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Summer Break
We wish to let our dear readers know that we will be back the week of August 9th. Please enjoy your summer break and we’ll have more news and insightful reports next month. Until then, we wish you and your families a happy, enjoyable, and safe summer.
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Balch Loses 27% of Local Attorneys, Millions in Fees; Alleged Inexperience Plagues Embattled Firm
After Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert was convicted on all six federal criminal counts three years ago, Balch & Bingham clients fled. Top money-making partners jumped ship. Through our efforts, 18 of 18 top lobbying clients dumped the embattled firm. Balch not only lost millions in lobbying fees, they also lost numerous clients to competitors. The hemorrhaging was significant. Even Balch legacy partner Jesse S. Vogtle, Jr. after 31 years said adios y hasta la vista amigos! Now data from the Birmingham Business Journal shows that Balch has lost 27 percent of its local attorneys since 2016. In…
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Drummond, Elderly Exploitation Scandal, Mississippi Controversy, North Birmingham Bribery Case, Russian Sanctions Website Scrub, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham
Three Years Later, Balch Partner’s Criminal Conviction Stings Three Stooges
Three years ago today, Balch-made millionaire and esteemed partner Joel I. Gilbert was convicted on all six-federal charges, including bribery and money laundering. Will Gilbert be reporting to prison soon, now that he has lost his appeal? If Gilbert had reported to prison during his appeal, due to COVID-19, he probably would have been released early like the bought-and-paid-for ex-State Representative Oliver Robinson was. Instead, he’ll probably now have to serve the entire 5-year sentence. Convicted along side Gilbert was ex-Drummond Executive David Roberson who will serve two and a half years. In his early 70s, some ask, is this…
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Lackeys: Alabama’s Unconstitutional and Secret Star Chambers
“Luckily, legislatures make laws, not courthouse lackeys on the fly.” –Kyle Whitmire, AL.com Where are the open courts of Alabama? During the Newsome Conspiracy Case, we observed that Judge Carole Smitherman created a secretive “Star Chamber” where alleged criminal acts, perjury, and unsavory conduct were hidden from public view; and all hearings, pleadings, and oral arguments were held in secret with no public notice. For 500 days, no one knew what was happening, except when appeals were filed and we learned about the counterfeit court order used to trample the due process of law, civil rights, and civil liberties of Burt Newsome. Now the…
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Pimps of Mississippi: Balch, the Evictor and Collector, Now Processing Housing Assistance
Undoubtedly an absolute conflict of interest. On their website, Balch & Bingham boasts, “Commercial landlords look to Balch for representation in evicting tenants and collecting unpaid rent.” Balch also relishes their collection efforts, writing, “Balch is knowledgeable and experienced in locating assets and using garnishments, sheriff/marshal sales, and other collection tactics to turn a judgment into cash.” As we reported yesterday, the Mississippi Housing Corporation has “outsourced” the processing of housing assistance to the the evictor and collector extraordinaire, Balch & Bingham, an alleged racist law firm. Balch’s once esteemed ex-partner Joel I. Gilbert was convicted of bribery and money…
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Elderly Exploitation Scandal, Mississippi Controversy, Newsome Conspiracy Case, North Birmingham Bribery Case, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham
Balch and the Mississippi Rental Assistance Flop
What in heaven’s name is Balch, a well-connected but alleged racist law firm, processing housing assistance for homebuyers? Mississippi and its two largest counties received $200 million in federal Covid-19 relief funds to cover back rent, with the aim of preventing evictions, according to NBC News. “But the vast majority of that money has not been spent, and there are large disparities in who is receiving help, and how quickly they’re getting it, according to a review of the latest program data and interviews with experts and advocates, ” NBC News wrote. NBC News published the exposé last week with a glaring…
