position:managing partner

  • Four words that could kill your #startup
    https://hackernoon.com/four-words-that-could-kill-your-startup-f5726f787dcf?source=rss----3a814

    And seven sentences that can save it.By David Frankel, Managing Partner“We learned a lot.”When said to investors, this phrase is almost always a euphemism for “We’ve spent nearly all of our capital, don’t have traditional traction, but need more money.” Those four words will chill a VC’s soul — here’s what you should say if you’re running out of cash/time.“We’ve identified a specific customer”Sure, you might have flailed around in the process of finding a route to market, but now you’ve identified a specific person willing to pay. Not a category, not a company, but the individual that will write you a check.“This is what we’re going to build”You’ve lost the luxury of experimenting, growing slowly, you need to present a clear vision for the product that will turn your company around. You need to talk in terms (...)

    #hackernoon-top-story #technology #venture-capital #entrepreneurship

  • NOAH Internet Conference 2016 | Berlin 08 - 09 June
    https://www.noah-conference.com
    Une rencontre des protagonistes de la disruption à l’européenne se tiendra le 8 et 9 juin à Berlin. Si vous avez envie de découvrir un nid de crabes de casseurs d’aquis sociaux suivez les infos sur cette rencontre digne d’un Bilderberg des économies dites « nouvelles » . On y rencontrera les acteurs représentant les commanditaires principales des nouveaux lois du travail en Europe. La plupart des participants actifs sont des jeunes à la recherche de capital pour leurs startups déjà bien vus par les investisseurs.

    The preeminent European event where Internet CEOs, executives and investors gain deep insights into the latest proven concepts, network with senior executives and establish new business relationships.

    Now in our 8th year, we are delighted to be hosting two upcoming events with very different underlying themes. NOAH Berlin (8-9 Jun 2016) presents a unique discussion platform for CEOs and founders from established champions and disruptive challengers across a number of key industry verticals. NOAH London (10-11 Nov 2016) is focused on connecting capital with great companies and helping service providers to find relevant customers.

    Day 1

    Welcome Note
    Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd
    Jens Mueffelmann CEO Axel Springer Digital Ventures
    Keynote
    Klaus Hommels CEO Lakestar
    Keynote
    Carlos Watson Founder & CEO OZY

    Home Automation & IoT
    Niall Murphy Founder & CEO Evrythng
    Ludovic Le Moan CEO Sigfox
    Christian Deilmann CEO tado
    Andreas Rudyk CEO Smartfrog
    Philipp Pausder Managing Director Thermondo

    Keynote
    Thomas Ebeling CEO ProSiebenSat.1

    B2B
    Karim Jalbout Head of the European Digital Practice Egon Zehnder
    Thomas Bergen Co-Founder & CEO getAbstract
    Steve Oriola CEO Pipedrive
    Peter F. Schmid CEO Wer Liefert Was
    Or Offer CEO SimilarWeb
    Andreas Koenig CEO TeamViewer
    Torben Majgaard Founder & CEO Ciklum
    Mark Schwerzel Deputy CEO Bureau van Dijk

    Fintech
    Roelant Prins CCO Adyen
    Antonio Gagliardi Co-Founder and Managing Director CompareEuropeGroup
    Jacob de Geer CEO iZettle
    Phil Lojacono CEO Advanon
    Jeremias Meier CEO & Co-Founder Bexio
    Yoni Assia CEO & Founder Etoro
    Oren Levy CEO Zooz
    Raffael Johnen Co-Founder & CEO auxmoney

    Fintech - Banking Deep Dive
    Markus Pertlwieser CDO Private, Wealth & Commercial Clients Deutsche BankAlexander Graubner-Müller CEO & Co-Founder Kreditech
    Valentin Stalf Founder & CEO Number26

    Who Will Win the Banking Client of the Future? - 2:2
    Markus Pertlwieser CDO Private, Wealth & Commercial Clients Deutsche Bank
    Dr. Tim Sievers CEO & Founder Deposit Solutions
    Alexander Graubner-Müller CEO & Co-Founder Kreditech
    alentin Stalf Founder & CEO Number26
    Christin Martens Editor-in-Chief Business Insider

    VC Panel
    Rainer Maerkle General Partner Holtzbrinck Ventures
    Yann de Vries Partner, Investments Atomico
    Yaron Valler General Partner Target Global
    Christian Leybold Managing Director E.ventures
    Timm Schipporeit Principal Index Ventures
    Luciana Lixandru Vice President Accel Partners
    Ankur Kamalia Managing Director – Head of Venture Portfolio Management & DB1 Ventures Deutsche Börse AG
    Bo Ilsoe Managing Partner Nokia Growth Partners (NGP)

    Fireside Chat
    Oliver Samwer Founder & CEO Rocket Internet
    Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

    NOAH Top Picks
    Dr. Holger Klärner VP Fast Growing Tech McKinsey & Company

    Mobility
    Hakan Koç Founder & Managing Director Auto1 Group
    Harold Goddijn CEO TomTom
    Christian Vollmann Patron of smart urban pioneers smart
    Nir Erez CEO Moovit
    Daniel Ishag Founder & CEO Karhoo
    Nicolas Brusson COO & Co-Founder BlaBlaCar
    Shahar Waiser Founder & CEO Gett
    Simone Menne CFO Lufthansa Group

    Keynote
    Greg Ellis CEO Scout24

    NOAH Top Picks
    Rudolph W. Giuliani Former Mayor of New York City Chair Cybersecurity and Crisis Management Practice, Greenberg Traurig LLP Greenberg Traurig

    1:1
    Peter Terium CEO RWE
    Rainer Sternfeld Founder & CEO Planet OS
    Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

    1:1
    Dr. Mathias Döpfner CEO Axel Springer SE
    Henry Blodget CEO, Editor-In-Chief Business Insider

    Mobility - 1:1
    Travis Kalanick CEO UBER
    Dr. Dieter Zetsche Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Daimler

    Music
    Thomas Hampson Baritone | Ambassador IDAGIO
    Wolfram Rieger Pianist IDAGIO

    Day 2

    Day 1 Summary
    Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

    Company Presentation
    Michael Gross Vice Chairman WeWork

    Winners Make Winners - The Strong Performance of Interhyp with ING - 1:1
    Ralph Hamers CEO ING Group
    Michiel Goris CEO Interhyp

    Consumer Goods
    Olaf Koch Chairman of the Management Board Metro Group
    Olivier Marcheteau COO Vestiaire Collective
    Jeff Lipkin CFO Harry’s
    Robyn Ward Founder Mahtay
    Fabian Siegel Co-Founder & CEO Marley Spoon
    Daniel Sobhani CEO Freeletics
    Luke Waite Co-Founder Titan Black

    Consumer Goods - 1:1
    Herbert Hainer CEO adidas Group
    Florian Gschwandtner CEO & Co-Founder Runtastic
    Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

    NOAH Top Picks
    Euan Davis Senior Director Cognizant

    Credit Suisse: Corporate Private Banking `connecting your wealth
    Henrik Herr Head Germany & Austria International Wealth Management Credit Suisse
    Florian Gschwandtner CEO & Co-Founder Runtastic

    Retail
    Tim Stracke Co-CEO Chrono24
    Rubin Ritter Member of the Management Board Zalando SE
    Dr. Oliver Lederle Founder & CEO MYTOYS GROUP
    Niklas Östberg CEO Delivery Hero
    Alexander Frolov General Partner Target Global
    Dr. Philipp Kreibohm Co-Founder Home24
    Thierry Petit Co-Founder & Co-CEO Showroomprive.com
    Philip Rooke CEO Spreadshirt
    Susanne Zacke Member of the Board Auctionata

    Travel & Tourism
    Johannes Reck CEO GetYourGuide
    Bo Ilsoe Managing Partner Nokia Growth Partners (NGP)
    Glenn Fogel Head of Worldwide Strategy and Planning Priceline Group
    Hugo Burge CEO Momondo Group
    Joachim Hunold Founder Air Berlin
    Jochen Engert Founder & Managing Director FlixBus

    7 Steps Needed for the Internet Economy in Europe
    Clark Parsons CEO Internet Economy Foundation

    Advertising
    Ragnar Kruse CEO Smaato
    Zvika Netter CEO & Co-Founder Innovid
    Jürgen Galler Co-Founder and CEO 1plusX
    Tim Schumacher Chairman Eyeo
    Carl Erik Kjærsgaard Chairman and Co-Founder Blackwood Seven

    Healthcare, Science & Education
    Mariusz Gralewski Founder & CEO Docplanner
    Markus Witte Founder and CEO Babbel
    Dr. Torsten Oelke Executive Chairman CUBE
    Jessica Federer Chief Digital Officer Bayer
    Friedrich Schwandt Founder & CEO Statista
    Stanislas Niox-Chateau CEO Doctolib

    Fintech - 1:1
    Christian Mylius Managing Partner Innovalue Management Advisors
    Julian Teicke Founder & CEO FinanceFox

    Technology, Media & Gaming
    Polina Montano Co-founder and COO JobToday
    Klaas Kersting Founder & CEO flaregames
    Hermione Mckee Head of Finance Wooga
    Hanna Aase CEO Wonderloop
    Christian Sauer CEO Webtrekk
    Nora-Vanessa Wohlert
    Founder and Managing Director EDITION F
    Susann Hoffmann Founder and Managing Director EDITION F
    Peter Würtenberger CEO upday
    Eric Léandri President and Co-Founder Qwant
    Lucas von Cranach Founder & CEO Onefootball

    What We’re Working on at NOAH: An Outlook for the Next 3 Years
    Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

    Les organisateurs se comportent comme une secte extrémiste - même les musiciens du « get together » font partie d’une startup potentiellement disruptive. Comme ca on est sûr de toujours communiquer sur la même longueur d’ondes bien à l’abri des critiques et contestations.

    Les conditions générales de vente le disent explicitement :

    The event is invitation only and generally tickets are not transferable. However, please contact us with your request and we can review.
    ...
    The ticket price for NOAH16 Berlin is EUR 690 for Internet companies and corporates, EUR 850 for service providers; EUR 990 for small investors, EUR 1,490 for large investors and EUR 3,000 for investment bankers. All mentioned prices are excluding VAT. This price includes two full days including breakfast, lunch, and drinks and cocktail party.

    Effectivement.

    #Berlin #disruption #startup #économie #politique #capitalisme

  • REDACTED COMMUNICATION SENT TO COUNSEL IN MATTER OF SUIT AGAINST MORRISON & FOERSTER ET AL ON AUGUST 7, 2015

    Dear Counsel:

    I hope you are well and are enjoying the summer.

    This will serve to discuss various matters dealing with the two above referenced actions. At times, each counsel is addressed individually and at times issues are addressed to all (or the majority of) counsel collectively, as follows:

    1. YOLO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES DAVID ROSENBERG AND DAVID REED — First, as to the part of this communication addressed to Messrs. Michael Fox, Keith Fink and Olaf Muller, please be informed that an upcoming federal action of Levi v. Girardi & Keese will include one cause of action seeking only equitable relief against “Yolo County Superior Court.” Since your clients (Judges David Rosenberg and David Reed) are part of the “Yolo County Superior Court”, I wanted to give you a heads-up of the upcoming action, as well as to inform you that it is unrelated to the topics which were previously the subjects of various agreements.

    Simply put, and as discussed in more detail below as events relate to other parties, there have been serious new developments dealing with: a) Yolo DA / AARP b) Michael Cabral / Yolo and Riverside DA’s offices/ SNR Dentons - Rod Pacheco - James Hsu / Yolo County’s Cache Creek Casino - Chief Marshall Mckay/ Mark Friedman / DLA Piper / Kapor Enterprises.

    As far as (a) — developments involving Yolo DA and AARP, etc, note that last week I learned that AARP — where George Davis (formerly a California Bar BOG member who voted to press false criminal charges against me with Yolo DA, president of AARP-California, and with strong financial ties to CCPF) and Barbara O’Connor (AARP and AARP Foundation Director, Link America Foundation Director - whom I caught in major alleged fraud re Washington DC party to celebrate the “linking” of the two Americas — which in actuality was a Barack Obama inauguration party - and employee of Sacramento-based Donna Lucas’s Public Affairs) — has bestowed an unusual grant of $40,000 on the Yolo County District Attorney (see attached press-release and HERE ) headed by Jeff Reisig and Jonathan Raven.

    As far as (b) — developments involving Yolo / Riverside Assistant District Attorney Michael Cabral — note that during the pendency of the criminal action against me, a very unusual theory was explored by which Cabral had been transferred from Riverside County DA to Yolo County DA for the sole reason of falsely and maliciously criminally prosecuting me in order to intimidate me into silence and otherwise confiscate incriminating evidence through the execution of an invalid search warrant.
    At that time, I looked into those facts and rejected the theory dealing with Cabral (See story HERE). About one month ago, I learned that Cabral is no longer with the Yolo DA, and has returned back home to the Riverside County District Attorney.

    As you may recall and as I stated previously, I agreed to a plea of no contest to a charge of misdemeanor attempted extortion as a stopgap measure since I was under duress on various fronts. As part of the plea bargain I agreed to, among other things, not contact the State Bar of California Board of Governors/Trustees directly, and other overreaching conditions.

    Both as a journalist and as a victim of the above alleged malfeasance, I am obviously interested in informing the State Bar of California Board of Governors/Trustees and the public vis-a-vis press releases, published articles, and by contacting other journalists of those events. However, per conditions imposed on me while under duress as part of the plea bargain in the criminal matter by Judge Reed, I am prohibited from directly contacting BOG members. As such, in addition to suing some of the above named and others in federal court, I plan to ask the same federal court for relief to allow me to freely exercise free speech.

    As such, if the attorneys for Judges Rosenberg and Reed believe that advancing an action against Yolo County Superior Court for equitable relief is not consistent with the spirit or language of our prior agreements, please let me know.

    Note that from my perspective past events are all forgotten history and there is absolutely no desire to rehash old claims against Rosenberg and Reed. In fact, as I mentioned to Rosenberg’s attorney (Mr. Fink) over the phone, I am a huge fan of Rosenberg and was recently disappointed that he was not appointed as a justice to the California Supreme Court given his outstanding judicial qualities, experience, and political background (i.e. former chief of staff to Governor Jerry Brown; Judicial Council member; mayor of Davis, etc).

    2. SERVICE OF BRIEF AND APPENDIX — California Rules of Court Rule 8.124 (e)(1)states that “a party preparing an appendix must: (A) Serve the appendix on each party, unless otherwise agreed by the parties....”

    As far as the service of the appendix, I am hoping that each party will agree to waive formal service and instead agree that the service of a searchable PDF Appendix via electronic mail is sufficient. Note that I will be advising the court of my request and the responses received from counsel, if any.

    Similarly, I am hoping that you will also agree to waive formal service of a hard copy of the appellant’s brief and to instead agree that the service of searchable PDF and/or Microsoft Word version of the brief via electronic mail is sufficient. I will also be letting the court know that I made this request of counsel and the responses received, if any.

    I would like to urge everyone to agree to the above in order to save a tree, costs, and the unnecessary labor of printing, copying, and binding thousands of pages.

    3. SETTLEMENT DISCUSSIONS — As applied to the two above referenced actions, I would like to remind everyone that the window to engage in settlement discussions has been closed, as was stated previously. As such, due to multitudes of reasons, in connection with the above two referenced actions, please refrain from extending any settlement offers, attempting to engage in settlement negotiations, or offering anything of value. The only exception will be if the undersigned originates a proposal.

    4. DOCKET — As far as the matter pending before the California Third District Court of Appeal, note that the docket maintained by the court contains many inaccuracies and is otherwise lacking. For example, a search for the last name of defendant/respondent “James Brosnahan” yields no result. Ditto defendants Freada Kapor Klein, Michael Cabral, Mark Friedman (only the name of the late distinguished Morton Friedman OBM appears), Fulcrum Property (only “Fulcrum Davis” appears, which I assume is associated with the Friedmans), Mary Cary Zellerbach, Martin Investment Management, Ronald Olson, Jeff Bleich, Chris Young, Kamala Harris, Douglas Winthrop, Holly Fujie, Ophelia Basgal, and others.

    As such, I ask that each of you contact the court of appeal on behalf of your respective clients — similar to the 4th entry of the docket by which the attorney for Darrel Steinberg independently wrote the court to advise that Steinberg is a respondent, see HERE — to inform the court of the problem and ask for it to be rectified.

    Moreover, please ensure that the name of your clients are spelled correctly i.e. “Munger,Tollis” or “Freada, Kapor, Klein” are not the correct spelling, at least based on my understanding.

    The attorney representing Ms. Kamala Harris is requested to inform the court to remove a comment by which the docket states that Ms. Harris was sued in her capacity as the attorney general or forward proof where I allege she was sued in such capacity.

    The attorney from Locke Lord representing defendants Cary Zellerbach and Martin Investment is asked to inform the court to correct the docket which does not mention either yourself, your firm, or your clients. Also with respect to your client that has thus far managed to avoid service, please be advised that the California statute of limitations is tolled and I intend to pursue claims against her either in state or federal court. REDACTED

    5. SKADDEN ARPS — ISSUES RE RAUOL KENNEDY REPRESENTATION OF CALIFORNIA JUDICIARY — Mr. Russell, as you may recall, in reply to my inquiry you wrote: "My colleague Raoul Kennedy does indeed represent Justice Robert Mallano in Mallano v. Chiang et al., LASC Case No. BC533770. As you may know, Judge Elihu Berle granted class certification in Mallano on January 15, 2015. The class members have not yet been identified because notice has not been circulated, nor has the period for opt outs occurred. Nevertheless, regardless of which judges or justices eventually become members of the class, pursuant to section 811.9 of the California Government Code, the “fact that a justice, judge, subordinate judicial officer, court executive officer, court employee, the court, the Judicial Council, or the Administrative Office of the Courts is or was represented or defended by the county counsel, the Attorney General, or other counsel shall not be the sole basis for a judicial determination of disqualification of a justice, judge, subordinate judicial officer, the county counsel, the Attorney General, or other counsel in unrelated actions.” Cal. Gov’t Code § 811.9. As a matter of law, there is no conflict. The statute is attached for your reference."

    As a reply, I wrote in part that the statute applies only to one justice, and in the case at hand Mr. Kennedy represents (as of now and assuming none chose to opt out) the entire qualified panel of justices of the Third District and that, most importantly, per the statute, the representation must be the “sole” basis. Here, the representation of Skadden/ Kennedy is NOT the sole basis. Rather, there is an additional basis for the disqualification — which is the fact that Skadden itself is also a DEFENDANT in the “unrelated action.”

    In any event, this will serve to inform you that I intend to seek to disqualify any and all judicial officers who are clients of your firm. As such, I ask for you to please forward a list identifying the class members and all those who chose to opt-out of the litigation.

    6. MORRISON & FOERSTER: Mr. Besirof, associate Davis indicated that you replaced Mr. Dresser as the attorney in this matter. Please let me know if you have any questions or require certain clarification. Since you are new to the case and since it is summer, if you need extra time to catch up on materials as far as the filing of an appellate respondent brief, I am extending to you (and by extension everyone else) an additional 60 days in which to file your brief.

    7. DEFENDANT MARK FRIEDMAN / COUNSEL - BROTHER PHILIP FRIEDMAN — Mr. Friedman, in connection with events dealing with Michael Cabral / Yolo DA / Chache Creek Casino and SNR Dentons, can you please provide a list of all the partnerships between defendant Mark Friedman and the Rumsey / Yocha Dehe tribe which operates Cache Creek Casino in Yolo County?

    A lawsuit (attached) the tribe/casino filed against your brother and REDACTED lists the following: Government Property Fund,LLC; Government Property Fund II, LLC ; Government Property Fund III, LLC ; Government Property Fund IV, LLC ; 4330 Watt,LLC; Fulcrum Management Group LLC ; Fulcrum Friedman Management Group, LLC ; Illiniois Property Fund, GPF ; and Illinois LLC. Are these partnership still in effect ?

    Also, for purposes of determine potential conflicts of interest in the current pending matter as far as your ability to serve as legal counsel given your role as a potential witness, please inform me whether Paragraph 108 of the lawsuit which states: “The other Vectors partners included REDACTED and Opper, as well as Friedman, Friedman’s father and brother, and John Krasznekewicz (a Friedman friend)” refers to you, Philip Friedman. In essence, what I am asking is are you the Vector partner or is the brother alluded to someone else ? Also, starting in 2006 to the present, were you involved in any other partnership with the tribe and the casino ?

    8. MUNGER TOLLES & OLSON: Mr. Senator, if not a bother, I will appreciate if your firm would forward me the following:

    a - copy of the report prepared by your colleague Bart Williams dealing with alleged misconduct by Joe Dunn, especially in connection to a trip overseas by which Dunn was accompanied by Howard Miller of Girardi & Keese and Tom Layton. As you may be aware, accompanying the Yolo County District Attorney officers during the execution of the search warrant at my home was also Tom Layton — who served as liaison. As such, if said report is in the public domain, I will appreciate if you forward a copy.

    b - your colleague Jeffrey Bleich recently solicited as clients a group of UC Davis APA law students in connection with their bid to admit post-mortum an APA applicant to the State Bar of California. If not a bother, will it be possible for you to please forward to me a copy of the motion and all other pleading submitted to the California Supreme Court.

    9. FREADA AND MITCHELL KAPOR / LEVEL PLAYING FIELD INSTITUTE : Mr. Medina, at your earliest, I will appreciate if you please address the following:

    a. In order to determine your status as potential witness, can you please forward your employment history to date beginning from around 2006 ? Were you ever employed at the DLA Piper office in Sacramento ? If yes, can you please state the dates of your employment.

    b. Are you and your clients in a position to disclose who is paying Kapor and LPFI’s attorney’s fees? If it is DLA Piper who set you up to defend the two or otherwise is paying your attorney’s fees, please let me know. As you may know, DLA Piper managing partner Gilles Attia, daughter Sarah Attia, and partner Steve Churchwell played a huge role in CaliforniaALL / Obama for America. Also, separately and around the same time, there is an allegation that DLA Piper laundered $50,000 to “Obama Victory Fund” through defendant Level Playing Field Institute / Kapor Enterprises vis-a-vis the so called “Kapor Maneuver.”

    c. Recently, I have learned from a YOU-TUBE video featuring Mr. Kapor that he is heavily invested in what he refers to as “Ed-Tech” companies.

    It will be appreciated if you let me know if Mr. Kapor, his wife, or their entities have any business relationships with Steve Poizner or former California Bar Foundation treasurer Lindsay Lee — both of whom are also involved with Ed-Tech.

    d. Yesterday, just as I was about to send you settlement business proposals, much to my chagrin and indignation, I encountered the following article in USA Today. Under the heading of “Kapors pledge $40 million investment in tech diversity” it stated, among other things: “Mitch Kapor and wife Freada Kapor Klein will invest $40 million over three years in a set of initiatives designed to give women and underrepresented minorities a better shot at becoming technology entrepreneurs.” The article further stated that “Kapor Capital will make more than $25 million in investments in technology start-ups working to narrow the achievement gaps. At least half of the companies will have founders from underrepresented groups.” (See story http://tinyurl.com/p33dxlx )

    My understanding is that any and all non-profit and for-profits companies operated in the State of California are deemed to be “business establishments” that come within the purview of Civil Code Section 51 known as The Unruh Civil Rights Act.

    Be advised that the plan by the Kapors and Kapor Capital to “make more than $25 million in investments in technology start-ups working to narrow the achievement gaps. At least half of the companies will have founders from underrepresented groups” runs afoul of The Unruh Civil Rights Act which reads: “All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever.”

    In other words, Kapor Capital’s plan to pick and choose “founders from underrepresented groups” (based on the article, women and “underrepresented minorities”) is unlawful. If you or your clients disagree, please forward an explanation. Otherwise, I shall await word from you that there has been a change of plans.

    e. As you may be aware, starting around 2000, the former executive-director of the State Bar of California (Ms. Judy Johnson) secretly served as the president of the “California Consumer Protection Foundation” ("CCPF") an entity which obtained millions of dollars from class-action “cy pres” awards and from fines, settlements and payments the CPUC — during the time Michael Peevey and Geoff Brown served as commissioners — imposed on various utility companies. For example, anytime a merger took place i.e. between various cell-phone companies such as Verizon, millions were paid to CCPF.

    CCPF, in turn, funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to entities in South-Central Los Angeles [with very close connection to State Bar of California BOG members Shrimpscam’s Gwen Moore and George Davis], a dubious entity in Venice for “Youth Radio”, an entity headed by Michael Shames, various Asian-American entities with close connections to State Bar officials (Holly Fujie and Madge Watai — Little Tokyo Service Center, etc.) and money to entities headed by associates of Justice Ming Chin.

    Based my estimation, around $3 million cannot be accounted for, and separately I alleged that CCPF submitted false reports to the IRS. Months before the execution of the search warrant, I complained to the IRS against CCPF as well as filed an ethics complaint against Judy Johnson and others with the State Bar of California. Later, as you may recall, the State Bar of California BOG voted to file criminal charges against me, alleging among other things, that the CCPF ethics complaint constituted criminal conduct which served as one basis for the search warrant.

    Based on my recollection, it also appeared that CCPF may have funneled money to entities established by the Kapors. Since all the materials have been confiscated by the Yolo DA and are otherwise inaccessible, at your earliest, I will appreciate the names of those entities and the dates / amounts each of these contribution.

    f. Please consider this a formal request for “Kapor Center for Social Impact” to produce its 3 last 990 forms submitted to the IRS. If you need me to request this information from the entity directly, please let me know.

    Thank you for your attention to these matters. Please let me know if you have any questions.

  • Fraudster/Alleged Racketeer Arnold & Porter’s Jerome Falk (aka Jerry Falk; formerly of Howard Rice) Joins JAMS Amid Controversies Surrounding PG&E, Ophelia Basgal, CSCHS, In Re Girardi, Doug Winthrop

    Jerry Falk, a former named partner at now defunct Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin, abruptly quit Arnold & Porter.

    Per the Recorder:

    “Jerome Falk Jr.’s new career move has been more than a year in the making.”

    Falk began work at JAMS, concluding four decades of appellate advocacy spent predominantly at San Francisco’s Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin.

    At 72, an age when some lawyers might be looking to retire, Falk said he’s ready for his “second act” at JAMS, where he will work full time as an arbitrator and mediator for a range of commercial, intellectual property, employment, insurance and other disputes.

    Falk, who has experience as an arbitrator, was prepared to make the move a year ago, around the same time the 80-lawyer Howard Rice struck a merger deal with Arnold & Porter. He stuck around to see his partners through the transition.

    “At the end of one year, I was ready to return to Plan A,” Falk said in an interview Wednesday.

    Douglas Winthrop, then managing partner of Howard Rice, said Falk’s support helped smooth the merger with Arnold & Porter, which took effect in January 2012."

    For the complete Recorder’s story, please click HERE.

    –----------------

    IN RE GIRARDI; JERRY FALK LACK OF CREDIBILITY

    At the conclusion of the appeal in a civil case prosecuted by the firms of Girardi & Keese and Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack against Dole Food Company, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski issued an order to show cause why Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack should not be disbarred, suspended, or sanctioned for the attempt to defraud this Court for the purpose of unjustly collecting a $500 million judgment.

    Representing Thomas Girardi in those disciplinary proceedings before ther Ninth Circuit were Wayne Gretsky of Skadden Arps and ethics expert Diane Karpman.

    Oral arguments ensued, during which one of the judges on the panel stated that the “elephant” in the room is the manner in which the matter would be developed by the State Bar of California.

    Subsequently, the Court found both Girardi and Lack culpable, and imposed close to $500,000.00 in monetary sanctions, reprimanded Girardi, and suspended Lack. Some of the findings included that Lack and Girardi have resorted to employing “the persistent use of known falsehoods” and that “false representations” were made “knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly” during years of litigation.

    The State Bar of California assigned the matter to an outside special prosecutor (Jerome Falk of Howard Rice) since Howard Miller of Girardi & Keese served as President of the State Bar, and had hired the Chief Trial counsel of the State Bar at the time, Mr. James Towery.

    After conducting an interview with Walter Lack, Jerome Falk chose to not file any charges against Lack or Girardi based on his position that any false statements submitted were not “intentional.” This determination was contrary to findings made by the Ninth Circuit.

    Within days of the issuance of Mr. Falk’s decision, YR advanced an ethics complaint against James Towery, Jerome Falk, Howard Miller, and Douglas Winthrop, contending that it had been improper for Mr. Towery to select Jerome Falk (of Howard Rice) to serve as special prosecutor because, among other reasons, Howard Miller (of Girardi & Keese) had appointed Howard Rice’s managing partner (Douglas Winthrop) as president of the California Bar Foundation, a foundation owned, controlled, and maintained by the State Bar of California, as well as because of the close business relationship between Howard Rice’s Jerome Falk and Wayne Gretsky of Skadden Arps.

    Subsequently, and fortuitously, YR also discovered that Lack and Girardi were actually clients of Jerome Falk and Howard Rice. YR had inquired with Mr. Hawley of the State Bar of California whether this fact was known to the Special Master investigating the complaint. The State Bar of California remained mum.

    Subsequently, Jerome Falk wrote to YR:

    I received your November 13 email concerning my participation in the State Bar’s investigation of Walter J. Lack, Thomas V. Girardi and other attorneys. It is filled with disparaging characterizations, all of which seem to stem from your allegations that I or my firm have represented Mr. Lack and Mr. Girardi.

    Your allegations are false.

    I have never represented either person, or their firms. Neither has Douglas Winthrop. Nor has my firm ever represented Mr. Lack or Mr. Girardi.

    From 2006-2008, my firm represented several law firms, including Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack and Girardi & Keese, in a litigation matter. The public records of that litigation show that neither Mr. Winthrop nor I had nothing to do with that representation; in fact, I was unaware of it. The public records also show that my firm represented the law firms, but did not represent Mr. Girardi or Mr. Lack. The attorney responsible for that representation had left Howard Rice and taken the files with him before I was asked to serve as Special Deputy Trial Counsel in the State Bar matter.

    You are on notice that your allegations are false. The falsity of those allegations can be determined from the public records of the litigation in question.

    Jerome B. Falk, Jr.

    Dear Mr. Falk:

    Thank you for replying to my letter of November 13th, 2011 This will serve as a reply.

    In your letter dated December 7, 2011, you attempt again to defraud and mislead in your attempt to avoid responsibility for your repugnant and deceitful actions taken in connection with your actions as a special prosecutor on behalf of the State Bar of California against two of your and your firm’s clients — Girardi & Keese and Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack (and by operation of law, Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack), as part of a scheme to exploit your authority for financial gain.

    By analogy, rather than acknowledging that you were caught with your hand in the cookie jar, you seek to bamboozle the unwary by stating that it wasn’t actually your hand in the cookie jar but, rather, only your fingers, and in any event it wasn’t a jar but, rather, a plastic container which you contend doesn’t qualify as a jar. Therefore, you devote an entire paragraph proclaiming, “Your allegations are false.” You conclude by placing me on “notice” that my allegations are “false.”

    The contents of your communication are unethical in the extreme, as well as entirely frivolous factually, legally, and by operation of law, to wit:

    You claim, “In fact, I wasn’t aware of it” (referring to the fact that you and your firm had represented Girardi & Keese and ELL). While you acknowledge your firm (Howard Rice) did represent Girardi & Keese and ELL from 2006 to 2008 , you assert that you were not aware of this representation. Simply put, your assertion is false; it is simply implausible that for two entire years you were unaware that your firm represented such celebrity/famous/notorious attorneys such as Thomas Girardi, Walter Lack, and Pierce O’Donnell.

    This is particularly true since you are a member of Howard Rice’s “attorney liability” group, which consists of between 7-9 attorneys (including your colleagues Sean SeLegue, Pamela Phillips, and Steve Mayer), and the subject matter of the litigation was a suit advanced against Girardi & Keese, ELL, and O’Donnell for legal malpractice in connection with alleged attorney misconduct in the litigation involving El Paso Natural Gas/Sempra Energy, a series of cases which received significant publicity.

    I am also hard-pressed to believe that you were unaware of the estimated $250,000 retainer Girardi & Keese and ELL paid to your firm (money which paid your and your colleagues’ salaries), and that no one ever discussed this matter with you for purposes of addressing legal strategy or legal issues in person or during meetings.

    Most importantly, in your letter to Robert Baker you acknowledge that you had interviewed Walter Lack. Again, you ask me to believe that Walter Lack did not mention the fact that Howard Rice represented him and his firm only one year prior to your meeting.

    The fact that Walter Lack did not speak up during the interview with you is just too convenient, and is further circumstantial evidence that you and he both knew of the prior representation, and chose to nevertheless further continue with the conspiracy to obstruct justice for financial gain, to the detriment of the public and the proper administration of justice.

    Please see complete story @:

    http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2013/01/06/fraudster-alleged-racketeer-arnold-porter-s-jerome-falk-aka-jer

  • http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/10/15/gwen-moore-shakedown-artist-focus-of-prior-fbi-sting-operation-

    Gwen Moore – “Shakedown Artist” Focus of Prior FBI Sting Operation — Now a Named-Defendant in Federal Civil Action

    Controversial former California assemblywoman Gwen Moore has been named a defendant in an action recently filed in federal court, TLR has learned.

    Also named as defendants, amongst many, are Douglas Winthrop, managing partner of embattled Howard Rice Nemerovsky Candy Falk & Rabkin; former Sacramento lobbyist Jeannine English; State Bar of California Deputy Executive Director Robert Hawley; and Judy Johnson, president of the California Consumer Protection Foundation ("CCPF").

    Moore, not a stranger to The Leslie Brodie Report, was “the author of special-interest bills to benefit phony companies set up by the FBI in the sting. They passed but were vetoed. Moore received $10,500 in campaign contributions from the businessmen, including $3,500 funneled through a lobbying firm and a $5,000 contribution, which she promptly returned,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

    The sting operation in question was conducted by the FBI’s Bribery and Special Interest unit, which was investigating corruption in the California State Legislature. The operation was also known as "Shrimpscam” because FBI agents posed as representatives of a West Sacramento-based shrimp processing company who gave campaign contributions to lawmakers in exchange for favorable legislation. A couple of the bills were actually passed by both the Assembly and Senate, but were ultimately vetoed by the Governor, who was tipped off in advance. (Source: Wikipedia.)

    The operation sent Board of Equalization member Paul Carpenter to prison. Three other members of the state legislature also spent time in jail: Pat Nolan, minority leader at the time of the raid; State Senator Joseph Montoya; and Assembly Member Frank Hill. (Source: Wikipedia.)

    According to media reports, the "scandal has shaken the political world in Sacramento and ignited new criticism of the way California’s “third house” - lobbyists - routinely doles out millions to open-handed legislators. The FBI scheme came to light after 30 FBI agents, armed with seven search warrants and accompanied by David Levi, the U.S. attorney for eastern California, descended on the Capitol. The agents went through the offices of four Southern California lawmakers: Assemblyman Patrick Nolan of Glendale, the leader of the house’s Republicans; Assemblyman Frank Hill, a Republican from Whittier and a former aide to former U.S. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa; Assemblywoman Gwen Moore, a Los Angeles Democrat who was the sponsor of the FBI’s bogus legislation, and state Sen. Joseph Montoya, an El Monte Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Business and Professions Committee."

    In a nine-count indictment, a federal grand jury charged Tyrone Netters, Moore’s former aide, with extortion, conspiracy, racketeering, money laundering and income tax evasion. Netters was later convicted of one count of violating RICO, three counts of extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act, four counts of money laundering, and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.

    More specifically, the conviction included charges of conducting an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. section 1962(c); (2) conspiracy to affect commerce by extortion under color of official right in violation of 18 U.S.C. section 1951; (3) extortion under color of official right and aiding and abetting in violation of 18 U.S.C. sections 1951 and 2; and (4) extortion under color of official right in violation of 18 U.S.C. section 1951.

    TLR is closely monitoring the situation and will keep readers apprised of any developments in this civil action, entitled Baldwin v. State Bar of California.