Quick Hits (5/12/05)

An incredible story here, about a San Francisco lawyer, Joshua Dale, who continued to meet with another's lawyer's client -- a criminal defendant -- to coax that defendant to sign a horribly incriminating statement that would help the lawyer in a civil suit but be devastating to the defendant in his criminal matter.  The lawyer has been suspended for four months and placed on probation for two years.  The defendant was represented by Kenneth Quigley, who previously posted here on the Quatman affair.    . . . .     Here's some thinking outside the [tee] box: for the first time a PGA golfer will be sponsored by a law firm.  The golfer Harrison Frazar's golf bag will be adorned with the logo of Thompson & Knight LLP.    . . . .     Stung by a report blasting its lawyer discipline system, Massachusetts's high court will seek advice from from ABA advisors on how to reform the system.    . . . .     Here is more commentary from the UK on City of London law firm efforts, led by Allen & Overy, to increase biglaw commitment to pro bono work.

Comments

[David Giacalone]

John, I'll be interested to see what the ABA has to say about the Massachusetts lawyer discipline system. I wonder if the Supreme Judicial Court handed off to the ABA, because it had many of the qualms that I have noted -- http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ethicalesq/stories/storyReader$3744 -- about the so-called reform proposals pending at the Mass. Bar Association. Except for ending unreasonable delays, the changes urged by MBA all appear to weaken the discipline process, tilting it in favor of lawyers.