New York

New Concierge Service Caters to ‘Time Poor, Cash Rich’ Lawyers

Lawyers feeling the heat to work longer hours to generate business as the economy continues to slide have a new ally in their corner—one that will stock the fridge, shuttle children to soccer practice, and even bring chicken soup should the flu strike. Legally Organized, billed as the first legal…

Mar 24, 2009 5:17 PM CDT

Cuomo Uses Office as ‘Bully Pulpit,’ Gets AIG Bonus Recipients to Return Cash

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that he has persuaded 15 of the top 20 bonus recipients at AIG to return the money, and it may be possible to recoup some $80 million in all. Cuomo told reporters that out of the top 10 employees who received bonuses,…

Mar 24, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

NY Lawyer Loses $144K Job Over Office Computer and Credit Card Issues

An attorney who made $144,070 a year as deputy commissioner and counsel for the New York Division of Human Rights has lost his job over $530 in charges to a state credit card and use of his office computer for outside legal work. Inspector General Joseph Fisch says attorney Thomas…

Mar 20, 2009 7:24 PM CDT

Appeals Court Denies Bail for Madoff, Cites Chance of Hidden Assets

Acting just one day after oral arguments, a federal appeals court has denied bail for Bernard Madoff, who is awaiting sentencing for operating a $65 billion Ponzi scheme. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the trial judge’s decision to keep Madoff, 70, in jail on the ground that…

Mar 20, 2009 4:04 PM CDT

Prosecutor Raises Specter of Dozing Security Guards in Madoff Bail Appeal

A federal appeals court has promised a ruling “in due course” on whether to grant bail for Bernard Madoff before his sentencing for operating a $65 billion Ponzi scheme. Madoff’s lawyer, Ira Lee Sorkin, told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Madoff’s ability to flee with assets “is…

Mar 20, 2009 1:29 PM CDT

Dreier’s Lawyer Expects Guilty Plea; Firm Lawyers at Risk in Bankruptcy Case

Marc Dreier will likely plead guilty to charges he sold $700 million in phony securities to investors, his defense lawyer told a judge yesterday. Dreier, who was the only equity partner at his 250-lawyer New York law firm, entered a plea of not guilty to a new money laundering charge…

Mar 20, 2009 11:06 AM CDT

Client Loses, Attorney Wins: Jury Awards NY Lawyer $5K Per Hour

A lawyer who represented a tenant in a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City for almost three years initially got nothing for his work. Then, soon after attorney Steven DeCastro was fired by his client, Horace Turnbull, the holdout tenant accepted $1.7 million from his landlord to give up the…

Mar 19, 2009 7:14 PM CDT

Discovery Denied in N.Y. Lawyer’s Fraud Claim Concerning Claimed Affair

Seeking to reduce his divorce settlement in a state that still attributes fault between spouses in divorces, a New York lawyer tried to get “liberal discovery” concerning his claim that DNA evidence proves his youngest child was the product of an affair between his wife and a building contractor. But…

Mar 18, 2009 5:52 PM CDT

Madoff’s Storefront Accountant Is Charged with Securities Fraud

The storefront accountant who audited Bernard Madoff’s investment advisory business has been arrested and charged with securities violations. David Friehling was charged with securities fraud, aiding and abetting investment adviser fraud, and making false filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a press release (PDF). He is the…

Mar 18, 2009 3:36 PM CDT

Feds Seek $700M from Dreier, Claim Scam Cash Put in Firm Accounts

A new indictment against New York lawyer Marc Dreier now alleges he sold $700 million in phony promissory notes to investors, an amount $300 million higher than previously claimed. The indictment seeks forfeiture of the higher amount, even though it still sets overall losses to investors at $400 million, the…

Mar 18, 2009 11:15 AM CDT

Prosecutors Drop Assault Charges Against Lehman Bankruptcy Judge

The judge overseeing the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy no longer faces misdemeanor charges stemming from accusations that he slapped his wife during a quarrel. Prosecutors sought dismissal of charges yesterday against U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James Peck of Manhattan after his wife, Judith, refused to cooperate, the New York Daily News reports.…

Mar 17, 2009 11:02 AM CDT

Law & Order ‘Fiction’ is Eerily Like Actual Cases, Crime Victims Say

A year after a judge denied a motion to dismiss, an unusual “libel in fiction” case filed against the popular Law & Order television show by a New York lawyer is still awaiting trial. Revolving around a murder and a judicial bribery scandal, the 2003 episode Floater libeled him because…

Mar 16, 2009 11:31 PM CDT

‘Devious’ MySpace Mood Destroys N.Y. Cop’s Jury Testimony

In a case that has made international headlines, a legal aid lawyer in New York used a cop’s Internet information to defeat a criminal case against his client. Police officer and amateur bodybuilder Vaughan Ettienne made the mistake of setting his MySpace mood to “devious,” on the day before a…

Mar 13, 2009 6:49 PM CDT

Sullivan & Cromwell Chair No Longer on Treasury Job Short List

Reportedly under consideration for a top post at the U.S. Treasury Department, the chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell has apparently stepped away from the possible appointment. H. Rodgin Cohen is no longer on the deputy treasury secretary short list, reports the DealBook blog of the New York Times, citing unnamed…

Mar 13, 2009 12:46 AM CDT

Judge Accepts Madoff Guilty Plea, Revokes Bail

Bernard Madoff has pleaded guilty to operating a Ponzi scheme that cost investors billions of dollars in losses. Judge Denny Chin accepted the plea and ordered Madoff to report to jail, prompting applause in the courtroom, report StreetInsider and the Associated Press. The Am Law Daily has a live blog…

Mar 12, 2009 2:53 PM CDT