Above Reproach: Cohen, Weiss, & Simon

dariencc

Veteran
Dec 4, 2006
1,284
1,932
Here's a little gem from the proud history of Alpo's favorite law firm. Who'd want to switch to Lee Seham when we have these guys on retainer? After all, as the noted intellectual cactus737 has wisely pointed out, Lee "only" graduated from Amherst and NYU Law. :lol:



"The lawyer [Nathaniel Charney] ..... pled guilty Oct. 1 to one count of conspiracy for making false statements to a court-appointed officer. It's the fifth guilty plea, with one indictment, in the money-laundering scheme, which funneled over $538,000 into [teamsters' president] Carey's campaign. Nathaniel Charney, of the labor law firm of Cohen, Weiss & Simon, admitted in U.S. Dist. Court in Manhattan to lying to former election officer Barbara Zack Quindel about contributions and to concealing that two employers had sent his law firm checks for the Carey campaign. It's illegal for employers to contribute to union candidates. Reportedly, Charney vetted contributions to a special fund that took donations from non-Teamsters. He faces 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He acknowledged in court that he is cooperating with prosecutors, which implies that more indictments are likely. [N.Y. Times 10/2/98]"

A federal grand jury in New York is investigating whether Teamsters President Ron Carey received illegal campaign kickbacks and employer contributions in last year's bitterly contested election against James P. Hoffa for control of the 1.4 million-member union, sources confirmed yesterday. �Nathaniel Charney [SIC], general counsel to the Carey campaign, abruptly resigned from his New York law firm last month. Bruce Simon, senior partner in the firm Simon Cohen & Weiss, confirmed Charney's resignation.� The Washington Post Wednesday, April 2 1997; Page C10 By Frank Swabbed and Brian Duffy, Staff Writers


Appellant Jere B. Nash III ("Nash") was the campaign manager for Ron Carey's ("Carey") 1996 reelection bid for the office of president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ("IBT"). We consider here whether Nash may assert an attorney-client privilege over communications with counsel for the Campaign to Re-Elect Ron Carey ("Carey Campaign" or "Campaign") regarding Campaign matters. The Carey Campaign has waived any attorney-client privilege it possesses with respect to these communications, wishing to disclose their content as part of its effort to cooperate with a currently pending investigation into alleged fundraising improprieties. Nash appeals from an order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (David N. Edelstein, Judge ) holding that Nash could not individually assert an attorney-client privilege with respect to the conversations at issue, and therefore could not prevent their disclosure by the Campaign. United States v. International Bhd. Of Teamsters , 961 F. Supp. 665 (S.D.N.Y. 1997)...

IBT President Carey, on behalf of the Carey Campaign, authorized Cohen, Weiss & Simon ("CW&S"), counsel to the Campaign since June 1995, to cooperate fully with the investigation and to provide the Election Officer with all necessary information. During the course of the investigation, Susan Davis ("Davis"), a partner at CW&S, informed the Election Officer that she and other attorneys at her firm had spoken with appellant Nash, who had been hired as campaign manager for the Carey Campaign in February 1996, regarding issues relevant to the investigation. She also informed the Election Officer that Carey had decided to waive the Campaign's attorney-client privilege with respect to these conversations, and had instructed her to disclose their substance to the Election Officer. Nash thereupon sought to prevent such disclosures, arguing that he was entitled to assert a personal claim of attorney-client privilege with regard to these conversations.