“City fends off bid by county to have its law firm tossed” —
- “The city of Tulsa can keep the private law firm it has hired to sue Tulsa County over a new jail agreement, a judge ruled Tuesday.”
- “The county had filed a motion seeking to have the firm of Norman, Wohlgemuth, Chandler and Dowdell disqualified from the case, claiming that the law firm has a conflict of interest because it also is representing the Tulsa County Retirement Board.”
- “The county called two witnesses and presented several exhibits showing that the county had paid the law firm for services related to a Retirement Board case.”
- “But an attorney for the law firm, Jo Lynn Jeter, told Tulsa County District Judge Jefferson Sellers that the county had failed to meet the legal standard for disqualification.”
- “Jeter said the county did not show that the law firm’s involvement in the Retirement Board case would likely hinder proceedings in the jail lawsuit or that the law firm has possession of some kind of information that would be harmful or prejudicial to the county.”
- “Sellers said that for him to disqualify the city’s law firm, he needed evidence of a conflict of interest or improper possession of confidential information.”
- “Based on alleged misrepresentations, plaintiff Francesco Zanghi and his company Zanghi LLC made investments in pizzerias in Italy and the United States between June and November 2018. On Jan. 30, 2024, the court learned of a familial relationship between Zanghi and his counsel Andrea Natale.”
- “Zanghi’s deposition testimony and emails from Natale in 2018 and 2019 raised concerns over Natale’s direct involvement in contested issues in the instant case. To ensure that Natale’s participation did not violate New York State Rule of Professional Conduct 3.7(a), the “attorney-witness rule,” U.S. District Judge Naomi Reince Buchwald of the Southern District of New York ordered Natale to show cause why he should not be disqualified.”
- “The court later sought clarification as to Natale’s familial relationship with plaintiff Zanghi. Based on his responses, the court was satisfied that Natale need not be disqualified. Natale’s involvement occurred after the complained-of investments. Nor was there any indication that his familial relationship with client Zanghi would mean that he was a possible witness on any significant factual issue that would require his disqualification under the attorney-witness rule.”
“Ex-Irwin Mitchell Solicitor Rebuked Over Unsent Email” —
- “A former Irwin Mitchell solicitor has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after an error in correspondence with the court.”
- “Charles Westwood failed to successfully submit an appeal on behalf of a client to the Court of Appeal, according to a report by the U.K. industry watchdog published on July 26. Westwood believed he had submitted the appeal by the court’s deadline by email, but did not check receipt of his email with the court nor did he check Irwin Mitchell’s case management system.”
- “The solicitor told interested parties that he had successfully submitted the appeal. The time window for his client, who had been sentenced to prison, to make an appeal then ran out.”