It depends on whose side of the story you believe. From the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

In a sensational legal filing (PDF), a former partner at Adams and Reese who is awaiting trial on charges that he stole $30 million from the firm claims that the firm has had a hand in scandals ranging from the WorldCom stock fraud to the abuse of Louisiana film tax credits.

The lawsuit also claims the New Orleans firm has made a practice of hiring former public officials, including former Jefferson Parish President Tim Coulon and former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, and improperly using them to land clients with whom they had dealt as public officials. Coulon and Morial deny the claim.

The 73-page civil racketeering lawsuit reads more like a legal thriller than a court filing. It portrays accused thief Jamie Perdigao as a hard worker who was trying to stay within ethical boundaries while senior members of the firm pressured him into bending the rules to make money.

The suit does not make clear whether Perdigao has evidence to support his allegations. The law firm called the suit "the latest episode in Perdigao's continuing fantasy of blaming the government and our firm for his wrongdoing and lashing out at those who are holding him accountable for his actions."

Several tipsters alerted us to this article. Some viewed it as par for the course in Louisiana:

"[A] nice scandalous law firm story, though not entirely surprising coming from New Orleans. Adams & Reese is certainly one of the top firms in the Gulf area and largely considered to be the closest you will get to Biglaw down there."

"Most people don't know how corrupt New Orleans politics really are, but now we've got a suit filed against Adams & Reese (the largest firm in the city) for its involvement. The plaintiff is a former partner caught stealing $20-30 million a few years back.... Guess he figures if he goes to jail, he may as well bring his former partners with him. Pretty good stuff."

But another reader views Perdigao's account skeptically, summarizing the situation as follows:

"Attorney steals $30M, then blames former firm in mini-Grisham novel, 70 page-RICO suit."

This suit sounds like one to watch. We suspect that neither party will emerge smelling like magnolias.

Indicted lawyer says New Orleans firm steeped in corruption [NOLA.com / New Orleans Times-Picayune via ABA Journal]
Complaint: Perdigao v. Adams and Reese (PDF) [NOLA.com / New Orleans Times-Picayune]

This week marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The news has been full of reports about the status of the affected areas, particularly New Orleans, two years later. Most of them have not been good; here are a few examples:

"Bitterness lingers 2 years after Katrina" [AP via Yahoo!]
"Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast Struggling 2 years later" [CNN]
"Hope, skepticism mark Katrina anniversary" [USA Today]

But this is a legal blog, and so we want to know specifically about the state of the legal community in New Orleans two years post-Katrina. Immediately following the hurricane, the New Orleans legal system was "devastated." Has it recovered?

We'd like to hear from associates in New Orleans about their current experiences. Are the courts up and running? What is the backlog like? What about associate pay; is it back to normal?

And this has little to do with biglaw, but when is New Orleans going to get a handle on the murder situation?

Share your perspectives on the state of the New Orleans legal community in the comments.

* Last Tuesday, a civil action captioned Aaron Brett Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP was filed in New York Supreme Court -- and the world of Biglaw has never been the same ever since. Click here to access the complete archives of our Aaron Charney coverage.

* Of course, Sullivan & Cromwell partners aren't the only bosses who are jerks challenging (allegedly).

* Don't forget the Divine Miss C, Shanetta Cutlar, whose delicious reign continues over at the Justice Department's Special Litigation Section.

Compared to Aaron Charney and Shanetta Cutlar, other topics pale by comparison. But here are other highlights from the past week in legal news:

* Charles "Cully" Stimson apologizes for ranking on Gitmo lawyers.

* In New Orleans, trials get rescheduled for football.

* Barry Ostrager of Simpson Thacher, the renowned business litigator, has poor bathroom manners (or aim).

* The justices of the Michigan Supreme Court just can't stop squabbling.

* Now we know the real reason -- or rather, the 25 million reasons -- that the Dewey Ballantine / Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe merger was scuttled.

* Third Circuit Judge Marjorie Rendell, who also serves as the First Lady of Pennsylvania, sings a duet with Jon Bon Jovi. We don't know whether to be delighted or frightened.

* I think I may be the only New Yorker who regularly watches local channel NY1 -- I just can’t get enough of Pat Kiernan’s deadpan delivery, especially of the more frivolous items. What would he say (and too bad he can’t) about this doctored photo of his colleague “BBB”? [New York Post via Gothamist]

* Because monkeys are people too. [AP via Yahoo! News]

* The lesson learned is to move if you live near a dam. (I am amazed at my restraint in the face of such a punnable word, but hey, this is pretty serious.) [New Orleans City Business via Ernie the Attorney]

* Anyone who hasn’t been ripped on in cyberspace is either in a coma or hasn’t come out of his Y2K bomb shelter. I bet these guys would love to be able to claim a cause of action. [Findlaw]

* The number of women clerking at the Supreme Court has fallen to the lowest level since 1994. It's all Scalia's fault. Oh wait, no it isn't -- he never hires women anyway. [New York Times]

* Former Whitewater prosecutor Ken Starr has asked the Supreme Court to hear the appeal of a high school that disciplined a student for displaying a banner that said "Bong Hits 4 Jesus"' during an off-campus Olympic torch relay. Such a killjoy, that Starr! And definitely don't stick that doobie you-know-where... [Associated Press]

* A federal court has tossed out the retaliation claim made by Jesselyn Radack, the ex-Justice Department lawyer who advised the FBI not to question John Walker Lindh without his lawyer. [National Law Journal]

* One year after Hurricane Katrina, life is still hard for lawyers in the Big Easy. One former New Orleans attorney is now working as a short-order cook. So stop complaining about the paper cut you got doing document review. [National Law Journal]