UPDATE: THE SKY IS FALLING
We neglected to write that Sky Smith also had a client in the trial before Judge Scola and also succeeded in obtaining a full acquittal for his client.
We regret the omission.
Judge Robert Scola had his first federal trial verdict Wednesday. Congratulations to Michael Walsh and Charles White for securing the very first NGs before Judge Scola. Lets hope its a harbinger of things to come. Newt Gingrich was rumored to say that if a few more cases go against the government Judge Scola could be called on the carpet.
Should the courts close for the Holidays? Coming next week we have a point/counterpoint debate between a sitting judge and an attorney who runs a small firm.
Economic Outlook: Jobless claims came in today lower than expected today at 364,000. It's the lowest weekly claim in two years (since April 2008) and it's the third straight week that the number came in lower than expected. That means we should see another drop in the unemployment rate next month.
What this means: The economy is kicking into gear at just the last moment to help the President. We could see unemployment in the mid to low 8% range and if the number dips a toe into the 7.9% range over the fall of next year the Republicans could resurrect Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt and still not be able to beat Obama.
On the flip side, the economy grew at a weak 1.8% in the third quarter and that's about .5% less than we need to sustain a jobs recovery.
Rumpole says: we are coming out of this unemployment/recession disaster very slowly and on the precipice of a double dip recession. This is a cliff hanger. Stay tuned.
Scott Rothstein hands up his former law partners Stuart Rosenfeldt and Russell Adler as being up to their lawyerly suspenders in his scheme. The Sun Sentinel reports here. Some Miami lawyers are part of the defense teams for Rothstein's former law partners who have not been indicted yet. Also getting caught up in the slime, former Broward Homicide Prosecutor Ken Padowitz, who was of counsel to the firm, shared some space, and drafted an opinion letter blessing the law suit funding scheme Rothstein was peddling. The lesson in all this is be careful who you share space with.
Miami Regional Counsel Gene Zenobi is no longer lonely, as the Governor made the following Regional Counsel Appointments across the state (all of which were due July 1, 2011, by the way)
RC4 (Broward and West Palm): Antony Ryan, a well respected Assistant Public Defender in West Palm Beach got the nod over RC4 henchwoman Shari Vrod, whose strong ties with RC4 current head Phillip Massa was probably her undoing.
RC2 (somewhere on the west coast) Ita Neymotin, who was a former RC2 employee and former Assistant Public Defender before running a law group, was picked to head her old office.
RC5 (somewhere north of RC4) Jeffrey Dean was re-appointed as the RC for the 5th region (motto: "Florida has 5 regions, and we're one of them!")
We will NOT be in court Friday, as we're heading out for Truckee and points west for the Holidays.
See You ....sometime in the New Year.
18 comments:
Court holiday decisions are usually made, written and sent out about 8 months preceeding the year to which they are applied. While Governor Scott may declare holidays for state employees, it would have taken a decision by the Florida Chief Justice. After Scott made his declaration, the Chief Justuce confirmed that this would not apply to courts, recognizing that court cases have been set and noticed. Your opinion that a group of judges are apparently making the decision is uninformed.
Hey Rump,
It's Antony Ryan, not Anthony. Anthony Ryan is a solo practitioner in Sarasota, and no slouch either.
Thank you George. For those of you wondering, that was our second mistake of the year. We've reached our quota.
I personally can't wait for the point/counterpoint. Who is the current judge? Will he or she be identified by name? Who is the attorney? Which person takes which side? Is the Judge in favor of keeping the courts open or closed?
I haven't been this excited since I was 9 years old and waiting to open my Hanukkah presents while sneaking latkes and hamentashen and spinning a rigged dradle and cleaning the local kids out of their gelt.
Rump,
You always bitch about judges not working. But then when the courthouse is open and the judges are working (usually because some asshole defense lawyer thought it was a great way to defend their client by filing an NOE) you complain too. Or when the judges set a regular calendar the Tuesday after a Monday holiday you complain. As it is most judges take it easy in December so the lawyers don't complain...and you do anyway.
Congratulations again to Harcourth McGowan. The reclusive and eccentric former PD intern who's just a few years removed from law school and not even a member of the florida bar (tries his cases pro hac vice from his law school state up north) won his third eight figure verdict in 18 months this week when he successfully sued Proctor and Gamble after removing his client from the big pending products liability lawsuit going on in the nation and went it alone. Harcouth is rumored to work out of his parent's attic in Del Ray, is partial to typing his pleadings on an old IBM selectric and mumbles and shuffles his feet when speaking one on one. But in court he undergoes a dynamic personality change and just tears it up. Despite securing (in my estimation) over 10 million in fees just for himself in last two years Harcouth drives an old Ford Taurus, proudly buys his suits off the rack at Macy's outlet stores and has no social life to speak of. I supervised him at the pDs office when he interned down here. After a few months of observing trials, he mater of factly told me he'd seen enough to do it on his own and turned down an offer to work and went out on his own. To me the big mystery is how he gets his cases. Outside of a courtroom he is a classical social misfit.
8:10 PM. Can you please point to me ONE THING I wrote in which I complain because the courthouse is open Friday?
I was mildly amused that the governor tried to give state employees the day off and ran afoul of the court system. I think it stinks that the chief judges didn't get out in front of this and issue emails and tweets (he 11th circuit has its own twitter account believe it or not) and clear up the confusion. But giving them a problem because the courts are open? Not me. Plenty of lawyers are struggling and could use the day to make some money. Plenty of clients will need help with bonds and such this week. I'm all for the courts being open. I'm against the administrative judges thinking we can read their minds when the governor otherwise shuts down the state. We have 1000 ways to reach people these days. For goodness sakes why do the judges decide a this moment to all of the sudden become silent?
I was at my usual Starbucks this morning at 6:15 and Manuel, my regular Barrista from the Philippines greeted me with his warm big smile and already had my traditional Christmas eve drink ready for me. He remembered from last year. The entire staff was appropriate deferential to me as the great lawyer not just working on Christmas eve, but working so early on Christmas eve. I distributed the gift books I had carefully selected for them to read- most of them got the Steve Jobs Biography- this is to let them know that with study and hard work they can attempt to reach the level of myself or Jobs. And as always, I tucked a ten dollar gift card to Target in Manuel's book. Just a little secrete we share.
Merry Xmas everyone, and to all a good day and night.
Good Artcle by George Will questioning Newt' anti-courts position.
DS
Gingrich: One-man wrecking crew
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/22/2558261/gingrich-one-man-wrecking-crew.html
Love the smug condescending Fake T
DS
You really need to get active in FACDL.
Happy holidays Rumpy! All I want for Christmas is a Heat victory! What say you?
I say the Heat are again a bunch of overpriced spoiled players who are not a team, cannot beat a team, and never will.
All I want for Christmas is Rumpole.
the heat beat chicago. and they are a good team.. they just ran into the best player in the world at the wrong time during the world championship. the heat are compelling and are great for the nba. just look at the ratings bro.
but the only sports team worth getting excited about in this town is the canes. they are perhaps the greatest sports outfit of all time.
boring, boring, boring, since none of you are celebrating xmas, get out here and blog some nonsense cause the nonsencs that is popping out now is painful........way toooo painful
Who is Rothstein going to RAT out in the judiciary? Will we ever know Rump?
On the court's website for all to see:
http://www.jud11.flcourts.org/SCSingle.aspx?pid=213
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