A Late “Happy Cinco de Mayo” from Joseph Rakofsky!

This blog post brought to you by an iPad, free WiFi, and the local Biergarten.

Though Jordan mocks my decision to purchase an iPad, I’d like to note the following: I’m currently at the local Biergarten, reading through and editing a 50+ page operating agreement on my silly Apple tablet, while drinking a Köstrizer Schwartzbier (one of my favorites). And it’s awesome.

Does technology change the fundamentals of lawyering? No. But it makes practice more convenient.

Joseph Rakofsky: The Dreams of Youth are the Regrets of Maturity

Where is your God now?

Dontrell Deaner rose to notoriety after being represented by Joseph Rakofsky, who was infamously dismissed from the representation for being too awesome.

According to my fellow Temple Law alum Jamison Koehler, Dontrell Deaner was sentenced to 10 years prison today. Dontrell Deaner pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Apparently Deaner could have pled guilty earlier, but “he was represented by two lawyers who clearly were not up to the task:  It is hard to consider the merits of a plea offer when you are not getting the right advice.”

According to Jamie, the judge did not have kind words…

If both lawyers were somewhat circumspect, Judge Jackson did not pull any punches. Apparently not cowed by Rakofsky’s earlier accusations of defamation, Jackson noted that, while he didn’t know what the outcome would have been had better advice been given at the outset, Deaner had been represented at trial by two lawyers with “no ability to assess the quality of the evidence” against Deaner.  The Judge said that he hadn’t been aware that the trial was Rakofsky’s first ever until Rakofsky mentioned it during his opening statement.
…
The primary lawyer in the case [Joseph Rakofsky?] the Judge said, the one who had been retained, was clearly not interested in considering a plea for Mr. Deaner; he wanted to be able to say he had tried a murder case. Both lawyers, he said, were “clueless” and “motivated by self-interest.”

Keep in mind that it was Joseph Rakofsky who said “We are trusted with people’s lives. There is no greater responsibility.” So did this hubris, self interest, and cluelessness hurt Mr. Deaner’s interests?

In the end, splitting the difference, the Judge imposed 120 months of incarceration – or 10 years – to be followed by 5 years of supervised probation. That sentence is twice the term offered by the government in its initial plea offer. This was the offer that Deaner, receiving advice from different counsel, had rejected.

Since being dismissed from the case, Joseph Rakofsky has sued everyone who criticized his behavior in a ridiculous SLAPP suit. (Don’t sue me, bro… just kidding. Rakofsky knows where to find me.)

What a way to go and commit career suicide.

[Video credits: This is my brother Xander Rushie's band, Paradise Movement. Yes, my brother is cooler than me and became a musician instead of a lawyer. He is the tall guy singing.]

The Biggest Loser

Inquiring minds want to know.

Lawyers and their toys (don’t tell Brian Tannebaum).

I finally cracked. Look at this lunatic idiot.

Written on my iWhatever.*

*The obligatory signature of all Apple users. What a-holes.

Why I do what I do.

You’re probably not friends with me on Facebook. (In fact, I hope you can’t see much about me, because I’ve tried to lock that down as much as the privacy standards allow).

The other night, around 23.30 (that’s 11.30pm for you normal people who don’t use military time), I was up reading through hundred of pages of correspondence, agreements, and laws. And I was exhausted because I had been up since 7.30 that morning doing the same thing. Even though my wife was asleep, and I wanted to be in bed too. But I felt good being awake. So I typed this silly post on Facebook. And really, this sums up exactly how I feel about being a lawyer.

This is why I do what I do.

Very Few Things Leave Me Speechless… this did.

Я выиграл для меня! ДЛЯ МЕНЯ!

Most of you remember Crystal Cox from the “extortionists who pretend to be bloggers are not journalists” case, Obsidian Finance v. Cox. Yes, shockingly, if you Google-bomb someone’s reputation and then offer to clean it up for a fee, apparently that is not “journalism.”

Crystal Cox rose to a particular level of notariety after going after Marc Randazza‘s three year old daughter. As you might imagine, bringing a three year old child into the mix didn’t play well.

This week, Crystal Cox filed objections and a declaration in support of her objections to Obsidian’s request to place her domain names in receivership.

Very few things leave me speechless. This takes the cake. Or keylime pie or whatever.

How to Build the Practice of Your Dreams – Listen to George Harrison, Not Rachel Rodgers

Since I’m usually mean to Rachel Rodgers, I will start by saying something nice about her (even though she blocked me and Leo on Twitter. And Leo’s not even a jerk like I am.) Rachel’s branding is very polished and her website looks great. Last week she wrote an article about technology that gave me some ideas to implement in my own physical, as in, not virtual, practice. I wasn’t even dumber after I read it.

A Day in the Life of a Young Lawyer

6:00am: Alarm goes off. “Hey hon. Did you bleach my white shirts? I can’t wear them if they have crud on the collar and the sleeves.” My wife hasn’t seen me in days.
6:15am: Review what I need to do for my hearing today. Look over all the documents, where we’re at with the case, and what I’m going to ask the judge for. I was up late last night doing the same thing, but I need to make sure I’m prepared. God it was a late night. But preparation is key to any court hearing. I need coffee.
7:00am: Shower.  Brush teeth. Hope I have clean shirts and a pressed suit in the wardrobe. Gotta be in court by 8:45am. No time for breakfast or a cup of joe. Don’t want to be late for the judge.
7:45am: Hop on the subway. Try not to touch gross stuff. Continue to prepare for the hearing by reviewing our documents. I think I have a good argument.
8:00am: Get coffee from the coffee shop. Continue reviewing what I need to do for the hearing. Can I take coffee into Judge Smith’s courtroom? Should I be spending my money on coffee? With only $7.22 in my personal account, probably not. I can’t afford to buy breakfast. Wish I would have had breakfast and coffee at home. I’m starving.

Your Lawyer on Hockey

This is your lawyer:

This is your lawyer on HOCKEY.

 

ANY QUESTIONS?