With billing fraud rampant at major law firms, guess who the Illinois disciplinary committee decided to prosecute? Was it the the partners at a
Chicago office of a national firm, whose own colleague shined a light on overbilling? Nah – that’s too large a target. Why not go after the smallest possible potato
Ethics & Malpractice Issues
I Hope That This Hillman Article on Client Choice Isn’t Intended to Create More Hurdles for Shinglers-to-Be
Under legal ethics principles, a clients’ right to the attorney of their choosing trumps even the economic interest of the firm representing the client. For that reason, firms cannot force lawyers to enter into non-compete agreements or impose onerous restrictions that would prevent a client from following a departing attorney to another firm or to…
$42 Million Fee – Inherently Unreasonable? That Depends, But Here, It Was
Over at Legal Blog Watch, I’ve posted my view on the $42 million fee collected by a law firm in a multi-million dollar estate matter. Basically, the lawyers originally had a fee agreement with the client; when she found her legal fees mounting (to the tune of $1 million per quarter), she asked her lawyers…
You know what…this judge WAS a few fries shy of a Happy Meal
Ever since I’ve started my site, I’ve blogged about situations where, in my view,
judges have gone way over the line in sanctioning attorneys for conduct, such as sending a lawyer to jail for refusing to apologize or showing up late for a hearing. But typically, these sanctions have issued against solo and small firm…
The Unbearable Weightiness of Bar Sanctions on Solos
One aspect of solo practice that’s commonly overlooked is the impact that a suspension can have on a solo’s career. Over at Legal Profession Blog, Mike Frisch notes that even a bar suspension of a short duration can kill a solo’s practice because he or she may not have colleagues who can assume control…
Find Out If Someone is Really A Lawyer
These days, most bar associations make information about a lawyer’s bar membership publicly accessible, so that consumers can ensure that the lawyer they’ve retained is actually licensed to practice. But these bar data bases are important for lawyers. For example, perhaps you’re suspicious that your opposing counsel isn’t licensed in the court where he’s filed…
The Florida Bar won’t let lawyer promise to help you get rid of “that vermin you call a spouse”
Ah, I suppose it was just a matter of time before the Florida Bar went after divorce lawyer Steven Miller, who ran these provocative ads that insult overpriced downtown lawyers and promise to help clients “rid themselves of that vermin [they] call a spouse.” According to this story (3/27/07), when Miller submitted his ad for…
Second Life for Marketing
In this post at Legal Blogwatch, I highlighted this article, Fantasy Life, Real Law from the ABA Journal (March 2007) on how lawyers are using the virtual community Second Life. While some lawyers have set up virtual offices on Second Life, others use the site to make connections with real world clients.
As…
Whose Blog Is It Anyway?
My blogging buddy, Chuck Newton recently posted on the latest brawl between Greatest American Lawyer and his former firm. Seems that GAL’s firm is suing him a second time, this time for rights to GAL’s blogs, which the firm claims it would have developed itself. Newton doesn’t think the firm’s suit against GAL will…
Sometimes, A Bright Line Rule Just Isn’t Fair
This week’s ABA e-report (12/8/06) includes this article Bright Line Blunder, about a Virginia Court of Appeals decision to dismiss a litigant’s notice of appeal filed by her attorney during a period of time when his license was suspended and he didn’t even know about it.
From the article, these are the relevant facts,…