Legal News

Lawyer at Major Firm Charged with Bilking Firm and Clients

By Jamie Heller

Samuel A. Fishman, described as a partner in the corporate department of a major U.S. law firm with offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia, was charged with mail fraud based on allegations that he charged the firm and its clients hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal and non-existent business expenses, according to a criminal information filed earlier this month in the Southern District of New York. Upon discovering the scheme, the information says, the firm reimbursed its clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses.

The information says Fishman was the billing partner for a number of the firm’s institutional clients, including clients in banking, utilities, telecommunications and entertainment. From 1993 through 2005, it says, Fishman mischaracterized on invoices certain expenses, such as non-reimbursable meals and parking fees, as reimbursable expenses, such as photocopying and express mail, amounting to more than $200,000 of mischaracterized expenses. He also sent client invoices that inflated actual costs to the firm, amounting to $100,000 of non-existent expenses, the information says. It says that he also falsely represented personal expenses, such as hotel bills, as reimbursable business expenses.

Fishman pleaded not guilty. A hearing in the case is scheduled for 1:30 today. We’ll update this post with more information as we get it.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on March 28, 2008 (boomark / email).