Posts on ‘December 23rd, 2008’

A special agent with the FBI is accusing government prosecutors in the Ted Stevens case of intentionally withholding exculpatory evidence from Stevens’ lawyers and scheming to conceal a witness from the defense team. The whistleblower, whose name was redacted from a complaint released Monday afternoon, writes in the complaint of encountering “many serious problems” in the Stevens trial that seemed to stem from “case mismanagement.” The agent says efforts to rectify problems through supervisors failed.

A judge slashed legal fees Monday in a $303 million settlement between General Motors and investors, saying a 19 percent share sought by attorneys was excessive and wouldn’t sit well with the middle class. Lawyers will get 15 percent of the pool of money, or $45 million. Two lead lawyers and five law firms had requested nearly $60 million in compensation, saying the case was risky because of GM’s financial condition and no guarantee of victory.

Federal prosecutors are asking an Illinois House impeachment committee not to delve into the criminal charges against Gov. Rod Blagojevich, warning that it could “significantly compromise” their investigation. Members of the committee have promised to abide by any direction from prosecutors on what should be off-limits, so the request from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald means the panel won’t question Blagojevich aides and campaign donors about possible crimes.

A Ferrari-driving vice president of Fry’s Electronics Inc. who was allegedly such a heavyweight gambler that casinos chartered private planes to fly him to Las Vegas has been arrested on charges he embezzled more than $65 million from the retailer to fuel his lavish lifestyle and pay off debts. Ausaf Umar Siddiqui is accused by the IRS of concocting an incredibly profitable scheme in which he cut side deals with some of Fry’s suppliers in exchange for kickbacks of up to 31 percent of the total sales price.

Sullivan & Worcester is taking its court fight with Dewey & LeBoeuf over Dewey’s proposed fees in a federal securities receivership case directly to the SEC, and is asking the court to hold a hearing about the fees. Sullivan opposes Dewey partners’ hourly billing rates of up to $950, associate rates of up to $605, a summer associate rate of $285 and paralegal rates of up to $275, claiming they were “nearly double those in other receivership cases in the pertinent jurisdiction.”

A Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison associate has died after a fall from an automobile ramp at Hong Kong International Airport. Jose Tesoro, a corporate associate in Paul Weiss’ Washington, D.C., office who was traveling on vacation, fell from a vehicle flyover leading to a taxi stand outside one of the airport’s passenger terminals on Dec. 19, and died at the scene. Hong Kong police say the cause of death is under investigation.

You’re familiar with bet-the-company litigation. Now get used to bet-the-company lobbying. As the financial crisis is threatening entire sectors of the economy, the high stakes and desperate tactics that characterize some of the most heated courthouse battles have moved to the corridors of Congress. And companies are devoting whatever it takes to save themselves. Veteran lobbyists are seeing a pattern that’s affecting their outlook, their strategies and potentially their bottom line.

Electronic discovery illuminates the tension between inside and outside counsel with respect to the scope and depth of discovery-compliance efforts. But there are some basic rules of engagement to help ease tensions and allow client and counsel to strengthen their relationship.

Is it true that law firms never promote legal secretaries from within? Very true, according to The Assistant-at-Law, a legal secretary for a Texas-based firm. In her own experience, and based on what she’s seen, legal secretaries don’t just face a glass ceiling, but a lead one. It’s not that she’s never seen a legal secretary obtain a promotion, but exceptions — such as the secretary who received a promotion only after developing a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome — are less than inspirational.

Big wins at trial usually mean big payments for lawyers. But after beating back a lawsuit from the powerful Hollywood studios, Kaleidescape Inc. fired its lead trial lawyer and is refusing to pay $400,000 in fees, according to a lawsuit filed by IP lawyer Thomas Moore against his former client. “A clear company-saving victory like this is such a rare thing,” Moore said. “I really thought I was going to get paid.” The company’s CEO says the termination was over performance, not fees.