Posted by wlansden |
Filed under good idea-bad idea
Good Idea: keeping careful records of your billable time and detailed information about your clients.
Bad Idea: destroying those same records in a bathroom of the courthouse during a civil suit brought by your former law firm employer, when those same records might have probative and evidentiary value.
This is one of those good idea/bad idea posts I feel is too obvious to write about. Regardless, it seems that some attorney out there could have used this information a while ago.
A lawyer in Ohio was recently suspended for one year for, among other things, destroying law firm documents in a courthouse bathroom while court was in recess from a civil suit claiming a violation of his employment agreement with the law firm.
The lawyer was apparently thinking about jumping ship from his law firm. He was in job talks with two other law firms. The lawyer supposedly removed boxes of documents from his law firm containing information about his firm's clients and the clients' billings.
The ABA Journal has the story and the opinion issued by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Some of the justices wanted to impose a stiffer penalty.
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Posted by wlansden |
Filed under commentary, general, practice tips
By Eileen Burkhalter Smith
So, we had a firm business meeting recently, with part of the meetings beginning first thing Saturday morning. I am not a morning person, but I did crack a smile as I glanced around the still-empty parking lot that Saturday--most of the other early-birds were my fellow-litigators. We were present, accounted-for and settled into our seats before the meetings started. I think we all, at least, know the absolute importance of being on time. I, for one, have been penalized (somewhat significantly, in my experience) by a Judge for being late to Court.
Fantastic golfer Jim Furyk was just disqualified in the FedEx Cup playoffs for missing his tee time. His cell-phone alarm didn’t work, and he did not have another alarm. If only he had known what trial attorneys do—you can never have too many alarms, wake-up calls and reminders. Mistakes can still happen, of course, (Caveat: don’t trust Elaine Benes and Jerry Seinfeld as your back-up): but unlike a small monetary fine, or missing the start time for a marathon, Mr. Furyk’s mistake will be smarting for some time, I suspect.
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