New York Attorney General apparently does not have much respect for the rule of law or the rights of the individuals and institutions that his office investigates. According to this post in the New York Times blog Dealbreaker, Cuomo recently wrote to Bank of America’s outside counsel regarding the status of his office’s investigation into…
Kudos to Overlawyered
I’d like to extend my belated congratulaions to Walter Olson and the crew at Overlawyered on their 1oth anniversary which, I understand, was yesterday. Overlawtered is generally acknowledged as the first legal blog ( or blawg, as some misguided souls insist). After 10 years its still must reading, thanks in large part to Walter Olson,…
Fumo Guilty
Former Pennsylvania State Senator Vince Fumo was convicted yesterday on all 137 corruption related charges in which he had been indicted. The Philadelphia Inquirer has a lengthy story regarding the verdict that can be found here. I am not surpised that umo was convicted, although I am slightly surprised that he was convicted on ALL…
Killing The Billable Hour: Cravath And Me
Evidently the chairman of America’s most august law firm agrees with me. In an essay published in the December 25, 2008 issue of Forbes, Evan Chesler, the managing partner at Cravath Swain & Moore, essentially calls for the end of hourly billing. While I find certain particular points in Mr. Chesler’s piece either silly (such…
Who Is More Dangerous?
The man on the right is Salim Ahmed Hamdan. He was Osama bin Laden’s driver. He was convicted of materially aiding terrorists. He was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison. The man on the left is Jamie Olis. He was an accountant for Dynergy Corp., and was convicted of materially aiding activities that were…
Bad News For Fumo
Another of State Senator Vice Fumo’s former aide’s has agreed to plead guilty and testify against their former boss. Looks like the rats are deserting the ship – with emphasis on the word rat. The Philly.com has the story: In another blow to State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, a computer technician who prosecutors said carried…
Broadcom Case Gets Weird
The New York Times reports that former Broadcom CEO Henry Nicholas has been indicted on optionsbackdating related charges and, in a separate indictment, charged with various drug related charges. In the “drug” indictment, Nicholas is accused of purchasing, using and selling illegal drugs, spiking associates’ drinks with drugs, hrinig prostitutes for himself and business associates,…
Philadelphia Sheriff Refuses To Enforce The Law
Anyone who has had the experience of trying to get a judgment enforced in Philadelphia, or has had dealings with the Philadelphia County Sheriff’s Office for any reason, cannot possibly be surprised by the following article, which will appear in tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal, detailing Philadelphia Sheriff John Green’s refusal to perform his duty and…
Boy Scouts Sue City of Philadelphia
The Boy Scouts of America’s Philadelphia chapter has sued the City of Philadelphia in federal court to block the city’s May 31 deadline for the scouts to open membership to gays and atheists, or vacate their historic 1928 headquarters off Logan Square.The civil rights lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Center City, contends that…
More Scaliapalooza
Justice Scalia and Bryan Garner gave an interview recently to the ABA Journal in which they discuss their new book, “Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges,” and advocacy, both written and oral. You can view the full transcript of the interview on the ABA Journal’s website via this link. Regardless of whether you…