Gallion & Spielvogel

Gallion & Spielvogel Strike Again

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Steven Spielvogel Edward Gallion Spielvogel boutique law firms Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgThe New York Times is a world-renowned news publication. It is exceedingly prestigious. Coverage in its pages is highly coveted.
But the Gray Lady may be a bit easy. Why else would she go down on Gallion & Spielvogel, our favorite pair of S&C refugees turned eminently pedigreed barristers?
From this morning’s NYT:

Steven Spielvogel, a lanky 40-year-old lawyer who, with his angular looks and jet black hair, resembles Ric Ocasek of the 1980s band the Cars, has been on something of a tour of his own.

He has been promoting a network that connects small law firms around the country and the world. The idea is to give the better small law firms a way to compete with the big national and global firms.

Since starting the International Network of Boutique Law Firms, in 2004, Mr. Spielvogel has been knocking on doors and setting up lunches to persuade the lawyers at small firms with prestigious résumés to start a local chapter.

The rest of the puff piece proceeds to fellate Steve Spielvogel and the INBLF in print. It’s accompanied by an awesome pic of Spielvogel, striking a pose in Rockefeller Center (and looking like Luke Wilson, to his credit).
But why isn’t Spielvogel in a tuxedo? And where’s his partner in crime, Edward R. Gallion?
More mockery news analysis, after the jump.

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Brokeback Lawfirm: Highlights from the Amended Complaint

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Aaron Charney full length Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Above the Law Above the Law blog.jpgThe indefatigable Lavi Soloway has posted an excellent summary of the juiciest parts of the amended complaint just filed by Aaron Charney.
The best stuff is in the lede (all caps in the original; emphases added):

THE AMENDED COMPLAINT INCLUDES ALLEGATION THAT ON JANUARY 31, FORMER S&C ASSOCIATE, EDWARD GALLION, WHO HAD BEEN HIRED TO REPRESENT ASSOCIATE GERA GRINBERG, REVEALED TO CHARNEY AND GRINBERG THAT HE, GALLION, IS “A HOMOSEXUAL.”

GALLION IS ALLEGED TO HAVE DISCLOSED THIS FACT IN GALLION’S APARTMENT (???) AS GRINBERG, CHARNEY AND GALLION AWAITED THE ARRIVAL OF GALLION’S PARTNER, STEVEN SPIELVOGEL, WHO WAS TO ACCOMPANY THEM TO A SCHEDULED SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE. ALLEGEDLY, GALLION ALSO TOLD THEM THAT HE HAD NOT MADE PARTNER AT S&C BECAUSE OF ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION AND THAT WHILE HE WAS AN ASSOCIATE THERE HE HAD BEEN NICKNAMED “THE FAGGOT” BY A PARTNER AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

You can read Soloway’s full post by clicking here. Good stuff!
Charney Files Amended Complaint Against Sullivan & Cromwell [Soloway]

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Brokeback Lawfirm: Back in the Saddle

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H Rodgin Cohen 2 Chairman Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Sullivan Cromwell Above the Law Above the Law Above the Law ATL legal tabloid legal blog.JPGYesterday Aaron Charney, the former Sullivan & Cromwell associate now suing his former employer for sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation, filed an amended complaint against the firm. To download copies of Charney’s latest filings, follow these handy instructions.
Some background about the new complaint, from an article by Anthony Lin in this morning’s New York Law Journal:

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried dismissed Charney’s original pro se complaint without prejudice earlier this month, ruling that some of the ex-associate’s allegations and attachments were irrelevant and potentially violative of disciplinary rules. The judge gave Charney leave to replead his case.

Though Charney, now represented by four lawyers, excised the material cited by the judge, he added new allegations concerning events that took place after his initial complaint was filed, in particular a Jan. 31, 2007, settlement meeting.

Discussion continues after the jump.

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Brokeback Lawfirm: A Bit of Monkey Business?

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Remember our post from last week, hinting at the possibility that false affidavits were created in the Aaron Charney / Sullivan & Cromwell litigation? Well, a few more details — or allegations, at least — are drifting in.
Check out this order by Justice Bernard Fried:
Charney order 1.JPG
Second page, after the jump.

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Brokeback Lawfirm: Highlights from Aaron Charney’s Deposition

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Aaron Charney 2 headshot Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett CharneyWe’ve reviewed the excerpts from the Aaron Charney deposition that were attached to Charney’s court filings from yesterday. We’ve culled out some highlights, so you can review them for yourself and reach your own conclusions.
(We realize, of course, that this is just Aaron Charney’s side of the story. But at this point, in the absence of deposition testimony from Gera Grinberg or any S&C lawyers, it’s all we’ve got. Obviously you should read it with the caveat that Charney isn’t exactly a disinterested witness.)
For starters, here’s Charney’s testimony about the alleged “we’ve represented the Nazis” comment by Sullivan & Cromwell partner Gandolfo “Vince” DiBlasi:
Aaron Charney deposition 1 Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Above the Law blog.jpg
Additional juicy excerpts, after the jump.

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Brokeback Lawfirm: What A Mess

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Aaron Charney 2 headshot Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett CharneyAs we’ve mentioned before, Lavi Soloway has posted some great coverage of yesterday’s hearing in Aaron Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell. He offers detailed discussion of the arguments before Justice Bernard Fried, his impressions of them, and original photos.
You can access Soloway’s two posts here and here. They’re well worth your time.
Some excerpts, with commentary from us, appear after the jump.

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Brokeback Lawfirm: It Gets Better By the Day

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H Rodgin Cohen 2 Chairman Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Sullivan Cromwell Above the Law Above the Law Above the Law ATL legal tabloid legal blog.JPGThank you, Sullivan & Cromwell, for not settling this case and putting the mess behind you. The ongoing saga of Aaron Charney v. S&C is providing lawyers across the country with hours of entertainment.
Each week brings some exciting new development or salacious revelation. And yesterday’s hearing in New York Supreme Court, before Justice Bernard Fried, was no exception to this rule.
Discussion and links, after the jump.

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Brokeback Lawfirm: A Report on Today’s Hearing

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Aaron Charney 2 headshot Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett CharneyLavi Soloway’s eyewitness account is available here. Good stuff!!! There are a number of juicy new revelations, which we’ll have more to say about in a subsequent post.
In the meantime, feel free to discuss the case and developments from the hearing in this open thread. Our main reaction: We’re disappointed to learn that Edward Gallion is no longer involved in this matter (and might find himself in a bit of hot water, too).
Messrs. Gallion & Spielvogel, you will be missed.
What Happened to the Notes Taken at the Settlement Conference? [Soloway]

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Gallion & Spielvogel Got A Brand New Bag

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You can check it out here: http://www.internalinvestigationlaw.com.
Sadly, their new website is understated, even tasteful. The fonts are well-chosen. The color scheme of black, red and white is catchy yet unobjectionable.
Where are the photos of the founding partners lounging about in tuxedos, making “tiger eyes” at the camera? Where is the aggressive touting of the “International Association of Networks”? And why have they removed all mention of their Long Island offices — have they closed them, or are they just trying to look less “bridge and tunnel”? (They list only their Manhattan address, in the world-famous Rockefeller Center.)
Thankfully, the website is not entirely bereft of comic fodder. This graphic is a little on the cheesy side:
Gallion & Spielvogel website Above the Law blog.JPG
“Success? Keep going until the third light, make a left. Go for a quarter-mile. Then you get to this traffic circle… Oh, it gets confusing — don’t you have GPS?”
And the attorney bios are still amusingly self-aggrandizing. We’re glad to know that a Second Circuit clerkship is still “extremely prestigious”; that Tenth Circuit clerkships are “coveted” and “prestigious” (which may be more or less prestigious than “extremely prestigious”); and that Sullivan & Cromwell is still “one of the most prominent Wall Street law firms,” representing “many of the world’s largest corporations.”
On the whole, though, the site is much improved. Kudos to Messrs. Gallion & Spielvogel!
P.S. One oopsie that we’d like to point out, in our role as helpful critic of their webpage: at the bottom of the page, it states, “For more information visit our website www.gsbarristers.com.” But that web address doesn’t offer “more information”; it has nothing on it but the firm name, as we previously noted.
Gallion & Spielvogel: Internal Investigation Law Firm [official website]
(If you’re not familiar with Gallion & Spielvogel and the firm’s previous misadventures in the world of webpage design, read these comments, as well as our prior coverage of Gallion & Spielvogel.)

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Brokeback Lawfirm: A Status Conference Tomorrow

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It looks like there’s going to be a status conference tomorrow in Sullivan & Cromwell v. Charney. Here’s the docket entry:
Aaron Charney Sullivan Cromwell docket entry Above the Law.JPG
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to travel up to New York for the festivities. If you work at 60 Centre Street or nearby, and might be able to attend the proceedings, we’d be most grateful for your report.
In other Brokeback Lawfirm developments, Lavi Soloway has gotten his hands on a copy of the transcript from the last Charney v. S&C hearing. He parses it in this post. Here’s a highlight:

THE COURT: That’s a settlement meeting between Mr. Charney and persons respresenting Sullivan & Cromwell?

MR. ALTERMAN: Sullivan & Cromwell themselves before we were involved.

THE COURT: With Mr. Charney?

MR. ALTERMAN: With Mr. Charney and another witness.

THE COURT: That’s my question.

MR. ALTERMAN: And another witness represented by counsel, a secret settlement meeting when they offered him a sum of money.

Lavi Soloway wonders: “Who was the other witness? Was it Gera Grinberg, represented by Gallion & Spielvogel?”
Discussion about the “secret settlement talks” reminds us — we’ve been meaning to pat ourselves on the back. On February 2, we feverishly speculated that settlement discussions were ongoing between the parties.
When S&C’s lawsuit against Charney became widely known, it looked like we were wrong. But as it turns out, we were right, at least in part. The parties WERE in the process of trying to settle the case during the second half of that week. It wasn’t until after the talks failed, and Charney found counsel for himself, that the parties wound up at 60 Centre Street (first for a TRO hearing before Justice Charles Ramos, and then for later proceedings before Justice Bernard Fried).
White Shoe Diaries: The Charney Transcript [Soloway]
WebCivil Supreme [New York State Unified Court System]

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