A Case of Humble Pie

The lawyer we told you about a few weeks ago has taken a dose of humble pie. You will recall he was the one who told a Miami federal judge that she was "just a few french fries short of a happy meal." The judge had issued an order for the lawyer to show cause why he should not be barred from practice in the federal bankruptcy court in South Florida.

Well that wisecrack also has cost the lawyer his client, who fired him and his 1000 lawyer Chicago firm. It also cost him his position as head of his law firm's bankruptcy law practice.

Before appearing before the judge in response to the judge's order, the lawyer had decided that he would make a contribution to the Center for Ethics and Public Service at the University of Miami law school, which happens to be the judge's Alma Mater. He has agreed to do 200 hours of community service in Chicago, and his firm has said that it intends to increase its pro bono work in the Miami area.

Both the wisecracking lawyer and the head of the 1000 person firm appeared before the federal judge on June 20 and profusely apologized to the judge. The judge, after a recess and some thought, decided not to bar him from practice in her court. Instead, she ordered him to to take an online course in professionalism that is administered by the Florida Bar. The judge noted that, "There is no jurisdiction in the U.S. -- including the district where [the lawyer] regularly practices — where the expression and tone [he] used on May 7 would fall [with]in the bounds of acceptable behavior."