Plaintiffs Firms

Glenn Close and Damages: Dubious or Delicious?

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Damages FX Glenn Close Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgIf you’re looking for something to do in an hour and a half, why not check out the new legal thriller on FX, Damages?
This new television series stars Glenn Close, whom we have worshiped ever since Fatal Attraction. We love a strong woman, who knows exactly what she wants — and will stop at nothing to get it.
The litigatrix role that Glenn Close plays in Damages has some similarities to Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction. Here’s the show’s synopsis:

DAMAGES is a legal thriller set in the world of New York City high-stakes litigation. The series, which provides a view into the true nature of power and success, follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) the nation’s most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator and her bright, ambitious protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) as they become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting the allegedly corrupt Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), one of the country’s wealthiest CEOs.

As Patty battles with Frobisher and his attorney Ray Fiske (Željko Ivanek), Ellen Parsons will be front and center, witnessing just what it takes to win at all costs, as it quickly becomes clear that lives, as well as fortunes, may be at stake.

Tonight’s episode is the third installment of the series. Some thoughts on the first two episodes, from two readers and from us, appear after the jump.

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Remember Those Weird Radio Ads Mentioning Hogan & Hartson?

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Hogan Hartson LLP Above the Law blog.JPGWe discussed them back in this post, and wondered: What are they all about?
Well, now we have some answers.
But the mystery isn’t completely solved, since we know neither the identity nor the grievances of the ex-Hogan client who is so unhappy with the firm (or its fees) that they’re taking out (presumably expensive) radio ads to make a point. If you can enlighten us, please do so by email (subject line: “Hogan & Hartson”). Thanks.
Former Client Running Ads Against Hogan and Hartson [New York Personal Injury Law Blog]
Disgruntled Client Launches Toll-Free Number for Gripes About BigLaw Firm [Legal Times]
Earlier: Lawsuit of the Day: Have You Been Injured… By Hogan & Hartson?

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Lawyer of the Day: John O’Quinn

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John O'Quinn John M O'Quinn Anna Nicole Smith Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgLately 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 [Wikipedia]

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Lawsuit of the Day: Have You Been Injured… By Hogan & Hartson?

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Hogan Hartson LLP Above the Law blog.JPGIf so, call 1-800-759-8611. NOW!
No, this isn’t a joke. From a source:

I heard this radio advertisement running on 50,000 watt WABC radio in New York. I heard it twice on the morning of the 16th, about 6:30am and about one hour later, and once again (3rd time) I believe [on Wednesday]. It went something like this:

Did you hire a Hogan and Hartson senior partner for bet the company liltigation? Was your case handled by a junior lawyer instead of the senior partner you thought you were paying for? Call 800-759-8611.

I believe I have the number correct. What’s this all about?

We share our tipster’s curiosity. And yes, reader, you have the number correct. We called the number, got an answering machine message (which mentioned Hogan & Hartson), and left a message of our own, identifying ourselves as media types in search of comment (we haven’t heard back yet).
We don’t understand the nature of this lawsuit. If these plaintiffs’ lawyers think that hiring Rainmaking Partner X means that all work on your case will be done by Rainmaking Partner X, they need to get a clue. Tons of other lawyers will work on your case — but be billed out at much lower rates, of course.
(David Boies, Ted Olson, Marty Lipton… they have these people called associates, you see, who help them with stuff. Associates are kinda like Santa’s elves. They do all the work, even though you may not see them that much…)
But if the allegation is that clients of Hogan & Hartson were billed for hours supposedly worked by a senior partner, when the hours in question were actually worked by, say, a junior associate — well, that might be more interesting.
Does anyone know what the heck this might be about, or which plaintiffs’ firm is handling the matter? If so, please email us. Thanks.

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People Who Live in Gingerbread Houses Should Not Throw Jujubees

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gingerbread house gingerbread man Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgIn the wake of name partner David Bershad’s guilty plea, the schadenfreude over the fall of Milberg Weiss continues.
Even ex-paralegals at Milberg Weiss are getting in on the fun. Check out this excerpt, from a comment posted at Roger Parloff’s blog:

[F]or anyone who argues that theirs were essentially victimless crimes, how about the competitive advantage Milberg Weiss has enjoyed over firms who really are ethically defending the little guy? It was this idea of evening the playing field for investors and consumers that made me excited about working for Milberg Weiss in the first place, and I passed up more lucrative offers from Defense firms because of my desire to be able to look myself in the mirror every morning. Too bad my employers did not have the same commitment to honesty.

Oh, and as an additional note on class, [former name partner Steven] Schulman actually had the nerve to e-mail the entire firm to ask if they wanted to support his children’s private school by buying gingerbread houses decorated by the kids for $200 a pop. And then, the night of the firm Christmas Party, he sent out a second-chance e-mail offering them discounted at $150!

Rumor also has it that if you bought Girl Scout cookies from Schulman’s daughter, he’d reach into this secret safe he had in his office, and kick back half of the cash to you…
Only Mel Weiss can save Milberg Weiss now [Legal Pad / Fortune]
Earlier: Lawyer of the Day: David Bershad

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Lawyer of the Day: David Bershad

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Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes Learch Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgFormer Milberg Weiss partner David Bershad has agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy count, and to cooperate with the feds in their investigation of his former law firm (in which he was once a name partner). The government alleged that Bershad paid kickbacks to clients to serve as plaintiffs in securities class action cases. See here, here, and here.
The best part of the whole story, from the WSJ Law Blog:

* In the earlier years of the alleged conspiracy, Bershad along with Partners A and B and others, “pooled their personal cash into a fund Bershad maintained in his office at Milberg Weiss, which was used by the Conspiring Partners to supply cash for secret payments to paid plaintiffs and others.”

* According to the statement, “the amounts the Conspiring Partners each contributed were supposed to be approximately proportionate to their respective partnership interests in Milberg Weiss. Bershad kept track of the amounts contributed and of the secret cash payments that had been made to paid plaintiffs.”

Now THAT is what we call partnership. Complete trust and cooperation. Working together towards a common goal.
Who says there’s no honor among thieves?
Milberg Weiss’s Bershad to Plead Guilty [WSJ Law Blog]
Bershad Agreement: The Personal Cash Fund [WSJ Law Blog]
Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Securities Case [New York Times]

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A Promising New Practice Area: Mosh Pit Litigation?

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Following up on yesterday’s post about law firm advertising campaigns, here’s another interesting ad:
Mosh Pit Litigation Goldberg Weisman Cairo Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpg
Commentary after the jump.

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Benchslap of the Day: Dickie Scruggs Gets Smacked by Judge Acker

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Richard Scruggs Dick Scruggs Dickie Scruggs Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgIt’s Friday night, and we’re off the clock. So we’ll keep it short and sweet.
HAHAHAHAHA.
Judge Recommends Feds Prosecute Scruggs for Contempt [WSJ Law Blog]
Ala. judge asks criminal contempt prosecution of Scruggs [Associated Press]

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Lawyer Jumps To His Death From Empire State Building

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Empire State Building Above the Law legal blog.jpgThis is tragic rather than funny. But it’s the subject of much gossip right now, and several of you have written to us about it. So here’s a quick post.
On Friday, Moshe Kanovsky, a 31-year-old lawyer from Brooklyn, jumped to his death, from the 69th floor of the Empire State Building. From the New York Daily News:

It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted Kanovsky’s suicide.

“He was interviewing a client,” said a man who works in the suite. “He just got up, opened the window and jumped.”

A police source said that Kanovsky met with the client in one room and jumped from another.

Jokes about the misery of Biglaw driving people to suicide would be misplaced:

Investigators questioned employees at Levine & Blit, a personal injury practice, and at Ashok Karmaker. Both law firms share a suite on the 69th floor where Kanovsky “did odds-and-ends work” for Karmaker.

Our condolences go out to the Kanovsky family.
Empire State Building Suicide Shocks Neighborhood [Gothamist]
Lawyer dies in Empire suicide horror [New York Daily News]
EMPIRE STATE DEATH LEAP [New York Post]

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Some Judicial Nomination News

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Time for a few updates on a subject near and dear to our heart, which we’ve been neglecting as of late: federal judicial nominations. Here’s the latest news:
Jennifer Elrod Judge Jennifer W Elrod Above the Law blog.jpg1. Texas state court judge Jennifer Elrod (at right), whom we previously identified as a possible nominee to the Fifth Circuit (and compared to Jennifer Aniston), has been officially nominated to that court. We’ve heard good things about Judge Elrod and wish her the best of luck in the confirmation process.
2. Connecticut state court judge Vanessa Bryant, discussed previously here, has been confirmed to the District of Connecticut.
3. Earlier this month, the White House sent a raft of judicial nominations over to the Senate. Nothing terribly exciting.
The two most controversial nominees in the bunch: state court judge Janet Neff (D. Mich.), and trial lawyer Richard Honaker (D. Wyo.). They may generate opposition on opposite sides of the aisle. Neff got a lot of grief from the conservative Sen. Sam Brownback for having attended a lesbian commitment ceremony. Honaker may be targeted by liberals for his record of strong opposition to abortion.
Here’s a random bit of trivia about Honaker: he was a Harvard classmate of Al Franken. If Honaker runs into opposition from liberals (despite being a trial lawyer and card-carrying member of ATLA), will Franken testify in his defense before the Senate Judiciary Committee?
(The article also mentions Billy Crystal, but we don’t believe Billy Crystal went to Harvard.)
Update: HA! The Billy Crystal mystery is revealed. Check out this comment.
Nomination Sent to the Senate [WhiteHouse.gov]
Nominations Confirmed [Senate.gov via How Appealing]
Nominations Sent to the Senate [WhiteHouse.gov]
Harris County civil judge nominated to federal bench [Houston Chronicle]
Bush renominates five Michiganians to federal judgeships [Detroit News]
Thomas announces judgeship nomination for Rock Springs lawyer [Casper Star-Tribune via How Appealing]

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