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This one strikes close to home

Now, lots of stories just make you shake your head, but this one has prompted even the Judge to emerge.

Yes, it is about a fellow judge who may lose his seat.  Why, may you ask?  Especially when the judge has only been on the bench for less than three months?

Philadelphia Traffic Court Judge Willie F. Singletary was elected in November last year, despite having his drivers license suspended until 2011 for not paying fines for 55 traffic tickets. 

He's getting a salary of $82,733 a year, but now video has surfaced of a campaign appearance by Singletary where he apparently had told the people that "You're all going to need me in Traffic Court, am I right about that?"

In other words, the Judge appeared to be promising to let them off the hook.  Now the state Judicial Conduct Board is investigating. 

Now, as the Judge, I'm never fond of Judges being investigated for frivolous complaints.  But this appears to strike at the notion of impartiality that Judges should have.  Plus, there's something wrong with a Traffic Court Judge who can't drive due to unpaid tickets. 

So if this judge is found guilty and removed from office, I won't be too upset. 

04-25-2008

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Is it better to be a junior partner or a senior associate?

It's time for that question again--which is better to be?  A junior partner, or a senior associate?  Well, in one area at least, compensation, there is less and less difference. 

According to this article on Law.com, the recent runup in associate pay has narrowed the gap considerably.  In some cases, due to bonuses and incentives, the top associates can make more than the junior partners. 

Let's face it, the top priority is to protect the senior partners profits.  And with the compensation wars for associates heating up, who is likely left to be holding the bag?  Yep, the junior partners.  Plus, with the downturn in the economy looming, there's likely going to be less money floating around to help pay the junior partners.  In fact, they may get the axe to save the firm money in some certain situations.

What does it all mean?  Well, partner track is looking less and less desirable, I guess.  You may be more valuable to the firm as a top-notch associate than an anonymous junior partner. 

01-30-2008

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Items of interest

Via Legal Blog Watch, a South African firm law firm has implemented a sort of new clock, or schedule: employees can start work at 7 AM and leave at 3:30 PM during the summer months.  Why?  For balance in work and family life.  Also, they got the unexpected bonus of some energy savings.  So, that begs the question: if you could work 7 AM to 3:30, would you?  Or do you stay late to impress the boss? 

Are contingency fee's getting too large?  There's been several stories about Plaintiff's lawyers making out like bandits recently.  In one case, the plaintiffs settled for nothing; their attorney's got $9.5 Million.  In another, the court awarded $450 odd million to three plaintiff's firms--plus 28 million in expenses.  That's the same as 50 lawyers working 80 hours a week at $500 an hour for 4.5 years without a break.  Think that much work happened?  And Milberg is in trouble with the Feds for illegal kickbacks to the named plaintiff's in class action suits. 

Lastly, there's been a surge in lateral hires.  Bankruptcy and finance areas are, not surprisingly, the most active, but this is a trend across all areas of practice.  Maybe it's time to start looking at that greener grass in the firm across town!

01-23-2008

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Judged Jan 16th, 2008

Hi, everyone!  It's been a long time, but the Judge is back.

This week, some of the biggest news was made by big firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, as they laid off 35 attorneys in their capital markets and global finance markets.  This move caused widespread coverage and commentary in the blawgosphere over the impact
 and possible portends this move by one of the big firms may have.  There's no question, it's rough for the financial types right now-- better watch your back.
 
On the bright side, Bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys are smiling from the increase in potential work if a recession hits.

Moving to corporate and securities law, The US Supreme Court decided one of it's biggest cases in years this past Tuesday, January 14th.  In Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta, the Supreme's ruled that investors cannot sue third party businesses for their participation in a "scheme" with public companies to inflate their price.  
 
  What's it all mean?  Two ways to look at it.  It's clear business won--many security fraud lawsuits are toast.  That may well be a boon for them (especially as it limits contracting party risks, thus lowering the costs of business).  But it also means the heyday of multi-billion security fraud lawsuits may soon have a much tougher road to hoe.  In short: good news for the business sector, bad news for the plaintiff's bar. 
 
Lastly, don't try this at home (or in the firm!)  Don't be like the Miami firm who's two investigators paid a Royal Caribbean Cruises employee to get inside info on the range of possible settlement amounts.  It won't turn out well, and might disqualify your firm
 from representing a bunch of clients.  Which hurts.
 
 Thanks, and see you soon!

01-16-2008

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Weekly Judged - 17th July

Hi, folks.  On August 1, Ann Althouse blogged on the Minneapolis bridge collapse.  She wrote that watching the coverage on Fox News made her think "there must be a news policy not to talk about terrorism except as fed information from the Department of Homeland Security."  However, homeland security does not rely only upon the department; it is the duty of every lawyer to sue for compensation whenever safety is breached.  I also have to say I share the sentiments of David Nieporent, who posted on Overlawyered at 7:01 a.m. on August 1, "The first trial lawyer Google ad soliciting clients relating to the Minneapolis bridge collapse is already up--indeed, was up as of last night.  Makes me proud to be a lawyer."  Really proud. 

Susan Brenner at CYB3RCRIM3 submitted an interesting post on July 29 titled "Identity theft case fails due to coerced confession" about a case of identity theft that fell through after threats were made by a private investigator to force the confessor to complete community service.  The prosecutor advised against the case based on grounds of coerced confession.  The police department closed the case and reached a voluntary arrangement with the confessor, according to which he will ultimately have to…complete community service! 

Anne Reed, at Deliberatio ns, wrote a great post on the peremptory strike on August 1.  "There was a time when courts treated the peremptory strike like fans treat a football star; these days it’s more like the guy who sweeps up the stadium after the game," she said.  The post, titled "The peremptory strike as broom and dustpan," follows the trend of this vital tool of law practice falling out of favor with the courts. 

The July 31 post by Eric Mueller of UNC Law School on Is That Legal? is titled "Justice Department Tips Off Senator Stevens Before Searching His Home!"  Professor Mueller, who also spent nearly nine years as a federal prosecutor, holds that tipping off the attorneys of an individual to be searched defeats the purpose of the search warrant. 

On July 30, at the Legal Profession Blog, Mike Frisch reported on an attorney who was suspended for 90 days by the Maryland Court of Appeals for failing to disclose, while applying for a position in a federal agency, that she was previously employed by her spouse’s law office.  Even though the attorney had disclosed the relationship in other documents, those documents were held to be unrelated to the actual hiring of the attorney.   

Thanks, and see you all next week.

08-17-2007

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