Legal Marketing & PR

When Law Jobs Go Bad - Sentencing Melvyn Weiss

By lawjobspipeline

It’s kind of unusual for a defendant to file his own sentencing memo to a court, but when the defendant is class action guru-turned-defendant Mel Weiss well, anything can happen.  The WSJ Law Blog published the memo, which carried more than 275 letters attesting to the good-turned-bad lawyer’s good deeds.  Prosecutors’ memo recommended 33 months in prison. 

Among the heavy-hitting Weiss supporters: Arthur Miller, David Boies, Burt Neuborne, Kenneth Feinberg and Stephen Sussman.

Weiss pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy over Milberg’s alleged payment of kickbacks to class action clients.The U.S. Probation Office recommended 33 months for Weiss, in a report filed earlier this month, and prosecutors concur, asserting in today?s motion that this is a sufficient term in light of the fact that Weiss also has to cough up $10 million, will lose his license and will be forced to ?retire in his disgrace.? Also, prosecutors note: ?Weiss will be 73 when he begins serving his sentence this summer.?

As the WSJ Law Blog reports, in his memo, Weiss asked for a term of 18 months and for the judge to substitute at least half of that period with either community service and/or home confinement. ?Should your Honor conclude however, that a prison sentence greater than 18 months is appropriate,? he wrote, ?we then respectfully suggest that a sentence of 24 months is sufficient.?

Full post as published by Lawyer Marketing Blog on May 27, 2008 (boomark / email).