Disbarred Lawyer Melvyn Weiss Hopes to Work as a Mediator
Disbarred lawyer Melvyn Weiss is out of prison and looking for work.
Last week Weiss sent letters to about 200 former colleagues telling them he is available for work as a mediator or arbitrator, the New York Times DealBook blog reports. “Despite the upheavals in my own life, I am happy to report that my body and spirit are in great shape, and I am motivated to be as productive as ever,” he wrote.
Weiss spent a year in prison and four months in a halfway house after pleading guilty to paying kickbacks to lead plaintiffs in class actions. His former firm, now known simply as Milberg, paid $75 million to resolve kickbacks charges.
Weiss isn’t the only disbarred lawyer who saw mediation as a career opportunity, the story says. Sol Wachtler, the former chief judge of New York’s highest court, worked as a mediator after pleading guilty to harassing a socialite, conduct he attributed to a bipolar disorder. He regained his law license in 2007, 15 years after his arrest.
