New York

Madoff Arrives at Courthouse; Will He Go Home After Guilty Plea?

Bernard Madoff has arrived at a New York courthouse where he will plead guilty today in an alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Angry investors, lawyers and dozens of photographers gathered early outside the courthouse, the Financial Times reports. Bloomberg and the Associated Press also chronicled Madoff’s arrival, nearly three hours…

Mar 12, 2009 1:08 PM CDT

Gloomy Times for NY Lawyers and the Recruiters Who Want to Help

Legal recruiters really may be able to feel lawyers’ pain as they face their own difficulties placing job seekers at big New York law firms. Job coach Diane Costigan and legal recruiters appearing at a panel discussion Monday said lawyers need to change their job goals, the Am Law Daily…

Mar 11, 2009 12:17 PM CDT

Will New ‘Court Street Lawyer’ Brand Lure More Law Firms to Brooklyn?

Being called a “Court Street lawyer” is a pejorative to some Brooklyn attorneys—but a badge of honor to others. Now the president of the New York City borough is seeking to give a 5,000-attorney legal contingent known for its bare-knuckled style of representation a new brand as the Downtown Brooklyn…

Mar 11, 2009 3:24 AM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Online Harassment of Father’s Dead Sea Scrolls Rival

A New York City lawyer whose father is a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar at the University of Chicago has been charged with online impersonation of one of the professor’s rivals. The lawyer, Raphael Haim Golb, was accused of opening an online account in the name of NYU professor Lawrence Schiffman,…

Mar 9, 2009 2:59 PM CDT

No Ethics Charges Filed Against Prosecutor Who Tried to Help Defense

An ethics inquiry has closed without charges against a former Manhattan prosecutor who tried to help the defense in a doubtful murder case. The former assistant district attorney, Daniel Bibb, told the New York Times he is glad the ethics inquiry has concluded. “I know I did the right thing,”…

Mar 5, 2009 6:33 PM CST

Top Aide to Departing Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau Is Leaving, Too

After Manhattan’s 35-year district attorney announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in November, many might have thought his top aide would be likely to seek to take over one of the highest-profile prosecutor jobs in the country. But after Robert Morgenthau, 89, questioned whether Daniel Castleman was the best-qualified person to…

Mar 4, 2009 7:57 PM CST

Lawsuit Should Have Alerted Others of Dreier Issues, Former Colleague Says

Those who practiced at attorney Marc Dreier’s law firm before it imploded late last year apparently had little or no warning of the financial issues he faced. But they would have been forewarned had they read a 2002 lawsuit filed by a former colleague at a small plaintiff securities practice…

Mar 4, 2009 1:24 AM CST

Marc Dreier Led Sham Law Life for 4 Years, Magazine Says

It looked like Marc Dreier had a super-successful law practice. But for at least four years before he was accused late last year of defrauding sophisticated investors and clients of some $400 million, the New York lawyer’s seemingly opulent professional life was allegedly a sham. Dumped in 2006 by his…

Mar 4, 2009 12:54 AM CST

CIA Destroyed 92 Interrogation Videotapes

Federal prosecutors have revealed the CIA destroyed 92 videotapes of its interrogations of terrorism suspects. Prosecutors investigating the destruction gave the count to a Manhattan federal court hearing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Times reports. The story says the…

Mar 3, 2009 12:58 PM CST

Lawyers Say Madoff’s Wife Should Keep NY Penthouse, $62M

Lawyers for Bernard Madoff say the Manhattan penthouse where he lives as well as $62 million in assets should be exempt from seizure. The lawyers claim the assets and apartment are unrelated to fraud and they are owned by Madoff’s wife, according to the New York Times and the Associated…

Mar 3, 2009 12:05 PM CST

89-Year-Old Manhattan DA Won’t Seek Re-election

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has announced he won’t run for re-election after 50 years of leading offices prosecuting federal and then state crimes. The 89-year-old district attorney has always been good with a quote, the New York Times reports. He explained his decision this way: “It took me a…

Mar 2, 2009 12:35 PM CST

Lawyers in Brooke Astor Case Avoid ‘Near Melee’

A prosecutor and a defense lawyer in the fraud case against the son of the late wealthy socialite Brooke Astor “nearly came to blows” following a court hearing, according to one press account. Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann and defense lawyers for Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, “lobbed insults” at each…

Feb 27, 2009 5:51 PM CST

Some Passengers Mull Lawsuits Over Life-Saving US Airways Crash-Landing

A US Airways pilot made aviation history last month and was hailed as a hero after he crash-landed his plane on the Hudson River and all aboard survived. But some of the 150 passengers whose lives he saved are talking about suing the airline for damages, contending that a $5,000…

Feb 25, 2009 10:21 PM CST

Experts Say Madoff Must Have Had Help With Alleged $50B Ponzi Scheme

So far, no one but Bernard Madoff has been charged in the alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme he is accused of operating under the guise of a hedge fund. But a recent claim by a trustee that the operation may have made no trades whatsoever for more than a decade,…

Feb 25, 2009 7:38 PM CST

Real Lawyers Step In to Help Clients of N.Y. Man Accused of UPL

The lobby of the New York City Bar Association was packed on Monday evening as more than 100 former clients of a man accused of posing as an immigration lawyer waited to meet with more than 50 actual attorneys who volunteered to provide them with real legal advice. Victor Espinal,…

Feb 25, 2009 6:30 PM CST