Dirty LAWndry reader, “Gloria”, wants us to be aware of the next fire drill:

“This is why all my personal belongings can be swooped with one arm into a Macy’s shopping, and I can roll out on the train with deliberate speed. This tactic will push an already mentally fragile employee over the edge.”

A fire alarm rang at 4 pm in a large office campus when almost all employees were present ( approx 5,000 people ). As per past fire-drill practices, the entire office was quickly evacuated within 3 minutes, and all employees gathered outside the complex in designated areas waiting for further announcements. Before long, the fire drill officer in-charge made the following broadcast over their loud-speakers system :

“My dear colleagues : With sincere regret, I have been asked to announce that for many of you, this will be your last evacuation drill with us. Due to the on-going recession and bad business climate, the company is laying off almost 50% of its staff. So when this announcement finishes, I ask all of you to move back into the building. And if your swipe-card does not work, then it means that you have been laid off, in which case you will not be allowed inside, and all your personal belongings will be couriered to you by tomorrow. The company is using this innovative, never-before approach as we do not want to choke our email system with lay-off notices and farewell messages going by the thousands, and we also wish to avoid any fighting inside the office and the consequent security issues for all staff. We hope you have had a rewarding career with us. Now please move back in… and good luck!”

The moral of this story is ALWAYS TAKE YOUR BELONGINGS WITH YOU! If anyone knows more about this story, please fill me in.

Have you been following the Victoria Sprouse trial? Sprouse is a real estate lawyer from North Carolina that was convicted last week of bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. The prosecutors argued that she lied to lenders, falsified settlement statements and stole from her clients, which resulted in her and other conspirators receiving more than $5 million dollars from the scheme. Sprouse denied committing the crimes and said she “had relied too heavily on her staff to prepare mortgage documents properly and hadn’t closely supervised their work.” She was also quoted as saying “I’m disappointed the jury could think that mistakes, errors and sloppiness in a busy law firm equates to fraud. … I have so many supporters. I’m sorry they were let down as well.” You can read the full story at the Charlotte Observer.

The more I read about Sprouse is the more that my dirty radar starts to chime. Yes, I agree that mistakes can be made in busy firms. But, as attorneys, we should adhere to the one thing that we advise others all the time - READ BEFORE SIGNING! So, I’m not buying her “I didn’t know what I was signing” defense. Then, there’s the fact that she’s blaming her staff for falsifying documents, but where’s the evidence that they got a cut of the $5 million. Ugh. My radar can’t handle it. What do you think?

Dirty LAWndry reader,”Jake”, submits the following:

“I was reading that Covington & Burling is being sued by one of its former staff attorneys based on allegations of racial discrimination. The staff attorney accused the firm of “stockpiling its staff attorney ghetto with blacks and other minorities.” At first, I figured this was just one of those situations that the staff attorney was just bitter about losing her job. But then, Covington & Burling puts out a statement that the ex-staff attorney’s “average grade was only slightly better than a ‘C,’ well below the threshold level for a Covington associate.”

So, why did they hire her in the first place? Is this the norm for their staff attorneys? Looking at their website, I don’t see much diversity in associates and partners listed. So I wonder if hiring minorities with grade averages below the “threshold level” is intentional on their part, in order to use their grades as an excuse not to provide any opportunity for advancement. Plus, as attorneys, we all know that law school grades do not reflect how you will fair as an attorney. I know plenty of summa cum laude graduates that can’t even pass the bar exam. Then, there are the licensed ones who are just idiots when it comes to the practice of law. I just find the statement by Covington & Burling to be a bit suspect and wanted to share my opinion.”

Thanks for sending the links to this story and to the complaint, “Jake”! You can find more information regarding the Covington & Burling case below.

ABAJournal.com: High-Profile Ex-Staff Lawyer Sues Covington & Burling, Alleges Discrimination
ABAJournal.comCovington Returns Yolanda Young Fire, Says Ex-Staff Lawyer Had Lackluster GPA