Why is Balch & Bingham  still following the path of Oliver Robinson, Joel Gilbert, Steven McKinney and others instead of stopping this alleged cycle of corruption and unsavory conduct? The cartoon below is satirical but has elements of truth. The questionable first-time contributions to Judge Carole Smitherman’s husband State Senator Rodger Smitherman has been the talk of Montgomery. Yesterday was a record breaking day of internet traffic to our website. Thank you for your readership.

[Readers:  Please take a look at yesterday’s post. We have added an update.] Now comes the stocking stuffer. On December 26, 2017, Judge Carole Smitherman’s husband Senator Rodger Smitherman reported receiving $2,000 from BIZPAC. A few days before that, he received $500 from VPAC. (Read the campaign finance report here.) BIZPAC  is the same political action committee funded in part by Balch partners that donated over $15,000 to Judge  Smitherman. Balch’s lead attorney appearing before Judge Smitherman in the Newsome Conspiracy Case is Schuyler Allen Baker, Jr. who has donated thousands to BIZPAC in the past. In July, indicted Balch…

[Update down below.] As we pointed out last month, Senator Rodger Smitherman, the husband of  Judge Carole Smitherman received three contributions from two donors that raises the investigative question: Were donors attempting to influence the judge through her husband, or not? The contributions appear to come at critical times in the Newsome Conspiracy Case that Judge Smitherman is presiding over. Today, we take a look at another contribution:  $5,000 donated by BIPAC to  Senator Smitherman on November 16, 2017 (Read the documentation here.) Like NEWPAC, the second contribution we profiled, BIPAC is run by Clark D. Fine, a former attorney…

Another headache for Balch & Bingham. We have been reviewing closely the contributions given to Smitherman.  And something smells. No, we are not talking about contributions to Judge Carole Smitherman who created an unconstitutional and secretive Star Chamber in the Newsome Conspiracy Case. We are talking about her husband, State Senator Rodger Smitherman. We looked at several different contributions given to Senator Smitherman after the co-conspirators, including Balch & Bingham, were all linked together in the Newsome Conspiracy Case by a single burner cell phone number in an amended complaint filed on June 30, 2017. We have found several questionable…

As we approach the 100-day mark since its inception, the corrupt Star Chamber created to allegedly conceal unethical and possible criminal actions in the Newsome Conspiracy Case has been effective. The complete blackout of the procedures, hearings, filings or actions is extreme. Even our anonymous sources at the courthouse have been unable to provide us with information about the case. We wonder… Is the case under mediation at an impartial setting? Has Balch finally come to their senses and are involved in settlement negotiations? Or are they picking a jury as we write? Has Judge Carole Smitherman tossed out parts…

We told you so. The statement that the pre-paid wireless phone number connecting all the alleged co-conspirators in the Newsome Conspiracy Case is a “routing switch” is pure hogwash. Going to a major wireless carrier (T-Mobile), we found that the number central to the Newsome Conspiracy Case  is eligible for porting and available for transfer to another carrier. Thus (205) 410-1494 is not a routing switch. As we wrote in early October, by sealing the Newsome Conspiracy Case and conducting secret Star Chamber proceedings, we strongly believe Judge Carole Smitherman may be covering up alleged criminal acts and perjury. Balch…

Balch & Bingham lost half of their paying D.C. lobbying clients in recent months. On top of that, a 20-year veteran at Balch & Bingham, William F. Stiers,  left the firm last week. Besides the federal indictments and two ongoing federal probes what else is sinking Balch’s reputation? The Star Chamber. Foolishly, Balch partner Schuyler Allen Baker, Jr., at the height of public scrutiny and the aftermath of Oliver Robinson’s plea deal, pushed for the sealing of the Newsome Conspiracy Case where all proceedings are now held in secret with no public information or access available. The Star Chamber is…

The Newsome Conspiracy Case highlights what appears to be unethical, maybe even criminal behavior. The letter sent to AT&T in early 2016 appears to have been sent to prevent phone records from being released to Newsome’s legal team. The claims in the letter justifying the withholding of information are knowingly 100% false: there was no objection filed at the time and no valid court order was needed to release the information. Perjury? Some think so. We think it appears to be an intentional obstruction of justice. Balch & Bingham leaders need to pull their heads out of the sand and…

Two important questions: Why did Judge Carole Smitherman seal the entire Newsome Conspiracy Case five weeks ago without a hearing? Why are all proceedings now done in secret in a Star Chamber in Birmingham with no public access or public schedule available? We strongly believe Smitherman may be covering up alleged criminal acts and perjury. She appears to have been duped by Balch & Bingham and the alleged co-conspirators. Balch stated in court that a single phone number connecting all the Newsome co-conspirators was at first from a telemarketer. After we publicly ripped their foolishness  (to the delight of the wine drinking,…

Vowing to make sure all partners and staff “are adhering to the highest standards of legal and ethical compliance,” Balch & Bingham leaders now need to engage in critical and concrete steps to show that their words are not fluff, public relations hot air. First and foremost, Balch leaders need to dismantle the unethical, corrupt, and embarrassing Star Chamber, a court conducting secret proceedings with no public information or access available in regards to the Newsome Conspiracy Case. The Star Chamber was created to allegedly cover up what appears to be unethical, possibly criminal acts, including perjury. It’s a dirty…

Why was Balch & Bingham so confident in comments not made under oath or in a deposition that was yet to take place in which Verizon had not even been subpoenaed about? [Since no information is available on the Newsome Conspiracy Case since August 31st because Judge Smitherman created a corrupt Star Chamber, we are re-publishing this post from Monday, August 14, 2017. The post is even more relevant today.] With former and disgraced Alabama State Representative Oliver Robinson facing prison time for a $360,000 bribery scheme involving the embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, will Judge Carole Smitherman be…

The parallel similarities between the Robinson Bribery Case and Newsome Conspiracy Case are striking:  the use (or abuse) of an African-American elected official, money funneled through a third party entity, contributions made, etc. Although we are pleased that in a statement the leadership at Balch & Bingham vows to make sure partners are “adhering to the highest standards of legal and ethical compliance” throughout the firm, we feel the leaders also need to look at other unsavory conduct  from the recent past unbecoming of a 95 year-old law firm. Since early this year, we have asked Balch to conduct a…

Is Balch & Bingham singing the blues? Are the Smithermans, too? Did they all make an enormous mistake? Since the end of August, bowing to Balch’s wishes, Judge Carole Smitherman created a Star Chamber without a hearing, without notice to hold secret proceedings in the Burt Newsome Conspiracy Case. She sealed the public court documents going back to the very inception of the case (2015) and at the same time, created an enormous black-eye on the judicial branch in Alabama. Smitherman, who received over $15,000 from BIZPAC,  a  PAC funded in part by Balch partners, appears to have shown the…

Our sources tell us that corrupt politician Oliver Robinson, who took $360,000 in bribes paid through Balch & Bingham to allegedly suppress African-Americans from testing their toxic property, will finally plead guilty on September 7, 2017 and that  legal representatives of Balch & Bingham partner Joel Gilbert, who allegedly funneled the money to Robinson and was identified as Attorney #1 by al.com, are allegedly vigorously trying to prevent any indictment or prosecution through direct channels in Washington, D.C. But our sources also tell us the bribery investigation will proceed even after the September 7th pleading. Now comes Judge Carole “Star…