Embezzlement
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Courts
Clerk Takes Raise Into His Own Hands By Allegedly Robbing His Judge
Was making an Etsy account for some side cash too much trouble? -
Legal Ethics
Attorney Jailed For Stealing From Firm To Fuel His Gambling Addiction
The firm experienced fiscal and reputational harm as a result. - Sponsored
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Law Schools
Not Sure This Is What They Meant By Education Pays Dividends
I don't remember this being on the syllabus.
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Money
From Fudging The Numbers To Just Deserts
Know what's worse than a lawyer who's bad with numbers? A bookkeeper that's unethical with them. -
Biglaw
Ex-Biglaw Paralegal Allegedly Embezzled More Than $600K From Firm
She allegedly used the money to pay her credit card, mortgage, and student loan bills. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.15.22
* When champagne brings pain: Man wins 450k suing his job because they threw him a birthday party. [WSOC TV]
* Due to an anti-CRT law, Missouri teacher loses job after teaching a fictional work about Martin Luther King. I’m sure this is what he would have wanted. [Salon]
* Of course Netflix is a video service provider, but are they legally? [Cleveland]
* NY lawyer’s years of using his firm to fund his Big Tyme living could make for a radio hit. [Reuters]
* It’s my money and I want to use it now: Law prevents discrimination against cash-users. [WCVB]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.01.18
* New firm, new pay: Recently merged firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner is going to be moving to a merit-based pay system for partners. Messing with people’s money? This should be interesting! [Legal Week]
* Reed Smith has rolled out a new plan that will “revamp” associate life at the firm, complete with new training, billing requirements, and reviews. This isn’t specifically for millennials (suuuuure), but rather, “an acknowledgment that there are some creative and inventive ways to do things differently.” [American Lawyer]
* In case you missed it, President Trump says he’s considering commuting former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence for corruption and he might even throw a pardon Martha Stewart’s way. Hmm, it’s almost like the president is trying to set the stage for something that could come in the future… [Chicago Tribune]
* According to Vivia Chen, if we really want gender equity in the legal profession, it might be time for some quotas. It’s working for corporate boards in Europe, so it could work here too, but alas, “the topic has largely been a nonstarter in the U.S.” [The Careerist]
* Jennifer Ihns, the former clinic administrator at Notre Dame Law, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for embezzling about $200,000 from the school, but she’ll only spend two years behind bars, with five years of probation. [Law.com]
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Law Schools
Howard 3L Allegedly Earns $430,000 In Last Year... Though The Legal Term Would Be 'Embezzled'
He was also set to work in Biglaw, but I don't think that's going to happen now. - Sponsored
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How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Small Law Firms
Partner's Son Was So High On Drugs That He Didn't Realize He'd Embezzled Six Figures From Firm
He was actually 'surprised' by the amount he'd taken from the firm. -
Law Schools
Ex-Administrator At Top Law School Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement
She claimed that she was in financial need, so she forged more than 250 checks to help herself. -
Law Schools
Top Law School Admin Charged With Embezzlement
Investigators allege she stole almost $200,000. -
Legal Ethics, White-Collar Crime
Managing Partner Who Allegedly Stole $30 Million From Clients Indicted
Federal prosecutors are coming down hard on a managing partner who allegedly took a pretty penny to pay off some massive gambling debts. -
Attorney Misconduct, Legal Ethics, Money, Real Estate, White-Collar Crime
Managing Partner Accused Of Embezzling $30 Million From Clients
A firm alleges that its former managing partner siphoned off a cool $30 million from client escrow accounts to live like a proverbial rock star.
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Bankruptcy, Crime, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Non-Sequiturs, Rankings
Non-Sequiturs: 08.04.14
* Nothing demands a SWAT team like a 90-year-old woman. [Lowering the Bar] * Not so much legal, but here’s Princeton Review’s ranking of the best and worst colleges. If you’re looking for hard liquor, head to Iowa City. [TaxProf Blog] * Dewey know what Al Togut’s going to say about law firm bankruptcies. Yeah, I know, but we’re just going to keep riding this pun. [Forbes] * Corruption in New Orleans? Hold on, I need a second to let this sink in. [The Times-Picayune] * Be sure to come by on Wednesday to hear from a panel of general counsel about the transition to in-house work. [Above the Law] * The CFPB is cracking down on debt-collecting law firms. So if you’re a bottom-feeder, the government is coming for you. [Gawker] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Crime, Intellectual Property, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Native Americans, Paralegals, Rankings, Sports, Trademarks, Vault rankings
Morning Docket: 06.19.14
* The latest Vault 100 rankings are out, and it’s time to find out which Biglaw firm is the most prestigious in all the land. Is it Wachtell? Is it Cravath? We’ll have the answer for you, and much more analysis, later today. [Vault]
* An former office manager at Vedder Price has been accused in a $7M embezzlement scandal. She allegedly used the money to buy “lavish homes, numerous vacations” — it’s as if she were trying to live like a partner. [ABA Journal]
* Since the Redskins’ trademark was canceled by the Patent and Trademark Office, sports fans are wondering whose offensive team name is next. The Cleveland Indians might get scalped. [WSJ Law Blog]
* According to ALM Legal Intelligence, paralegal pay is on the rise, and it’s almost $80/hr in top roles. Why should new attorneys care about this? Because they’ll probably have to work as paralegals. [ALM]
* Double the deanships, double the fun: Penn State Law’s campuses have been approved by the ABA to become separately accredited locations. We’ll take bets on which one closes first. [StateCollege.com]
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Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Drinking, Paralegals, Quote of the Day, Real Estate, Sex, Sex Scandals
Lawyer Makes Millions After Sleeping With His Paralegal. What Happened Next Is... Totally Believable.
This guy's practice consisted of doing WHAT?! -
Crime, Drinking, Drugs, Law Schools, Money
Law Student Embezzles Thousands of Dollars While Drunk, High
Which law school did she attend, and how did she do it? -
Biglaw, Crowell & Moring, Insider Trading, Intellectual Property, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Sentencing Law
Morning Docket: 10.18.12
* Conflict of interest? What conflict of interest? We didn’t have a conflict of interest! Covington & Burling is appealing its disqualification from representing Minnesota in a suit against former client 3M. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* “If I sent my résumé through the firm, I wouldn’t get looked at.” Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear is hiring so many awesome associates that the firm’s managing partner doesn’t even know if he’d stand a chance. [National Law Journal]
* Doug Arntsen, the ex-Crowell associate who stole $10.7M in client funds and spent it at strip clubs, was sentenced to four-to-12 years in prison. [New York Law Journal]
* Music to Benula Bensam’s ears? In a case of dueling sentencing memos, prosecutors want Rajat Gupta to spend 10 years in prison, but his own lawyers want him to be sent to Rwanda. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Donald Polden, the dean of Santa Clara Law, will be stepping down at the end of this academic year. Hope they’ll be able to find a new dean, because every “influential” school needs one. [San Jose Mercury News]
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Biglaw, Crime, Crowell & Moring, Money, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: This Guy Must've Made It Rain -- A Lot!
Doug Arntsen took a plea for stealing $10M of Crowell & Moring's money. What does firm management have to say about it? -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Crime, Crowell & Moring, Defamation, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Immigration, Law Firm Mergers, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Money, Morning Docket, Patents, Small Law Firms, Technology
Morning Docket: 10.03.12
* Yeah, about that huge bonus we were going to pay our ex-finance director — we realized how silly that was, so we’re not going to do that. Aww, don’t worry, Dewey & LeBoeuf, you’ll have plenty of other chances to look absurd. [Am Law Daily]
* Not only is Samsung suing Apple for patent infringement, but the company is also trying to get a do over by getting Judge Lucy Koh to throw out the original billion-dollar verdict over jury foreman Velvin Hogan’s alleged misconduct. [Bloomberg]
* “Small deals are easier to swallow, easier to integrate.” Regional firms like Carlton Fields and Adams and Reese are gobbling up smaller firms in what seems to be the latest trend in law firm merger mania activity. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Douglas Arntsen, the former Crowell & Moring associate who had to be extradited from Hong Kong after embezzling $10.7M from clients, pleaded guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence. [New York Law Journal]
* It’s tough to come up with appropriate whistleblower jokes given the background here. We’ll play it straight: Mike McQueary filed a defamation suit against Penn State, and he’s seeking $4M in damages. [ABC News]
* Jose Godinez-Samperio, an undocumented immigrant, is fighting for the ability to practice law in Florida, but the members of the state Supreme Court are literally trying to make it into a “federal case.” [Washington Post]