Legal Ethics
Ex-DLA Lawyer Accused of Faking Payroll Docs to Boost Salary at Duane Morris
Posted Nov 4, 2009, 08:41 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A former partner at DLA Piper is being tried on charges that he forged a payroll statement in hopes of getting a higher salary at his new law firm, Duane Morris.
The trial began Monday in Singapore for Rudy Lim, the American Lawyer reports, relying on a story from the Straits Times of Singapore. Lim allegedly inflated his monthly draw from $25,000 to $65,000.
He made a monthly draw of $58,200 after he jumped to Duane Morris in 2007, where he opened a Singapore office for the firm.
Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department began an investigation after DLA employees discovered records on Lim’s computer that included the forged statement, according to the American Lawyer. Lim resigned from Duane Morris in May 2007.
Lim doesn’t deny creating the false statement, according to the Straits Times. His lawyer is expected to argue that forging an electronic document was not an offense at the time.