Law firm will be one on trial

Those who think trial lawyers are a bunch of crooks now have Exhibit A, with the indictment Thursday by U.S. attorneys (see photo) of Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman, the nation’s leading class-action law firm. Milberg Weiss and two of its partners are charged with paying more than $11 million in kickbacks to three individuals who were plaintiffs in more than 150 lawsuits that generated about $216 million in fees for the firm. Whether there are convictions or not, analysts predict that the indictments could be the firm’s downfall but note that there are plenty of other law firms ready and willing to do the same work.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

10 Comments

  1. raptor
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 1:28 pm | Permalink

    For anyone interested in this type of lawsuit abuse, I highly recommend the book, “King of Torts”, by John Grisham. While ostensibly fiction, Grisham’s research on the topic paints a very disturbing picture of what passes for ‘law’ in this country.

  2. Brian
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 1:51 pm | Permalink

    raptor,

    Another interesting, older read on the subject is “Bleak House” by Dickens.

  3. GMC70
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 2:14 pm | Permalink

    Amen. Nail their hides to the wall. And make it very public, embarassing, and costly.

    This kind of class action abuse costs all of us.

  4. Brian
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 2:18 pm | Permalink

    GMC,

    Perhaps a class action lawsuit????? :-D

  5. comrade thinker
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 2:19 pm | Permalink

    Blasted zionist jew lawyers!

  6. Joe Williams
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 5:14 pm | Permalink

    That it why we need more legitigation reform.

  7. CrusaderX
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 7:19 pm | Permalink

    It is perfectly legal to file civil suits for torts. The word tort comes from the Latin word for twist. As in a screw. As in someone SCREWED up. There’s nothing unethical about seeking recompense for damages done to any citizen or organization. What is commonly known as “mass tort” however is another story, however it is not malpractice for attorneys to delve in such action. So yeah, they dont need to cover their asses.

  8. Bert
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 9:33 pm | Permalink

    Shades of the class action lawsuit against Wesley?

  9. steve
    Posted May 19, 2006 at 10:25 pm | Permalink

    Class actions serve the common good when the potential for individual recovery is so low that no one would pursue legal recourse against the individual. Like, an oil change company that doesn’t actually change the oil or filter, except when caught.

  10. GMC70
    Posted May 22, 2006 at 9:28 am | Permalink

    Steve:

    In principle, sure. Let’s get a dose of reality here.

    Class actions serve the law firm, which pockets massive legal fees while the plaintiffs, those who are actually harmed, get next to nothing. Most plaintiffs in class actions don’t even know they are plaintiffs until they get a settlement agreement telling them they get a free night at a hotel, or some other meaningless trinket thrown their way. In the mean time, the law firm pockets millions.