This Week in Law: Tabloid Edition

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July 24, 2008 5:17 PM

This Week in Law: Tabloid Edition

Posted by Ross Todd

As This Week in Law contributor in chief and Am Law Middle East correspondent Ben Hallman prepared for a three-week vacation in sunny Malawi, he asked me to fill in here at TWIL global headquarters. Being both honored and baffled by the proposition, a couple questions came to mind: Where do I find the legal stories that TWIL readers thirst for? And what does one do for three weeks in Malawi?

Ben kept mum on the latter. A nod at the New York Daily News answered the former; as hoped for, the paper did not disappoint. On Monday, the tabloid continued its stellar coverage of James Colliton, the so-called Lolita lawyer who served 19 months in prison for statutory rape and patronizing a prostitute. In his latest move, Colliton, a former Cravath, Swaine & Moore tax associate, sued American Express for divulging his whereabouts to law enforcement officials prior to his arrest. Amex joins an impressive list of defendants that Colliton has sued, including Manhattan district attorney Robert Morgenthau and the Cravath firm.

In a side note, it seems the headline writers at the Daily News and their rivals at the New York Post are experiencing a bit of Lolita lawyer burnout. The Daily News headline reads, "Ratted out by American Express, charges perv attorney." The New York Post ran with the snoozer,"Nervy Perv Sues Amex."

TWIL headquarters was atwitter Tuesday when the words "Cravath" and "Implode" appeared together over at the ABA Journal's Web site. The air raid sirens quieted down once it became apparent that the story, titled "'Cravath Model' that Created Have and Have-Not Law Grads Could Implode," was not about an impending law firm collapse. Indeed, the ABA story sums up research by William Henderson, an Indiana Law School professor who sees cracks in the law firm recruiting strategy of taking only the top-flight students from first-tier schools. Henderson proposes a new business model for firms to hire students from further down the law school tiers and class ranks--at less than top-tier pay--and offer services on a flat-fee and success-fee basis. "Once a firm makes a fortune by focusing on an underserved middle market, it too will redefine our perceptions of eliteness," Henderson writes.

On Wednesday, Taco Bell, a fast food chain that makes a fortune off of the underserved bean-and-cheese-loving market was sued by rapper 50 Cent. (The vintage sign at right was shot by TW Collins in Savannah, and we found it on Flickr.) Mr. Cent--aka Curtis Jackson--alleges that Taco Bell committed trademark infringement by issuing a letter, released to the press, asking the musician to change his name to "79 Cent," "89 Cent," or "99 Cent" to help publicize the company's "79-89-99" value menu. Reed Smith's Peter Raymond and Wallace Neel filed the complaint in federal court in Manhattan on Jackson's behalf.

There was enough fodder for to go around for all the tabloids and their headline writers. Thursday brought an end to the litigation surrounding a sex tape involving Max Mosley, the 68-year-old head of Formula One, auto racing's governing body. According to Bloomberg, Mosley had sued News Corp.'s News of The World newspaper after it distributed a sex tape of Mosley and five women dressed in German garb--the film was secretly recorded by one of the women. News of the World reported that the participants were dressed as concentration camp prisoners and guards. Justice David Eady ruled the paper had violated Mosley's privacy and that there was no evidence that the tape "was intended to be an enactment of Nazi behavior." Mosley was awarded a record £60,000 ($119,000) as well as £450,000 to cover legal fees. It may come as no concession to Mosley, but that sum would buy a lot of chalupas.

TWIL Notes: Over at New York magazine's Web site, a story about a young woman who fled the Satmar Hasidic community and now faces a legal battle for the custody of her daughter is generating a record number of comments. As the weekend approaches, check out the story and the comments.

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