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Cherry-Picking Balch’s Environmental Lawyers
Balch & Bingham was once known as the place to go as one of the premier law firms with the best environmental practices in the Southeast. That reputation was solid until one of Balch’s top environmental lawyers, Joel I. Gilbert , was convicted on all six criminal charges and sentenced to five years in federal prison last year. Gilbert’s bribery scheme and ghost-written letters appear to be a pattern of alleged unscrupulous behavior. Last month, Richard E. Glaze, Jr. a top environmental lawyer at the Atlanta office of Balch & Bingham left the firm after nearly a decade. He jumped…
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Where is the Civil RICO Suit? It’s Coming.
One year ago today, we reported that a massive civil RICO lawsuit against Balch & Bingham on behalf of Burt Newsome was in the works and probably coming in early 2019. So where is the civil RICO suit? Why has it not been filed yet? According to our sources, a leading RICO expert from the upper Midwest joined Newsome’s legal RICO team early this year and had advised the team to “exhaust all state remedies” before proceeding in federal courts. Now awaiting the Alabama Supreme Court decision on Newsome’s appeal, we are told the legal RICO team is ready to…
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Concealed Smitherman Payment Jolts Investigators
When we discovered and wrote about the numerous campaign contributions to Judge Carole Smitherman’s husband, State Senator Rodger Smitherman, from entities linked to Balch & Bingham or the alleged co-conspirators in the Newsome Conspiracy Case during the height of the case, we strongly smelled corruption. With the revelation that Senator Smitherman was sitting in on hearings of the secretive Star Chamber, we knew the situation had gone from bad to worse. Now investigators have pointed out to us that the three contributions from NEW PAC—a political action committee run by a former Balch & Bingham attorney— to Senator Smitherman were…
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Balch and Drummond’s Greatest Disgrace: Roberson Estate Sale This Friday
A three-day estate sale of David and Anna Roberson’s personal possessions begins this Friday, October 11th near Mountain Brook, the elite enclave next to downtown Birmingham. The estate sale appears to be the greatest disgrace for Drummond Company and Balch & Bingham, the embattled law firm that has yet to apologize to David Roberson and the North Birmingham African-American community for the criminal conduct of their Balch-made millionaire and now ex-partner Joel I. Gilbert. A year ago, after David Roberson was convicted along side Gilbert in the bribery scheme, Drummond Company vowed to defend the Drummond executive and appeared to…
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Lying Balch & Bingham Cries Uncontrollably About BanBalch.com
In their response to the Alabama Supreme Court appeal in the Newsome Conspiracy Case, Balch & Bingham dedicates several pages to a non-party in the case: BanBalch.com. Unable to defend the indefensible in legal arguments, thin-skinned Balch & Bingham cries uncontrollably about BanBalch.com and our reporting. Like snake oil salesmen, Balch appears to show they are nothing more than a lying sack of marbles, falsely alleging that the we, the CDLU, and Burt Newsome are long time friends. Next month marks the anniversary of the first time that we, the CDLU, met Burt Newsome at a charity event in 2016.…
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Katten Muchin Shuts Down Two Offices as Partners Bail
Will this be a lesson to be learned by Balch & Bingham? Renowned law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is shutting down their Austin, Texas and San Francisco, California offices after nine money-making partners from their environmental and workplace safety practice jumped ship, according to Law 360. Balch ridiculously boasted last spring of expanding their footprint by adding a one-man office in Augusta, Georgia, while over a dozen money-making partners have left the embattled firm since January of 2018. And who cherry-picked those nine partners at Katten? Baker Botts LLP, the same firm that warmly embraced Jeffrey H. Wood, the…
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Balch & Bingham PAC Contributions Plummet; DC Lobbying Near Death; Millions Lost
Will more partners soon exit stage right? With Balch & Bingham now directly associated with alleged unsavory, unethical and criminal conduct, the embattled law firm has been battered this year. According to FEC data, the first six-months of this election cycle, Balch & Bingham’s Federal Political Action Committee has seen contributions plummet 36 percent compared to the same six-months of the previous election cycle. Raising a mere $32,545 compared to over $50,000 two-years ago, the lack of receipts could possibly mean: 1. That the dozen or more money-making partners that dumped Balch for greener pastures could have also tumbled the…
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Throwing In the Towel: Balch & Bingham Affirms that Counterfeit Order is Counterfeit
In a stunning blow to the almost century-old, once prestigious and respected law firm, Balch & Bingham in a 69-page response brief before the Alabama Supreme Court affirms that the Counterfeit Order used in the Newsome Conspiracy Case is indeed counterfeit. Balch writes: While the June 8, 2016 order has yet, as of the date of the filing of this Brief, been entered into the SJIS, Judge Conwill signed the order thus rendering it. In other words, Balch admits the counterfeit order was never entered into the State Judicial Information System. Thus, the order is counterfeit; an act of judicial…
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Does Balch & Bingham’s Entire Footprint have Athlete’s Foot?
When Balch & Bingham tried to gloat this spring that the embattled firm had expanded their corporate footprint by adding a one-man office in Augusta, Georgia while at the same time letting go of the only African-American female lawyer in Birmingham, observers were in disbelief. Now with the exodus of a top partner from Atlanta and a long-time Human Resources Director, the managing partners at Balch in key markets like Jacksonville, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; Gulfport, Mississippi; and Atlanta, Georgia appear to be facing enormous pressure to preserve what is left. Think about it. As more disclosures of the alleged unsavory,…
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Balch, Drummond Humiliation: Roberson Sells Home; Estate Sale Next
The Robersons are losing everything and they are part of the trail of carcasses and human waste that Balch & Bingham appears to consistently leave behind. Brian Hamilton, a bank executive, told the truth in the Newsome Conspiracy Case. Balch allegedly put the squeeze. Hamilton lost his job; lost the family home. Dave Roberson, a Drummond executive, took Balch’s legal advice as the truth in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal. After vowing to support him, Drummond hypocritically squeezed Roberson out. Roberson lost his job; now he is losing the family home. Next up: Roberson’s estate sale. What humiliation! For Balch,…
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Good-bye Balch & Bingham! New Exodus Shakes Embattled Firm
We knew this could happen. Long time partners and attorneys throughout Balch & Bingham’s footprint would probably get sick and tired of Balch’s foolish conduct in Birmingham. And so a new exodus begins. Esteemed partner Richard E. Glaze, Jr. from the Atlanta office has left Balch & Bingham after almost a decade at the firm. Glaze is now a partner at Barnes & Thornburg in the firm’s Atlanta office, according to Law 360. A former Senior Attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency, Glaze is focused on civil and criminal enforcement matters brought by federal agencies and the Department of Justice…
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Ruined: Balch’s Alleged Witness Tampering Leads to Job Loss, Loss of Home
Balch & Bingham appears to imply that convicted felon and ex-partner Joel I. Gilbert, and fired partner Clark A. Cooper are rogue partners who acted alone. Most people think that’s bull. Jokingly called Balch, Bingham, and Bribery, the law firm hid behind an unconstitutional and secretive “Star Chamber” for over 500 days and now the truth is out in the open. Balch may now have even deeper problems, more worries to be concerned about: alleged witness tampering in the Newsome Conspiracy Case. Schuyler Allen Baker, Jr., the dinosaur partner of Balch & Bingham, who foolishly declared in court pleadings that…
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Richard Mullen’s Clean Break for Drummond
On All Saints Day, Richard Mullen will take the helm of Drummond Company and we hope his first act is to end the relationship, sever all ties with the embattled law firm Balch & Bingham. Since Drummond CEO Mike Tracy announced his unexpected retirement, many Drummond insiders have debriefed us and they all say the same thing: Mullen is a man of absolute integrity and loyalty. He was Garry Drummond’s loyal ear who kept a keen eye on his former mentor. Mullen’s work in Colombia was described as perfect precision, and that Mullen demonstrated compassion for workers, including local Colombians.…
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Low-Class: Balch Partner Falsely Implied Newsome’s Law License was in Jeopardy
Is this David vs. Goliath? Balch & Bingham likes to boast that they have over 200 attorneys throughout the Southeast. Why in heaven’s name did Balch target a one-man office, sole-practitioner attorney in Shelby County who services banks? In 2012, Burt Newsome was minding his own business, and had not a shred of animosity towards Balch & Bingham. Was Balch & Bingham really that desperate? Clark A. Cooper, the Balch & Bingham partner who allegedly spearheaded the conspiracy against Newsome in an attempt to steal his successful business servicing banks, appears to have falsely claimed that Newsome’s bar license was…
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Brutal: Balch Partner’s Phone Records, Contradictions Make Balch Look Low-Class
The legal community can now see in the sunshine the awful, scurrilous, low-class, below the belt tactics that a Balch partner allegedly engaged in to try to steal a competitor’s business. Low-class or no class? Balch & Bingham partner Clark A. Cooper, who was abruptly fired on March 3, 2017 by the embattled law firm, appears to have been the spearhead of the conspiracy that targeted and defamed Burt Newsome, a successful attorney who serviced banks, in an alleged attempt to steal his business. The defamation occurred after a staged arrest in which Newsome’s mugshot was allegedly distributed via email…
