Earlier this week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to dismiss a $500 million legal malpractice case against AmLaw 100 firm, K&L Gates. That decision paves the way for the case to head to trial. The firm was sued years ago by a bankruptcy trustee on behalf of Le-Nature, Inc. The company filed for bankruptcy after […]
State Approves Payments To Legal Malpractice Victims
by Brian Mahany While everyone makes mistakes from time to time (including attorneys), civilized society has no room for thieves. This is especially true for lawyers who take an oath of office to uphold justice. Earlier today, the Wisconsin Lawyers’ Fund For Client Protection Committee announced that 17 victims were receiving checks from the state […]
Two Law Firms Accused Of Assisting Ponzi Scheme (Legal Malpractice Post)
[Updated August 2019] As an attorney, I am required to take an oath to support the Constitution and to never counsel or support any action that appears unjust. It is unfortunate that much of society views lawyers as nothing more than “hired guns.” Sometimes we are even called “whores.” Despite how we may be labeled […]
Prominent Rabbi Sues NJ Law Firm In Real Estate Fraud Case
by Brian Mahany Rabbi Moshe Meisels files suit in a Bergen County, New Jersey Superior Court against Fox Rothschild, a well respected U.S. law firm. Meisels claims he lost $2.4 in a real estate scam involving Eliyahu Weinstein. Unfortunately, fraud is alive and well. That a rabbi might lose money in a real estate fraud […]
Lawyer Guilty of Fraud
Buried in today’s newspaper was a small headline, “Brookfield Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Fraud.” Whether local or out-of-town, I hate reading those headlines. When public officials, lawyers or cops steal, everyone suffers – not just their victims. In today’s case Thomas Bielinski pleaded guilty to felony theft by fraud. According to press reports, Bielinski combed […]
SEC and Justice Department Charge Top Lawyer With Fraud
[Post updated January 2020] Jonathan Bristol, a former partner at two of the largest and best U.S. law firms, was arraigned in a Manhattan federal court and charged with laundering over $20 million in connection with Kenneth Starr, the now convicted financial advisor to Hollywood celebrities. In 2008, Bristol became a partner at Winston & […]
When Lawyers Become Criminals (Legal Malpractice Post)
As a lawyer concentrating in asset recovery and professional negligence (malpractice), I have encountered many stories of Ponzi schemes, frauds, theft and hundreds of tales of Wall Street greed. Sometimes the perpetrators of these frauds and scams are judges and lawyers. Thankfully those stories are rare but they do happen. Unless we are the victim, […]