Saturday, August 29, 2009

In the Public's Benefit - Installment 2009-5

Attorney Robert Simels (New York Law School – J.D., 1974) became a convicted felon late this month, under 12 counts -- including bribery of a witness, attempted witness tampering and conspiracy to commit witness tampering -- due to his efforts to prevent potential witnesses from testifying against his client, Guyanese drug-smuggler Shaheed "Roger" Khan. Mr. Simels' former associate, attorney Arienne Irving (SUNY- Buffalo) , was convicted of five of 11 counts, including attempted witness tampering and conspiracy to commit witness tampering.

At this writing, Simels's online biography includes these MEMBERSHIPS AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
Association of the Bar of the City of New York - Criminal Justice Operations Committee; Professional Discipline Committee; Professional Responsibility Committee; Chairman, Forfeiture Committee – N.Y.S. Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Corrections Committee, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Faculty member - NITA; Faculty member - Practicing Law Institute; Federal Bar Council; ABA

In December, 2008, we had posted Law Schools Do Not Seem to Compete for the Public's Benefit contending that Law school reputations currently connote to the public only vague expectations of how brazen and arrogant its graduates behave.

Law school admission standards must be tightened for the entire public to better rely on reputations of respective law schools for producing graduates of innate integrity.

Improving law school admissions standards, although certainly in the public interest, is highly unlikely. After all, law schools are not military academies and most lawyers were never Eagle Scouts nor recipients of Girl Scout equivalent Gold Awards.

We expected, to be posting with increasing frequency about the brazen corruption and ethical lapses of lawyers in public office. The latest felon is has been a member of the U.S. House. The kind of dough those not in public office could afford to throw around could certainly influence some in public office:

Shamed law schools will be identified to awaken the public. Stay tuned.

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