Common Sense: A Lawyer and Partner, and Also Bankrupt

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Business Briefing | Legal News: Swiss Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy in Tax Fraud

Room for Debate asks why some people are drawn to scientific stories, and others to religious ones.

An overdue standard from the Food and Drug Administration is good news for consumers with food allergies.

Wendi Murdoch Hires a New Lawyer, Suggesting a Divorce Is Getting Messy

Mrs. Murdoch has hired William D. Zabel, a well-known New York trusts and estates lawyer who has represented several women in their divorces from wealthy businessmen, including Jane Beasley Welch during her contentious split from John F. Welch, the former chief executive of General Electric.

A spokesman for Mrs. Murdoch, Christopher Giglio, confirmed the hiring of Mr. Zabel, but otherwise declined to comment.

Mrs. Murdoch had been represented by Pamela M. Sloan, who advised Mrs. Murdoch on her prenuptial agreement with Mr. Murdoch in 1999, when the couple married in front of 82 guests on board his 155-foot sailing yacht, the Morning Glory.

But since then, Ms. Sloan had become friendly with the Murdochs, and Mrs. Murdoch decided that she wanted more independent counsel, said a person with direct knowledge of the case who like many people declined to be identified discussing personal matters.

Ms. Sloan did not return a request for comment.

Although the Murdochs signed a prenuptial agreement and two postnuptial agreements delineating the separation of assets in the event of a divorce, there are a number of areas that remain up for negotiation, said people with knowledge of the case who spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

For one, there are the custody arrangements and child support for their daughters, Grace, 11, and Chloe, 9, these people said. Because they are not binding on the court, custody arrangements and child support are rarely part of prenuptial agreements, and are often used by the less-moneyed spouse as leverage in negotiations.

Other issues that could be contended include the division of certain assets, like their Fifth Avenue penthouse and the yacht, on which Mrs. Murdoch, 44, and her daughters are currently vacationing in the Caribbean.

There is also the contentious issue surrounding the Murdoch family trust. Mr. Murdoch surprised his wife in 2006 when he announced during a television interview with Charlie Rose that Grace and Chloe would have the same economic interest in the family’s trust but not the same voting rights as his four children from his previous two marriages.

The slip almost created a separation, and prompted Mrs. Murdoch to negotiate more favorable terms for her daughters, according to people close to the couple.

Mr. Zabel, an expert in trust law, is expected to examine the soundness of the trust structure.

“Even with the most sophisticated couple, unless you have perfect 20/20 foresight often some issues can arise that weren’t taken into consideration and are prime for negotiation,” said Paul M. Talbert, a divorce lawyer at Donohoe Talbert in New York, who is not involved in the Murdoch case.

Representing Mr. Murdoch, 82, in the divorce proceeding is Ira E. Garr of the law firm Garr Silpe. But Mr. Murdoch is also relying heavily on the advice of Gerson A. Zweifach, the general counsel of both News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, as the newly separated companies are now known. Mr. Murdoch’s 1998 divorce from his second wife, Anna, cost more than $110 million in cash.

A company spokeswoman has said the divorce will have no effect on either company.

Shortly after a visit to the couple’s Northern California home in June, Mrs. Murdoch returned to New York to learn that Mr. Murdoch had served her with divorce papers, a decision he did not take lightly, according to several people close to the couple who would not discuss their private matters for attribution.

Mrs. Murdoch, after interviewing about eight different lawyers, including leading members of the matrimonial bar like Robert Stephan Cohen and Peter E. Bronstein, chose Mr. Zabel. Initially, Mrs. Murdoch did not have time to screen potential divorce lawyers and turned to Ms. Sloane, a trusted confidante, by default.

The core of Mr. Zabel’s practice at the law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel is advising wealthy clients like George Soros and the Lehman family, drafting their wills and trusts and advising on estate planning. But he also handles messier matters for his clients; in 2010, for instance, he represented the estate of his longtime client, the Palm Beach philanthropist and investor Jeffry M. Picower, in a $7.2 billion settlement with the federal government over claims related to money that he received from Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

There is also the occasional divorce assignment. Much of the time, Mr. Zabel will play the role of mediator, and has peaceably settled the divorces of the late author Michael Crichton, the radio host Howard Stern and the New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV.

But at times, he has been involved in nasty marital spats, like that of Ms. Welch, whose marriage collapsed after she discovered her husband’s dalliance with the journalist Suzy Wetlaufer. The divorce was fiercely litigated and settled on the courthouse steps in 2002 only after Mr. Welch agreed to pay Ms. Welch several hundred million dollars.

More recently, he represented Christina Lurie, the former wife of the Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who divorced after 20 years of marriage. Ms. Lurie remained a part owner of the team.

Because he keeps divorce representations to a minimum, Mr. Zabel often refers cases to his former wife, Eleanor B. Alter, herself a prominent matrimonial lawyer in New York.

Gloucester County Sued After Lawyer Dies at Courthouse

The widow of a 42-year-old lawyer who went into cardiac arrest and died at the Gloucester County courthouse is suing the county, alleging negligence by first responders was the cause of death.

Reed Smith Adds Cozen O'Connor Health Care Lawyer

Reed Smith added health care regulatory lawyer Salvatore G. Rotella Jr. as a partner in its life sciences health industry group in Philadelphia.

Personal Injury Lawyer Feels the Need for Speed

High-speed racing is "an adrenaline rush like no other," says Tom Schaefer, a personal injury lawyer in Suwanee, Ga. He says his clients who are motorcycle accident victims appreciate his expertise as a biker.

Four times a year, personal injury lawyer Tom Schaefer locks his office in Suwanee, Ga., loads his truck and heads north for a weekend that could not contrast more with a relaxing getaway in the Georgia mountains.

Schaefer, 47, races motorcycles -- at up to three times the legal speed on metro Atlanta highways. He has established 119 land-speed records in the various divisions for cycle classifications and engine size.

Schaefer's trips lead to a one-mile racing layout in Wilmington, Ohio, on a former World War II airstrip. One by one, riders test their skills and courage, and few have been as committed or accomplished as Schaefer, who raced four different bikes for a while.

He won four Motorcycle Points Championships in successive years with an organization called the East Coast Timing Association at another strip in Maxton, N.C., where he officially reached 206.391 mph.

Schaefer, a single man who estimates he has logged a quarter-million miles on motorcycles, is all too aware of the vehicle's dangers on two fronts. He serves as the attorney for casual riders involved in mishaps. And three racers whom he considered friends died in accidents while pursuing their passion.

You first hopped aboard a motorcycle at the age of 8. Was there a mini Hells Angels club?

My parents have a farm up in Missouri, where I grew up. We had a couple of horses. My dad was getting a little frustrated chasing them down on 160 acres of land so we could ride them. He asked if I wanted to ride a motorcycle. He said, "At least I won't have to go chase it down. It will be right where I left it." Oddly enough, my parents still have that motorcycle they got me, in the basement of their house.

What is the attraction of riding motorcycles at high speed?

I do it because I love it. It's exciting, an adrenaline rush like no other.

You are not just competing against people that day, but against people in history. Your records are there until somebody else is faster.

What was your most frightening experience?

It was my final run in Maxton that got me in the 200-mph club. I was blown off my line by a crosswind just before the one-mile marker. I couldn't get the bike turned for the dogleg to go into the long shutdown area. I wouldn't say I was in a panic, but I was extremely concerned about what was going to happen. I drove the motorcycle to the [outside] of the cones onto a rough, bumpy patch. Once I got to that area, I was able to slow the bike down. I remember looking down, and I could see just past my left leg into the open field a foot away.

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Family Law: We Can Do Better: Staying Professional as a Family Lawyer

All lawyers have tough, demanding jobs, but no lawyer can really say that their job is tough until they take on a family law case.

A Lifetime Spent Swimming Nourishes Ga. Lawyer

By Laura F. Raines All Articles 

Daily Report

February 15, 2013

Laurie Speed-Dalton entered the Ridges Open Water Swim in Lake Chatuge at the urging of her brother.

Speed-Dalton poses with her then-6-year-old daughter, Alexis, before the 2011 Lake Lanier Tri2Remember 2K race.
Photos courtesy of Speed-Dalton

When she's not in the courtroom, water is the natural element for competitive swimmer Laurie Speed-Dalton.

Laurie Speed-Dalton's youthful career ambitions ran more to sports journalism than the law. But she didn't like football. So after college, she followed in her father's footsteps and went to law school.

"As my father pointed out, I have a lawyer's personality," she said. "I don't really like conflict, but I could never let a remark I disagreed with pass. Some things you just have to argue. I like being an advocate for my clients."

Three years ago, Speed-Dalton started her own firm, The Speed Firm, which specializes in personal injury and medical malpractice law.

Deciding on a personal sport was easy, however. "I love everything to do with the water. Swimming defined me during my school and college years," she said.

How did you start swimming competitively?

The story goes that I was swimming at the pool with my family when a children's swim team came to practice. My reaction was, "Do you mean there's a team for this, and you've been keeping it from me?" I was 4. After that I swam on community, high school and college teams.

Did you have a specialty?

I was a sprinter. The 50- and 100-yard freestyle were my best events. I had the sprinter mentality -- get in and get it done. A short race is basically a one-breath-after-the-turn race.

But I was also considered a utility swimmer, and could compete in any stroke as long as it was under 500 yards.

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Ga. Lawyer Mobilizes Advocates for Prevention of Child Sex Abuse

Lawrence Kasmen is a risk-taker in private life, but his professional passion is to reduce the risk of sexual abuse for children.
John Disney, Daily Report

Personally and professionally, Lawrence Kasmen views himself as a risk-taker, a trait he ascribes to genetics and upbringing. "My father is the same way," he said.

Kasmen has ridden motorcycles and jumped out of planes. He roamed about the Middle East during politically tense times when tourism was discouraged.

A corporate and commercial real estate attorney, he fled the security of a large company to start his own law firm. On the side, he developed real estate and built homes. More recently, he created, with a partner, a mobile app for businesses.

But his latest passion is intended to reduce risk for others. For the past few years, Kasmen has instructed adults on how to prevent sexual abuse of children.

Soon after an entrepreneurial spirit led to the launch of Mobilezen, an app designed to promote business, Kasmen landed the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy as a client. Attending the 2009 Cheer for Children Ball, its annual black-tie fundraiser in November, he was inspired to undergo a three-hour training program with the Stewards of Children, a national awareness group.

He became a trainer, offering advice and guidance to other adults, and relishes his role in a ripple effect of the educational process. His lessons focus on how to recognize, address and report incidents of grown-ups' misconduct with kids.

"The theory is, children should not be their own keeper," said Kasmen, who provides some free services with the mobile app to the center. "It is incumbent on adults to protect children from sexual abuse."

Kasmen's devotion to the cause has landed him a seat on the board of directors for the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy beginning next year.

He recently spoke to the Daily Report about his commitment.

What spurred you to get involved?

I am a father of two boys, now 5 1/2 and 4. That is probably it.

When my wife and I went to the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy event, we were moved by the cause. No one was really asking for money. It was a charity that was asking for your time and commitment and effort.

As lawyers, we have a duty to leverage our status, our position. I thought the best way I could get involved is to go and do Stewards of Children training. I can expose people to the problem and hopefully incite them to act or go through the training themselves. I try to get organizations to train their leaders and employees.

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Criminal Practice: Lawyer Need Not Advise Client of Plea's Pension Effect

Attorneys cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to advise a defendant that he or she may lose his or her pension if he or she enters a guilty plea to criminal charges, the state Supreme Court has ruled.

Philadelphia Lawyer, and Advocate of Italian-American Advancement, Dies

Longtime Philadelphia lawyer Michael C. Rainone died October 17 in Binghamton, N.Y.

Reed Smith Adds Cozen O'Connor Health Care Lawyer

Reed Smith added health care regulatory lawyer Salvatore G. Rotella Jr. as a partner in its life sciences health industry group in Philadelphia.

Atlanta IP Firm Opens D.C. Office With Former Sterne Kessler Lawyer

By Matthew Huisman All Articles 

The National Law Journal

November 12, 2012

Atlanta-based Parks IP Law has opened a Washington, D.C., outpost with the help of a former Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox director.

Theodore Wood will serve as the lead partner in the firm's second office. Firmwide, Parks IP includes 11 attorneys. Wood is joined in Washington by of counsel Corey Mack.

The firm originally focused on patent and trademark law, but has since expanded to include practices like IP litigation and technology transactions.

Wood helped start the grid industry group at Sterne Kessler before joining Parks IP. In an interview, Wood said he met founding partner Cynthia Parks during a patent bar study course in 2001 and that the two kept in contact. Parks founded her firm in 2004 and the two would often discuss opportunities for collaboration.

But despite the change in scenery, Wood said he would continue to pursue much of the same work that he did at his previous firm.

"At Sterne Kessler, most of my time was focused on managing portfolios important to the firm," Wood said. "I focused some of my time on writing and speaking."

He said he hopes to be able to devote more time to speaking engagements and writing at his new firm. Wood said that despite their size, the firm has notable clients like AT&T and General Electric. He said the firm is currently in talks to expand its Washington office.

"As we build those clients and focus in on the grid, we think there will be a tremendous opportunity to add bodies here in the D.C. office," Wood said.

This article first appeared on The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.

Plaintiff Can't Sue Lawyer After Alleged Inadequate Settlement

Plaintiffs unhappy with their settlement in a silicosis case can't sue their lawyers for malpractice, a Philadelphia judge has ruled.

Philadelphia Lawyer, and Advocate of Italian-American Advancement, Dies

Longtime Philadelphia lawyer Michael C. Rainone died October 17 in Binghamton, N.Y.

Lawyer Skilled as Chef Shares His Love of Fine Dining

View a slide show of Douglas Powell entertaining here.

Start with the tapenade-stuffed quail eggs and pissaladière tart, paired with a glass of Clairette de Die, a sparkling wine from France.

Next comes bouillabaisse and a salade Niçoise with a Cassis rosé.

Then ratatouille with goat cheese croustillant and a Vin de Pays du Val de Montferrand Blanc.

On and on the night will go, 10 courses ending with cheese and dessert.

No worries if you don't know pork crépinettes from a tarte Tropezienne. You've got a lawyer to guide your way.

That would be Douglas Powell, a partner at Hinton & Powell who knows his way around a kitchen and loves to share his talents with hungry friends. Last Saturday night, Powell and some gifted assistants made and served the dishes and wines mentioned during one of his "Table One" dinners at his home in Brookhaven, Ga.

Powell says he "tries to create the highest culinary experience" for up to a dozen guests who sit at his table. "We serve only fresh, locally grown, certified organic food. Our guiding principle will be flavor, health and sustainability."

It was a cancer scare that took Powell's interest in cooking from a simmer to a boil. He talked to the Daily Report about a passion for food passed on by his mother.

When did you first get interested in cooking?

Several years ago I was diagnosed with and successfully battled prostate cancer. My son and daughter were off at college and my wife Beth and I decided to go back to school for something fun. She studied creative writing and I looked around for something I would love.

My mother was a great cook. I always had a love of cooking and so I looked into culinary school. I applied to the International Culinary School of the Art Institute of Atlanta in Dunwoody. I attended classes at night for three years and graduated second in my class.

How did you make the jump to wanting to become a real chef?

In the third year of culinary school there's an internship requirement. All through culinary school I continued my full-time litigation practice. I needed to find a restaurant where I could have an internship that would fit around my full-time law practice.

Ex-Crowell & Moring Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Client Theft

A former Crowell & Moring associate who fled to Hong Kong to avoid arrest and had to be extradited has admitted embezzling $10.7 million dollars from clients over a two-year period.