New York Post, in its yesterday's article about Sheldon Silver's law firm Weitz & Luxenberg writes about the separate calendars in court marked "Weitz" and "Non-Weitz", the "Weitz" calendars moving faster than the "Non-Weitz" calendars, according to long-complaining lawyers.
The article also writes about a separate section of the courthouse dedicated for servicing the "Weitz" business.
Most notoriously, the article quotes statements by "Weitz & Luxenberg" to Silver's investigators, that they hired Silver - who knows nothing about asbestors investigation which is the law firm's specialty because they "hoped 'to increase the firm's prestige and perceived power'".
Unfortunately, Weitz & Luxenberg is not the only law firm who does this "celebrity-for-hire" trick, hiring or joining as partners or as "of counsel" public officials who are licensed attorneys, not so much for actual work, but "to increase the firm's prestige and perceived power".
I recently analyzed on this blog such firms as
- Hiscock & Barclays of Albany, New York;
- Hinman, Howard and Kattel of Binghamton, New York;
- Harris Beach PLLC
They all appear to have an inordinate number of former court personnel, former judges, former prosecutors, present Senators, and present and former other public officials, including present hearing officers in the NYS Judicial Conduct Commission.
To me as a citizen, taxpayer, attorney and litigant, this "symbiosis" raises all kinds of red flags as to appearances of impropriety and potential to influence courts and steal honest services of judges.
I started following one more law firm which I got interested in because it allegedly employed Steven D. Zayas, former disciplinary prosecutor whom I am suing for fraud and fraud upon the court and who left the Appellate Division 3rd Department in 2013 "amid investigation into filing false time sheets".
Steven D. Zayas's official attorney registration indicates, as of today, that he is employed by the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP.
The website of Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP, however, does not show as of today an attorney Steven D. Zayas in its "Z" section of attorney listing:
At this time, I do not know what is the reason for such a discrepancy.
Yet, what is exceedingly peculiar is that the same law firm that gave shelter to the disgraced former prosecutor Steven D. Zayas, also embraced, as of last week, January 12, 2015, 3 prosecutors right out of Preet Bharara's office (U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York), the office currently prosecuting Sheldon Silver for corruption.
The names of these former prosecutors are:
Interesting timing to leave this particular office, especially in droves.
I will continue to analyze this law firm and will report results later.
Stay tuned.
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