HR’s lighter side: When lawyers fight, the rest of us win
November 12, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Terminations
A lawyer who got fired by his firm is gaining a measure of revenge by running a Web site in which he refers to his boss as “a used-car salesman with a law degree.” It gets even better than that.
As reported on law.com, Edward Harrington Heyburn worked at the firm of Levinson Axelrod until he was fired in 2004. Let’s start by saying the parting was not amicable.
Heyburn started a Web site — http://levinsonaxelrod.net — dedicated to trashing his former employer. The site contains detailed stories of underhanded dealings by the firm and:
- calls senior partner Richard Levinson “The Hypocrite Behind the Curtain”
- refers to another partner, David Wheaton, as a “used-car salesman with a law degree”
- describes firm bigwig Adam Rothenberg as “a man without friends”
The firm has hired another lawyer, Thomas Cafferty, to take legal action against Heyburn.
More of Heyburn’s allegations about Levinson Axelrod:
- Demands by the firm that Heyburn and others place the good of the firm ahead of family obligations, “including the birth of my son,” Heyburn wrote
- A refusal to close the firm’s New Jersey offices on on Sep. 11, 2001, to allow employees to check on their loved ones and friends and cope with the day’s events
It goes on from there, including criticism of the firm’s lawyers who lost big cases.
So, what we have here is a legal firm hiring a lawyer to sue a lawyer who hates lawyers . Maybe that means they’ll leave the rest of us alone for a while.
Tags: Edward Heyburn, Levinson Axelrod
November 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
I’m sure there’s something out there about “Hell hath no fury like a lawyer scorned” — or something like that. In a profession not known for ethical behavior, is anyone surprised by these childish antics?
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
In my short experience – there is much law and little justice.
Scrap it out till your eyes bleed lawyers – have fun!
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:17 am
Probably more of a compliment to be referring to a lawyer as a “Used Car Salesman”………perhaps something more demeaning would be appropriate such as referring to them as a “Politician”, Opps, then again some in the current administration have already achieved that designation!
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:16 am
Tom, there were ‘politicians’ in the last administration, also — it’s a bi-partisan label.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 am
Come one, Come all…the fight of the century…get your ringside seats now….$5.00, only $5.00 per person…oh what that….I am not allowed to use the word seats…the chairs are taking offense???…darn lawyers.
So who is the fool in this case? The lawyer representing himself, or the law firm who hired the guy’s replacement to represent them?
December 17th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Used car salesman with a law degree? Isn’t that a line from A Few Good Men? Not very creative on his part.