Archive for the 'Law Firms' Category

Donald Trump Files Lawsuit Against Law Firm Over Legal Fees

Donald Trump is in the news once again. This time he is suing Manhattan law firm Morrison Cohen LLP and his lawyer who represented him in a malpractice suit, saying that the law firm has treated him like a “cash cow” by overcharging him and performing unnecessary work in order to bill more hours and therefore handing him what he feels is a huge legal bill. Mr. Trump is claiming he has enough experience in dealing with lawyers and feels that he knows when he’s been overcharged on legal fees. This time he feels that the legal fees quoted are not fair and a malpractice suit is in order. Trump, who has said that he has already paid Morrison Cohen $1 million in legal fees, is asking for $3 million in damages in his malpractice suit.

“I have dealt with a lot of lawyers and paid a lot of legal fees,” says Mr. Trump. “I have a Ph.D. in legal fees. I know when fees are fair and when they are not.”

Overview of the Legal Battle

Donald Trump v. Morrison Cohen | Trump sues law firm over big legal bill

Morrison Cohen’s David Scharf was hired by Trump last year to represent him in a suit against a golf course contractor, who Trump felt overcharged him for the service. They won the case and Justice Kenneth M. Rudolph who handled the case, awarded Trump almost $2 million in damages for the earth-moving contract and about $40,000 for the infrastructure. In addition, $1.3 million was also awarded for attorney’s fees. Despite the success of the malpractice suit, Trump feels that Morrison Cohen should have advised him not to pursue the infrastructure claims since it would certainly incur more cost and would outweigh any recovery. He said that most of their conversations were centered on legal fees and very little was discussed about the merit of the case.

“Ninety percent of the conversations I had with David Scharf were about legal fees, not the case,” said Trump. “We won the case because I’m a great witness.”

On the other hand, David Scharf maintains that the infrastructure issue was an integral part of the success of the case, and that it was necessary because the defendant has raised the issue. Scharf said that Trump was using his popularity as a negotiating tactic to get a discount because of the successful outcome of the case. Scharf also believes that his firm fairly billed Mr. Trump for the services rendered. They have counterclaimed for $470,000 in legal fees that they say remains unpaid.

This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has faced off against Morrison Cohen. Robert S. Cohen, the firm’s co-founder, represented Ivana Trump when she divorced from Mr. Trump in 1991.

“I beat him too,” said Mr. Trump, referring to attorney Robert S. Cohen’s attempt to bypass the Trump’s prenuptial agreement.

Donald Trump is represented in his malpractice suit by Alfred Donnellan of Delbello Donnellan Weingarten & Wiederkehr in White Plains, N.Y.

How Business Cards Can Skyrocket Your Legal Business

When you’re growing your legal business, whether as a solo practicioner or as part of a law firm, you know the importance of a business card. It’s a simple marketing tool that is extremely effective in making your business grow and be known, and works as a powerful advertisement without the hefty cost. It contains everything that a customer may need to know in order to contact your office, when they are interested in the products you’re selling or services that you offer.

Getting The Word Out

It’s also a good way of showing your profession to others. For example, for an accountant, a business card is a good marketing tool to advertise services, such as tax preparation and business structures. Its works with any profession and any industry and is simply part of how people transact business. When you go to a business meeting, you exchange cards - this is often a show of professionalism - and you should never be caught without one.

Business Cards | Lawyers | AttorneysIn offices and commercial establishments, business cards are prominently displayed in card holders to make it accessible for everyone. Usually, they are placed in clear acrylic card display holders to make them visible and easily recognizable. Legal Andrew mentioned some ideas of how to display your legal business card, which can greatly help in your promotion. He discusses one great idea which he saw in the rear of a car. The car had some lettering on the back window, advertising his business of selling some solar panels. The owner, however, had a clever idea of converting his wiper blade into a business card holder to support his advertising.

Take One - From the Wiper

The owner put a “take one” label sticker on the wiper so that any interested passerby can simply get a business card. The business cards were stuck underneath the wiper blades, creating curiosity and inviting action from strangers to go and get one. It’s a cool idea and certainly beats the old fashion way of displaying them in the office. Another one mentioned is an acrylic mounted card display holder in the back window, giving the car driver free advertisement opportunities wherever the car goes. It’s also convenient - the only expense is filling up the holder!

Getting Your Promotion On - Indoors

Of course, these are outdoor-use ideas but there are also some ideas for indoor business card promotion. Aside from the common clear acrylic display holders, other objects may also be used to hold your business cards. A good example is a decorative plate that can be placed on the desk or the counter. It’s a creative way of showing your well designed cards and breaking away from the traditional and oftentimes boring card holders. If your a woodworker like Andrew , you might even be able to create a simple wooden plate to hold his business cards. Think creatively when it comes to getting customers attention!

The Power of Business Card Promotion

The combination of a well designed business card and creative card holder will definitely improve your advertising campaign. It’s a simple, effective and relatively cheap method to undertake in your promotion efforts and may even become an ice breaker for customers - allowing easy flow of conversation about your service. There are many more ways to explore the business card display holder idea and all you need is some imagination to come up with a cool idea and design.

Lawyers Taking Over Second Life

Do you have a Second Life?

No I don’t mean a dual personality. Or some sort of alter-ego, like Clark Kent/Superman.

I’m talking about that pseudo-videogame called Second Life. Second Life (SL for short) is a virtual-world on the internet, developed by Linden Research, Inc (a.k.a. Linden Lab) where its users (known as Residents) can interact with each other through their avatars. Its like an uber-advanced social network combined with a metaverse (”universe” where people interact with each other in a cyber space). As a resident you can move around, trade virtual property items and services with other residents.

Well, lawyers have penetrated the cyber world of Second Life. Davis LLP has opened an office in the video game world.

No, I’m not kidding. Attorneys are now roaming the cyber halls of Second Life. Be very afraid.

All kidding aside, the office was opened by the law firm’s Video Game Law & Interactive Entertainment Group. It focuses on technology, video game law, and intellectual property. The attorneys of Davis LLP are shown as avatars in the virtual world. The law firm’s virtual office includes a boardroom (secured and encrypted), a lobby, a recruiting center, and a library with legal information arranged by topic.

Attorneys from Davis LLP currently online as residents include Chris Bennett (avatar name: IPand Teichmann), Dani Lemon (Lemon Darcy), Pablo Guzman (PabloGuzman Little), Sarah Dale-Harris (BarristerSolicitor Underwood), David Spratley (DaveS Blackadder), and Chris Metcalfe (IP Maximus).

“The virtual world of Second Life gives us the opportunity to interact with our current and potential clients in a unique way,” says Dani “Lemon Darcy” Lemon at Davis LLP. “We also aim to generate business leads and attract job candidates for our bricks-and mortar business through Second Life.”

You can visit them on Second Life through their SLurl (location based linking in Second Life).

If you’ve visited them in Second Life, let us know your experience with their office.