Seems We White Collar Criminal Defense Attorneys Are a Hot Date Commodity. Why? Cause we are IN DEMAND. Who Knew? You Should!!

I found this little tidbit about finding wealthy guys for "gold digging" girls. It says that if you want to find wealthy guys hang out with lawyers...But not just any lawyers. No only Bankruptcy and White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyers. I just told my wife I am a hot commodity... she seems somewhat shall we say nonplussed...

Whether of not you are a "golddigger" White collar criminal defense lawyers are a good group with which to hang out. They are bright tough, and if you get one that is not afraid to try a case, interesting. The best of us know that the most important thing we can do is keep our clients out of the paper and unindicted. Hence the time to find a White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer here on Long Island or in New York City, is as soon as you realize you could be (not may be or are) in trouble. Often you will be surprised to learn how few Nassau and Suffolk County Criminal Defense Lawyers are really White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyers. You need a Criminal Lawyer who is just as comfortable in State as in Federal court and you need one who knows how to conduct a money investigation as well as handle the criminal courtroom and the public.

I have taken on Ponzi scheme cases, as well as stock frauds. wire and mail frauds, and of course their by-product money laundering cases. I know that handling the press and getting a good face on the client in the court of public opinion is very important. Hence we work with our own Public Relation staff, media people and social workers to present our client well in the media and to the court. Judicious use of jury selection experts and a team approach to investigation and trial is another key aspect of what I think makes my firm different from most other Long Island (and even many New York City) White Collar Criminal Defense firms.

An additional worry for many White Collar Defendants is that even if they survive the criminal prosecution, they face lower standards for losing their licenses. Lawyers, Brokers, CPA's and even Notaries need to look for lawyers who have handled not only criminal cases, not only White Collar Criminal cases but also lawyers who have appeared before Grievance committees, NASD and SEC boards and the state education department. They need to find attorneys who have helped others hold onto the licenses after those individuals have been accused or even investigated for crimes.

Now a sentencing expert is not going to help Bernie Madoff too much. But when a White Collar Criminal Defendant is looking for a criminal defense team, especially in the federal Second Circuit (which encompasses New York Brooklyn Queens Nassau and Suffolk Counties), they should also be concerned with how much that trial lawyer knows about the Federal and State Sentencing guidelines. Working the guidelines and understanding the cases (such as Booker and FanFan and their progeny) is a key to avoiding lengthy prison sentences.

In all, I really enjoy working on White Collar Criminal Defense cases in New York and on Long Island. They provide a tremendous legal challenge and a personal challenge too. They require I reinforce to the jury that the clients are not bad people and that they are the same as those before whom they are called. They are just men and women who were trying to make an honest buck when a roof caved in.

It is also important to keep before the jury, that it is not the job of the white collar defendant to stop people from making mistakes with their money, it is their job to offer legitimate opportunities, explain the risks accurately and then let the chips fall where they may.

If you or someone you love is charged with a White Collar Crime whether in New York City or in Nassau or Suffolk counties, I would love to consult with you, or them, about it to see if we may help.
You can call us at 516-741-3400 24/7or reach out to us on this blog.

What is Manly?

Mars US Snackfood Division and Spearling's Best Places announced that it had chosen America's Most Manly Cities. In it, Nashville came in First, and New York came in last.

I know this little contest was meant in fun. It got a lot of attention in the press (I heard it on 880 WCBS an all News radio station in NY) which was the point. It was based on a number of "values" that show manliness, such as the number of Monster-Truck Rallies and Drag Races. The number (or lack of)Sports teams in a city or home furnishing stores, the number of Home Depot type stores and how many men fish or bowl or hunt, how many salty snacks are purchased, etc. All allegedly manly activities (except for the home furnishing stores...evidently it is manly to build a home but not to put furniture in it???)

Now this got me thinking, how would I chose a manly city. I have to admit, I am a big fan of men's codes. I love reading Robert Parker novels because his protagonists are people who live by a code and sometimes have to deal with moral dilemmas stemming from those "codes". I thought about the attributes that make men heroes, to me.

I wish Mars and Spearling had used these ideas:

How many men:
Work in the same job for more than 10 years?
What is the incident's of divorce?
What percentage of Families are headed by a father?
What percentage of divorced men are behind or do not pay child support?
How many men, who have wives that are partially or fully disabled, stay married to, and support those sick spouses?
What is the rate of domestic violence?
What percentage cheat on their spouse or significant other?
What percentage cheat regularly (i.e. an affair?)
What percentage of men in relationships over 10 years say they are still in love with the person they were with? 20 years? 30?

What percentage of men, cook, clean, help with infant care (change diapers...)?

How many men participate in youth sports as coaches, referees, league officials? How many do so even if they do not have children who participate in the sport?

What percentage of Men have been convicted of a crime?
What percentage have served in the armed forces?
What percentage vote?
What percentage have graduated High school, College?
What percentage of men have been arrested for DWI?
What percentage has given charitable contributions?
What percentage has given TIME to a charity?

What number of men are involved in Breach of Contract law suits or better what is the overall percentage of these types of law suits?
How many men, employ females? What percentage of those females are employed at high level jobs?

What is the percentage of male owned businesses that have pro-family benefits paid by the company such as maternity, bereavement , family leave. Medical benefits, for a family?

What percentage of Men have put away IRA's or 401K'S How many of those are left to the mother's of the man's child or the child themselves?
How many carry life insurance and what percentage is properly insured so that if they should die, their families will not be impoverished?
How many men carry Disability insurance?

What percentage of men have spoken to their kids about drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, and especially violence toward women?

What percentage would describe themselves as Homophobic?

What percentage has a good driving record? How many speed per capita?

How many men, spend at least an hour a day working with the kids on homework?

How many read the front and back of a newspaper?
How many read magazines that are news oriented?
How many are actively involved in politics by giving BOTH money and time to candidates and/or organizations that they politically ascribe to?

How many men spend at least 7 hours a week playing with the children?
What percentage of dinners are taken together with the whole family?
What percentage have gone bankrupt? What percentage are behind in their debt? What percentage has a credit rating considered excellent? what percent has a rating that is poor?

What percent of men, with elderly parents, visit with those parents for at least 3 hours a week, or speak to them by phone for at least 3 hours a week?

What percentage of men spend at least a half hour a day exercising?
What percentage smoke?
What percentage use illegal drugs or abuse prescription drugs?
What percentage is obese?
How many go regularly to Religious services?

Being a man has nothing to do with eating salty food, consuming beer, leering at women and drooling over them like they were a Peter Luger's steak. It has nothing to do with Speed contests or Women conquests.

Being a man is not telling everyone how brave you are. It is being brave. It is not in beating up another man, or worse a woman or child, it is in knowing how to get your way by persuading them, or walking away from the violence even though you want to and could kick the crap out of the other party. It is in not kissing and telling.

Being a man, is choosing to put your own gratification aside for a while so that your family or community is better off. It is taking care of your family first, your nation second and then yourself. It is keeping your promise even when it is inconvenient.

Being a man is helping others grow. It is learning and teaching how to be a better person.

The list I have compiled here is not exclusive. If you have some thoughts or ideas, please leave them in the comments. Maybe you will help some guy be a better and more "manly" man.

Lessons I Learned This Month: Eat Less Calories ,Exercise More, Doodle When You Can, and Don't Mess Around With Pres. Obama!

I really envy the people who find something cool and interesting to say everyday. I blog in spurts A month here and a month there then a week off here and a month off there. Not much of a way to build a following. Nevertheless, I blog for the enjoyment so if it isn't fun I am not going to do it.

Now that I have found my way home again. I think I will start off light.

First off, Did you know doodling was good for you? Yup that's right. It HELPS you concentrate. Same with playing easy games like Brickbreaker on a Blackberry or Freecell. I am often guilty of this when I get board in an interview or on a phone call. Some clients find it quite distracting. I find if I don't do it I lose my concentration. Now I know why. Read about it here

As for diet and exercise, guess what, Eat less, move more, lose weight. It's all here in this study. NIH had to commission a study for this??
Eating less calories and moving more has never been a question. The reason for the various diets is that eating less and exercising more is not what calls to most obese people. Chocolate shakes and steaks call to us. Now I know you are saying just do that, it doesn't matter how you do it. That said, however, getting me to do this is not an easy undertaking. Food and the way we use is part of the answer. This study doesn't go into that. It repeats simple science. Put in less fuel, use more energy, you should need to get to surplus faster. Got it. Now tell me what, where and how. Keep me doing it and then you have something.

President Obama at least sounds like a President. He has issued a dare so to speak against lobbyist's who intend to stand in the way of his change platform on issues like energy and healthcare. I guess we will see if his bully pulpit is bigger than the soft campaign money of the special interests. So far I like the guy though not all of his programs.


I am not a big Rush Limbaugh kind of guy. Hey Rush, get a clue, the public threw you guys out. You sat there for 8 years as a bully pulpit for a President who took his marching orders from your playbook and it in part caused the greatest depression since the great depression. You aren't pulling for the President to succeed in putting us back on track? Screw you!! I don't like everything he is doing, but he is our guy and we need to give him a chance like we did Bush, and if his plan works, and works well, then the loyal (NOTE TO RUSH I SAID LOYAL) opposition is going to have to do some rethinking.

Personally I think we need to allow for a correction. We also need to get out of fixing markets and let them self correct. What we need to do better is recognize phony products (sub-prime loan credit default swaps or CDS)and not allow them to be traded to people who don't understand them. I think we need to roll back the bankruptcy rules too. By changing them, we let the banks loan out too much money to risky borrowers. The new laws encouraged banking officials to think they can't lose as borrowers could not just walk away from the loans anymore, they had to restructure and pay some of it back. Oh well...

There is one more thing I think we need to do. We need to start teaching, requiring state-wide teaching of economics in the schools starting with Micro-economics in the younger grades and Macro in the High School. It should be required of every kid to have at least 2 years of it in HS in order to graduate. Maybe then we will all understand the issues and how to read a public budget and a stock and shareholders report.

Okay that's it for tonight. It is nice to be back. See you all around.