re just like ours. They lament how profit pressures are making the practice of law much more of a business and much less of a profession. At a recent conference, Hong Kong judge Andrew Li Kwok-nang stated: “To put it bluntly, mercenary considerations have assumed much greater prominence at the expense of ethical […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Forgery, Lawyer of the Day, Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi
Lawyer of the Day: Timothy Block
Initiative. Creativity. Zealous advocacy on behalf of the client. All qualities demonstrated by Robins Kaplan partner Timothy Block, who is ATL’s Lawyer of the Day. Update: The story is getting attention not just in the legal world, but in the tech world, too. Best Buy Attorney Falsified E-Mails [Minneapolis Star-Tribune] Firm’s Mea Culpa Adds Twist […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Divorce Train Wrecks, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Paris Hilton, Raoul Felder, Sentencing Law, Trials
Morning Docket: 06.05.07
* Yawn… [MSNBC] * Job opportunities for the disbarred. [ABANet] * Libby sentencing today. [CNN] * Advice for Paris. [WSJ Law Blog] * Polsky divorce settlement hits $184 million. [CNN]
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Attorney Misconduct
From the 'Whatever Happened To?' File
We wrote about them previously here and here. Now, an update on the “Biglaw Boys Gone Bad,” from the Chicago Sun-Times: Two Chicago lawyers accused of raping a Wisconsin woman in 2005 could lose their law licenses as a result of a disciplinary complaint filed against them last week. Stephan Addison and Benjamin Butler face […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Lawyer of the Day, Litigators, Religion, Vicious Infighting, Violence
Lawyers of the Day: Michael Fawer and Joseph Bartels
Disorder in the court, disorder in the court! From the New Orleans Times-Picayune: St. Tammany Parish deputies took two defense attorneys into custody on contempt of court accusations Monday after they got into a fight at the parish courthouse in Covington, Sheriff Jack Strain confirmed. Michael Fawer of Covington and his brother-in-law, Joseph Bartels of […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Email Scandals, Legal Ethics, Lunacy, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, Weirdness
What the Stroock Is Going On?
Apparently something weird is going on over in the New York office of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. Something really weird. A source at another firm advised us: Something has happened at Stroock. Rumors floating around that an associate flipped his s**t and emailed all personnel with something odd. I can’t find out more than […]