Lawyers Archive
Lawyer Wall of Heroes: 26 Stories You Really Should Read
May 25th, 2011. By AbiK
Chances are, none of the lawyers shown above is really comfortable with the title “hero”. And we usually reserve the honor for caped crusaders in tights or, joking aside, those who’ve shown incredibly selfless acts of courage in the face of devastating events. But for the individuals who were extended a helping hand during their own personal hour of need—often when everyone else had turned their backs on them—these attorneys are indeed truly heroes.
In each of our interviews with these attorneys, the majority shared this one quote with our senior legal correspondent, Brenda: “It’s the right thing to do.” If you’re wondering what that ‘thing’ is for each of them, click on their images above to find out. The legal practice areas they’ve chosen to champion and the causes they’ve chosen to support are as diverse as can be imagined—from Hurricane Katrina to children with special needs to the transgender community and even one that combines practicing with preaching.
We continue to be inspired by the pro bono stories we share in our Lawyers Giving Back columns. We hope you are, too.
If you know an attorney who ‘gives back’, let us know—we’d love to share their story as well. Drop us a line at Editorial@lawyersandsettlements.com.
Lawyers Heading to STLA: Connect with our Team…Now!
February 28th, 2011. By AbiK
FYI for lawyers…If you’re heading to the Southern Trial Lawyers Association (STLA) for the Mardi Gras Conference later this week, don’t forget to pack your beads and scan us ahead of time to have a member of our team contact you. We’re setting up interviews, too–so let us know if you’re interested in having one of our writers contact you…see you in NOLA…
“I Find People” says Investigative Attorney Charles Eric Gordon
January 10th, 2011. By BrendaC
Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with attorney Charles Gordon…
Attorney Charles-Eric Gordon: The Lawyer Lawyers Turn To to Find People
If you’ve ever existed, investigative attorney Charles Gordon can find you. Not only that, he teaches other lawyers how to find you, too!
He’s an expert in the art of ‘Skip Tracing’—which is, rather like it sounds, the business of tracking down witnesses, debtors or former spouses who “skip” out on obligations—or, they could be missing heirs to estates, or they just need to be found for some other legal reason.
- Attorney Charles Eric Gordon
Gordon’s a Brooklyn Law School-educated attorney, but as he’ll tell you, “I haven’t litigated a case as the attorney of record in a long, long time. When I go to court it is as an expert witness. I’m an investigative attorney.”
The computer is a mighty sword in the search for those individuals who are missing pieces to legal puzzles. At his free workshops for the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer Project he teaches people how to use Google or ancestry.com and search licensed databases to locate people.
“It is something I really enjoy doing,” says Gordon. “I get some insight—especially when the lawyers bring up questions from their own practices and I talk about how I would handle the issue.”
“I tell them the computer is important,” he adds, “but the internet isn’t everything.”
Gordon’s a bit of a charmer, too and in his business, that’s a definite plus. “Lawyers who want to learn how to find missing witnesses or heirs to estates have to “use the schmooze”. It’s a Yiddish expression,” says Gordon. “Basically, what I mean is get out there and talk to people, don’t just sit at the computer.”
“Is there a dry cleaner or a bodega in their old neighborhood where someone might remember what happened to them,” says Gordon. “Or maybe someone there might remember somebody who would know where they went.”
Gordon loves his job. And sometimes, when a lawyer comes to him struggling to find someone critical to a case, if it’s a worthy one, Gordon will hop on the case pro bono and get the work done.
In the early 1970s, as Gordon was graduating from university with an English degree (yes, there was another degree before this one) his career options were limited. “I started out working a debt collector. I became very good at finding debtors and setting up car repos. And I loved the chase,” says Gordon.
“You could say I’ve carved a little niche for myself,” says Gordon, sitting in his sunny office on 7th Avenue in New York. He’s got a collection of phone books going back to the early 1900s—one of the artful tools in his people-finding kit. “Sometimes people will say something like, my uncle lived on a street with an animal name, but I can’t remember it.”
“I flip through the phone book and find Zebra Lane or Dromedary Street,” says Gordon. “I know where to start looking.”
As Gordon said, it’s an art.
Charles Gordon of Charles-Eric Gordon, Esq. specializes as investigative counsel serving the legal profession and real estate industries by locating missing heirs, legatees, beneficiaries, witnesses, debtors and defendant; especially those absentees missing for many years or about whom little information is known. Gordon also conducts investigations involving rent stabilization and rent control fraud by tenants and conduct asset investigations of judgment debtors. He serves as a consultant to private investigation firms and corporation counsel, and teaches continuing legal education courses on tracing missing persons and conducting landlord-tenant investigations.
National Class Action Pursues Separation Pay for Discharged Gays
November 30th, 2010. By BrendaC
LawyersandSettlements.com has a new column that looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we talk with Attorney Joshua Block of the ACLU…
Attorney Joshua Block: “…even if you believe that DADT was necessary…it doesn’t provide a reason to cut someone’s separation pay in half.”
It’s like pouring salt on the wound, say critics of the government policy of cutting separation pay in half for men and women discharged from the US military under the controversial ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) rule.
Former US Air Force Staff Sargeant Richard Colllins
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has just filed a national class action claiming the practice violates the rights of the former service members under the equal protection and right to substantive due process components of the Fifth Amendment.
“A little over a year ago, a former member of the US Air Force, who had been honorably discharged under DADT, came to us and said his separation pay had been cut in half and wanted to know if we could help,” says ACLU attorney Joshua Block.
Since the administration is on record opposing discrimination against gays in the military, Block and the ACLU thought this would be easy to reconcile, but after a year of letters and telephone calls, nothing has changed for former US Air Force Staff-Sergeant, Richard Collins.
“We finally sent a demand letter saying we hope you fix this policy, but if you don’t, we have no choice but to bring this litigation,” says Block.
During his nine-year career, according to the documents filed by the ACLU, Collins had been an exemplary member of the armed forces. He was awarded a good conduct medal, served in Kosovo and was promoted quickly through the ranks.
Collins was honorably discharged in 2006 after two civilians who worked at his base reported seeing him kissing a boyfriend in a car stopped at red light. Collins was off duty, dressed in civilian clothes and more than 10 miles from his base in Arizona.
And Collins is not alone in being short-changed on separation pay. The amount of money owed to military personnel kicked out for being homosexual is “not insignificant,” says Block. “And the policy is offensive.”
“It is rubbing salt in the wound,” says Block. “These people are kicked out of the military through no fault of their own and then on top of that their separation pay is cut in half.”
The argument against gays in the military has historically been that it affects troop morale says Block. “So even if you believe that DADT was necessary for unit cohesion, it doesn’t provide a reason to cut someone’s separation pay in half,” he adds.
The class covers anyone who was honorably discharged over the last six years—with at least six years of service, and had their pay cut in half.
Although how many ex-military personnel might qualify as members of the class is unknown, it’s estimated there may be as many as 500 potential class members.
The suit asks that former service members be paid the money owed to them with interest, both pre- and post-judgment, and that the attorney fees also be paid.
The claims court cannot provide injunctive relief to plaintiffs says Block. “That’s beyond the scope of claims court; however, hopefully a judgment in our favor would stop the practice once and for all.”
Joshua Block is a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in New York City working on the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and AIDS Project.
Investment Tip? Legal Lending: Place your Bets!
November 18th, 2010. By Hunter West
Would you entertain an investment that pays up to 24 percent annually? Sound too good to be true? A Ponzi scheme?
Au contraire, Mon ami. Litigation is the new investment playground, my darlings…
One aspect of the legal system that will surprise some is the growth in legal lending. That’s right—the business of lending (for profit) in order to fund litigation.
Lawsuits are expensive. The larger legal houses may have the financial clout to self-finance. However for the remainder, financing the action in order to get you through to the settlement (and the payoff) can be a hardship, if not impossible.
So lawyers borrow money to fund lawsuits from entities that are in the business of doing just that.
The New York Times recently ran a fascinating story based on an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit based in Washington. There are a number of firms that specialize in floating loans to legal firms in order to finance lawsuits—presumably, after their efforts to secure financing through ordinary channels (the charted banks) fall through.
In comes Counsel Financial, based in Buffalo and financed by CitiGroup. There’s also LawFinance Group. And LawCash, based in Brooklyn. They come to the rescue when traditional Read the rest of this entry »
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