Saturday

'Loony' lawyer in a Bronx courtroom

Yes indeed, according to the New York Daily News, Mark Brenner, the guy who sued me for saying he once kicked a client in open court "has been barred from taking any court-appointed work" Why? Because he kicked the client.

What I find amazing about this is that according to Brenner's lawyer the disciplinary committee investigated and cleared him. I find that strange since there were a number of eyewitnesses, (one of whom told me that Brenner admitted to kicking the guy) as well as the transcript (which as the article above suggests) makes totally clear he kicked the guy, not to mention a call to 911, and a complaint from the client himself.

So while we're on the subject of Brenner, It's also worth noting that every count of his suit against me has now been dismissed and I will not be surprised if, as a result of all this, he winds up disbarred. And of course there's also the little matter of a counter-suit.

Stay tuned.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have made your point. Brenner's trial record is not at all bad. Let the system review the situation, and leave it at that.

Anonymous said...

How is it that you claim to have made your observations about Brenner since 2004 yet you never reported these findings till 2007 despite an ethical obligation which requires you to report an unprofessional attorney?

Anonymous said...

Your crusade against Brenner suggests that perhaps you have lost perspective on what your mission is. When you practiced law, you defended the guilty and the innocent (I would hope with the same zeal). Your successful motion before Massaro for sequential, double blind photo arrays was art. You stood up to judges and DA's with wit and with charm, which made you successful, not only for yourself, but more importantly for your clients.

However, this is different, and likely to undermine both your reputation and cause. What ever dispute you have with Brenner, it has become personal for both of you, which is precicely what you decry about Judges and DA's in your book (arbitrary and selfish behavior, coupled with anger/arogant driven conduct and decision-making.) Your recent post on your blog does not speak in rational tones, citing factual arguments, in support of the correctness of your position. (As I understand it, the libel lawsuit was withdrawn by Brenner when his prior counsel died and he discontinued the lawsuit. Hardly seems like a decision on the merits.)

As you would say in your book no one is either good or evil, but always complex, with both positive and negative attributes. Brenner is hardly the worst attorney you ever came across (although apparently the only one you saw fit to complain about), and in fact, for all his faults, Brenner is probably pretty good in the end.

Show that you are what you wish we all could be-decent people doing the best in a difficult world, trying to make it just a bit better. It is time to move on.

Anonymous said...

Dude,
The guy got sued! That's gotta suck. If, as it seems, this Brenner guy is bad news and that his lawsuit was fraudulent what's wrong wtih speaking out or even trying to get the guy off the panel? Seems like this is hardly the kind of guy we want representing indigent clients. I mean seriously, doesn't a guy who kicks his own client make us all look bad?

the ice chewer said...

The kicking lawyer episode was probably the funniest in the book. Btw, this is a very very important novel that I recommend for every lawyer outhere.