person:dan dydzak

Leslie Brodie CC BY-NC-SA 25/09/2011

►http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/09/25/united-states-supreme-court-asked-to-review-alleged-corruption-

Lending significant support to calls for an examination of corruption in the California Supreme Court, a sharply-worded brief was filed with the United States Supreme Court, urging it to grant review.

In that brief, Marina Del Ray-based legal scholar Dan Dydzak minced no words in accusing former Chief Justice Ronald George and attorneys from the San Francisco-based law firm of Howard Rice of egregious misconduct.

Specifically, it is alleged that Howard Rice was instrumental in using the State Bar of California/State Bar Court as a vehicle to punish Dydzak for his role in exposing alleged corruption and improprieties at brokerage house Charles Schwab, an established client of Howard Rice.

Mr. Jerome Falk of Howard Rice, an appellate specialist with a mercurial personality. In 2008, during an interview with a legal publication, Mr. Falk stated while describing some opposing counsel, “I would do anything to squash them. So those cases don’t settle. You just want to rip their throats out.” After visiting Vietnam, Mr. Falk joined East meets West, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in Vietnam. (Photo:courtesy of Vietnam, East meets West)

Dydzak alleges improprieties on the part of State Bar Court Judge Donald Miles, a former partner at Howard Rice, as well as Sean SeLegue, a current Howard Rice partner, and a cover-up by the California Supreme Court due to the close relationship between Ronald George and Howard Rice.

Allegations of egregious misconduct, ethical violations, and appearances of impropriety have become commonplace against embattled Howard Rice.

Recently, California’s First District Court of Appeal ruled that the failure of Howard Rice partner Sean SeLegue to disclose at the time of an arbitration (in which he served as arbitrator) that he generally defended attorneys and law firms in cases involving professional responsibility, along with the fact that he was actively representing a firm in a case before the California Supreme Court in a dispute over legal fees, created sufficient doubt as to SeLegue’s impartiality in his role as an arbitrator.

Earlier this year, Howard Rice Partner Jerome Falk was accused of wrongdoing as a result of his decision to exonerate a friend of Ronald George – Thomas Girardi of Girardi & Keese – along with Walter Lack of Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack for misconduct the two committed while litigating a case against Dole Food Company before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

During the Ninth Circuit proceedings, and after the case against Dole was dismissed, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski issued an order to show cause why attorneys Walter Lack, Paul Triana, and Sean Topp of Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack, as well as Thomas Girardi and Howard Miller of Girardi & Keese, should not be disbarred or suspended from practicing before the Ninth Circuit.

Subsequently, in late 2010, a Ninth Circuit panel consisting of Justices William Fletcher , Marsha Berzon, and Randy Smith found that Lack and Girardi had committed grave misconduct which included “the persistent use of known falsehoods,” and that the “false representations” were made “knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly” during years of litigation.

Despite the Ninth Circuit’s determination, in his capacity as special prosecutor, and after reviewing the Ninth Circuit file, Howard Rice partner Jerome Falk chose to not file any disciplinary accusations against Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack, stating that he believed Lack’s misconduct was not intentional.

Recently, a shocking discovery was made concerning the fact that Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack were actually clients of Jerome Falk and Howard Rice.

Separately, partner Douglas Winthrop, as reported earlier, is under extreme scrutiny in matters relating to the now-defunct charity CaliforniaALL.

Leslie Brodie CC BY-NC-SA