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Prestigious to Egregious: Balch in Disarray After “Seeking Sex with a Child” Arrest
??Update March 8, 2023: Espy was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison. Read more by clicking here. With the criminal arrest Wednesday night of Chase T. Espy, a former long-time Balch attorney who allegedly was seeking to have sex with a child, Balch & Bingham appears to be in disarray, and former attorneys and ex-partners are allegedly scrambling to distance themselves from the embattled firm, sources tell us. The once prestigious, silk-stocking law firm appears to have become the cesspool of egregious misconduct, and observers are in disbelief that clients like Southern Company and Alabama Power continue to utilize the…
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Ex-Balch & Bingham Attorney Arrested for Child Solicitation
From alleged elderly exploitation to now accusations of child solicitation, what other scandals will batter Balch & Bingham’s reputation? AL. com reports: Chase Tristian Espy, 36, is charged with child solicitation by computer/electronic solicitation of a child, which is a Class B felony. Espy, a Birmingham attorney and former deputy general counsel in the Office of Governor, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 9:28 p.m. Wednesday, according to jail records. For nearly a decade, Espy was an attorney at Balch & Bingham but left to work for the Office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey just a few months…
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Balch’s Alleged Unlawful, Unsavory, and Unconscionable Misconduct Presented to U.S. Supreme Court
Burt Newsome has taken the Newsome Conspiracy Case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Unbelievable indeed! When the late Schuyler Allen Baker, Jr., Balch’s long-time General Counsel, vowed to fight to the death before settling the Newsome Conspiracy Case, did he ever believe Newsome would have the testicular fortitude to fight the embattled and once-prestigious firm all the way to the highest court of the land? Probably not. Newsome, the sole-practitioner attorney, an innocent man who was minding his business when he was allegedly targeted, falsely arrested, and defamed by Balch & Bingham has refused to take it…
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En Banc Denied Unanimously; Roberson Rushed to Hospital and Now Recovering from Emergency Surgery
The criminal convictions in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal stand solid. Last week, the entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously denied an en banc rehearing of the convictions of ex-Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert and ex-Drummond executive David Roberson. On Saturday, when David Roberson went to visit his son who is in college, the older Roberson was rushed to the hospital. An emergency surgery was performed to remove an intestinal blockage allegedly caused by the enormous, unsurmountable stress. Stress and anxiety are linked to gastrointestinal problems, including blockage. And who wouldn’t be stressed and…
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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…
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Racial Reckoning? African-American Attorney Leaves Balch & Bingham After Only Eight Months
With about one percent of their partners being people of color, Balch & Bingham’s claims of “diversity and inclusion” smells worse than a manure lagoon. Now attorney Stephen Phillip McKitt, an African-American who joined Balch & Bingham last November, has left the alleged racist firm after only eight months. McKitt left Balch and joined the prestigious Akerman firm, with 25 offices and 700 attorneys nationwide. Balch’s hypocritical managing partner Stan Blanton had the foolish audacity to call “diversity and inclusion” a core value of the embattled firm long accused of racism and tokenism. In recent weeks, Balch has boasted about…
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Doesn’t Smell Right! Fighting Balch’s Alleged Elderly Exploitation Scandal; U.S. Attorney Vows Justice for Seniors
The fight continues. In May of 2020, the publication Alabama Today caused a firestorm with the incredible and shocking audio recordings of a Balch & Bingham attorney Amy Davis Adams and Jefferson County Conservator Greg Hawley talking with 88-year old Joann Bashinsky, known as Mrs. B. Ridiculously claiming Mrs. B could lose her home, run out of money, and have to fire her staff, Adams’ comments appear to have been an attempt to take control of Mrs. B’s affairs, a woman worth $218 million. Hawley went ahead and appointed Balch’s Adams even though Mrs. B said no, according to Alabama…
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As Investigations Probe Political Misconduct by Trump DOJ, Alabama Becomes Ground Zero
After four years of blogging on the alleged corruption in Alabama, we believe the egregious misconduct by the “Trump machine” in Alabama will become a national embarrassment. Media and investigators can easily probe disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Jay E. Town, who appears to have acted as a political agent for the Three Stooges of Alabama (Drummond Coal, Alabama Power, and embattled law firm Balch & Bingham). All Three Stooges were closely tied to ex-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (Alabama Power and Balch & Bingham being his number 1 and number 2 lifetime donors respectively when…
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Immunity Deal Comes Back to Bite “Confused” General Counsel at Drummond
[This post originally appeared on November 10, 2020. Now that David Roberson’s $75 million civil case has been sealed in its entirety, the court procedings and documents are unavailable. However, the no-brainer immunity deal that was declined is the talk of outside observers.] In 2017, the criminal defense team of ex-Drummond Executive David Roberson allegedly flat-out rejected a full immunity deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. And what would have David Roberson done for that immunity deal? According to sources, the federal government wanted Roberson to honestly testify about the alleged bribes from Drummond Company to politicians. The testimony the…
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Balch Defends “Public Nuisance” that Burns Toxic Wooden Rail Ties in Georgia
Sometimes we shake our heads in disbelief. Balch & Bingham, which appears to believe a news release is suffice to cover up their alleged racist and possible criminal conduct, has demonstrated, repeatedly, truly foolish decisions that appear to hurt the firm. Law360.com reports: Georgia Renewable Power Co. has been hit with nearly two dozen lawsuits claiming its biomass plant in the northeastern part of the state is emitting odors, noise and causing vibrations in neighboring homes, devaluing the land and making life for the residents almost unlivable. The 23 suits, removed to the Middle District of Georgia from Franklin County…
