SkaTTTen, SkaTTTen, SkaTTTen

Two weeks ago, we learned how Skadden will literally jerk you around night after night for weeks on end without pay while twiddle dee and twiddle dum try to figure out how to load documents into a computer.



Today, we learn how Skadden nearly destroyed the career of a young staff attorney. In short, staff attorney, sponsored by the Skadden pro bono program, undertook representation of a poor divorcee. The staff attorney's representation turned out to be nothing short of disastrous. Staff attorney didn't seek an iota of financial disclosure from the husband. Wife was later informed by staff attorney that she didn't "have the experience nor the time to handle a lengthy relocation trial," and that she could pretty much could forget about relocating to Florida with her child, after which Wife broke down in tears. The Skadden representation was found to be so bungled that the court had to undo the stipulation of settlement. You can follow the horrifying chain of representation below.



In the order dissolving the settlement agreement, the judge explicitly set out who she felt was to blame for this horror show of events:



"The Court is not using the actual name of the wife's former counsel so as not to embarrass her. . . The court attributes any errors in her representation of the Wife not to staff attorney's own lack of skill or judgment, but to inadequate training, supervision and oversight by Skadden and by InMotion."

- Justice Ellen Gesmer, NYS Supreme Court



Despite the judge's finding, two short weeks after the ruling, the biglaw media propaganda machine kicked into high gear smearing the reputation of this young staff attorney by prominently displaying her name at the front end of an article. Any future employer can easily google the name of this young woman and learn what an incompetent dolt she was. Skadden meanwhile pretty much gets off scott free.



http://www.nylj.com/nylawyer/adgifs/decisions/061809gesmer.pdf



http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202431553713&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=Law.com&pt=LAWCOM%20Newswire&cn=NW_20090618&kw=Failure%20to%20Supervise%20Pro%20Bono%20Attorney%20Dooms%20Divorce%20Pact