Ambulance Chasing, Criminal Law Edition
Simple Justice:
Houston criminal defense lawyer Mark Bennett has given new meaning to the old phrase, the meter’s running.
There’s a criminal attorney in Houston (I’ll call him “Ollie”) who is a really busy guy. Ollie reportedly has a cab driver who waits outside the jail in the wee hours of the morning when people are released on bond and refers them to Ollie for representation. Ollie charges a nominal fee ($500 or so to start); he will even fill out the clients’ retainer checks for them.
This is a new one on me. I’ve heard of plenty of schemes to get clients, but having a cab sitting out front to whisk potential clients to your office is good one. I’m not sure if it would work in Manhattan. There are just too many cabs floating around to make it productive. But now that Mark’s put it on the radar, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get our own Ollie by the end of the week.
There are any number of fine, upstanding lawyers in the Big Apple who will do anything short of pro bono to get their hands on the quick case (with its inherent quick plea). But one story comes foremost to mind.
A former prosecutor in the Bronx walked up to me outside 100 Centre Street one day to say hello and inform me that he was now available for referrals. I had a rather large conspiracy case with him when he was a tough guy on the Grand Concourse, under the tutelage of Eddy Friedenthal and Nester “the Molester” Ferraro, the head of narcotics for the Bronx. (D.A., not the other side). As a prosecutor, this kid was one obnoxious little jerk. Not effective, mind you, but smarmy and smug, one of those grinning untrustworthy fools whose voice…