Author Archives: The Legal Reformer

About The Legal Reformer

Center for Legal Practice Reform

Corporate In-House Counsel Embezzled Millions

Posted on December 12, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

Longtime in-house senior patent lawyer, Jason Throne, recently admitted to defrauding Hunter Douglas in an elaborate 14-year embezzlement scheme in which he bilked the company out of over $5 million, according to The Denver Post. An earlier Denver Post article, … Continue reading →

Posted in Billing | Tagged Advice, Attorney Misconduct, Awareness, Billing Fraud, False Billing, Fraudulent Billing, Hunter Douglas, Jason Throne, Legal | Leave a comment

How Reliable Is Eyewitness Testimony?

Posted on December 5, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

The reliability of eyewitness testimony has been highlighted by the Ferguson grand jury process, in which the grand jury heard from a number of eyewitnesses with differing accounts of what transpired between officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. Each likely believed what … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged Awareness, Barbara Tversky, Criminal, Darren Wilson, Eyewitness Testimony, Ferguson, Justice, Legal, Michael Brown, News, Robert McCulloch, Scott Lilienfeld | Leave a comment

Thankful In the Wake Of Ferguson

Posted on November 29, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

We have all been touched by the events in Ferguson, and many have been polarized. On this Thanksgiving holiday, we at LPR want to remind everyone to be cautious about jumping to conclusions based on limited or incorrect information from … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged Awareness, Benjamin Watson, Ferguson, Holiday, Justice, Legal, News, Thanksgiving | Leave a comment

What Happens To Lawyers When They Miss Death Row Deadlines? Apparently Nothing

Posted on November 22, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

On November 16, 2014, The Washington Post ran an article written by Ken Armstrong for The Marshall Project titled When Lawyers Stumble, Only Their Clients Fall, about when court-appointed lawyers miss deadlines for filing death-penalty habeas corpus appeals. Federal habeas corpus appeals typically occur after … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged Attorney Misconduct, Death Row, Eric Holder, Justice, Ken Armstrong, Lawyers, Legal, The Marshall Project, The Washington Post | Leave a comment

The Elderly and Others Beware

Posted on November 8, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

A well-respected elder law attorney in New Jersey who offered seminars on end of life affairs pleaded guilty on Monday to first degree money laundering, admitting she stole millions of dollars from elderly clients. According to the State of New … Continue reading →

Posted in Vetting | Tagged Advice, Attorney Misconduct, Awareness, Barbara Lieberman, Caveat Emptor, Jan Van Holt, Legal, Legal Ethics, Money Laundering, News | Leave a comment

Widow’s Estate Ordered To Pay Lawyers $44 Million For Five Months Work

Posted on November 1, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

New York’s highest court ruled this past Tuesday that the Estate of Alice Lawrence must pay Manhattan law firm Graubard Miller $44 million in contingency fees as a result of a $111 million settlement reached five months after the dispute … Continue reading →

Posted in Tips | Tagged Alice Lawrence, Awareness, Conflict of Interest, Fee Disputes, Graubard Miller, Judges, Lawsuit, Legal, Legal Consumer, Litigation, News, Reuters | Leave a comment

OASIS Seminar Reviews Are In!

Posted on October 25, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

Elisa Eisenberg, LPR’s founder and CEO, conducted a seminar on September 30, 2014 for Washington Metropolitan OASIS titled Need A Lawyer? How to Navigate the Attorney/Client Relationship. LPR was encouraged to learn that the participants found the seminar helpful and informative: “Gave a … Continue reading →

Posted in Seminars | Tagged Awareness, Elisa Eisenberg, Janice Pliner, Legal, Legal Consumer, Legal Practices, Legal Reform, Seminar, Washington Metropolitan OASIS | Leave a comment

Legal Education for Legal Consumers?

Posted on October 18, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

We have suggested in many of our posts that legal consumers should educate themselves on the law in an effort to level the playing field with their attorneys and the legal system. But short of applying to law school, how … Continue reading →

Posted in Tips | Tagged CLE, Continuing Legal Education, Harold Kent, Legal, Legal Consumer, Legal Education, New Haven Register | Leave a comment

Legal Consumer Tip #8 – McElhaney on Litigation

Posted on October 10, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

We’ve blogged before about certain of Jim McElhaney’s articles for the ABA Journal and about self-help resources for legal consumers. After reading many of the almost 100 articles Mr. McElhaney wrote, we believe that his “advice” for lawyers also qualifies … Continue reading →

Posted in Tips | Tagged ABA Journal, Jim McElhaney, Legal, Legal Consumer, Litigation, McElhaney on Litigation, Self-help, Self-representation | Leave a comment

Attorney Tip #10 . . . Legal Consumer Tip # 7 – Better Brief Writing

Posted on October 4, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

Last week we posted a tip for attorneys about brief writing. This week, we stumbled upon an article by Bryan Garner providing tips for “better” brief writing. On October 1, 2014, Mr. Garner wrote an article for lawyers in the ABA Journal titled, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tips | Tagged ABA Journal, Attorney, Brief Writing, Bryan Garner, Lawsuit, Legal, Legal Consumer, Legal Practices, Litigation | Leave a comment