Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Law School 101: Collect the Fee

 
ABC News reportedthe best lawyer story we've seen in awhile:
     A lawyer faces a felony charge of kidnapping for allegedly abducting a client from his wedding celebration in an attempt to collect legal fees.
Seems like Rolando Castelan failed to pay his lawyer in a timely manner. So she got three "associates" help her to put handcuffs on him at his December 10th wedding and drove him around town while he used his cell phone to try to raise the money from friends and relatives.
     Castelan, 31, hired Allen in April when he was arrested for possession of a stolen firearm, tampering with a government document and possession of a controlled substance.
Allen vouched for Castelan's bond amount of $5,000, police said. Six months later, a grand jury indicted Castelan on the drug possession charge, but he failed to show up to court.
Allen tried to persuade Castelan to come to court, but when he didn't, the court found her responsible for the $5,000 bond.
Ah, now the smoke clears. The client not only stiffed his lawyer, he left her owing five thousand dollars for his bond. The man had a fool for a lawyer and she had a jerk for a client.

Well, one woman kidnapped him and another paid the ransom:
     When Castelan's ex-wife agreed to meet and pay the money, Castelan managed to escape the Suburban he had been held in for four hours.
So what happened to the lawyer? She’s up on felony charges, of course, but released on her own recognizance. Meanwhile her client is in jail. No bond this time.

If we’re going to have trivial news, isn’t that more interesting than stories about Teddy Kennedy's dog,"Splash"?...wait a minute, now that I think of it, there's another "lawyers are scum" theme in naming his dog after something suggesting water. Talk about hubris.


Hat tip: Eye of Polyphemus
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2 comments:

st said...

Ahem, as a lawyer who is normally a vociferous critic of my profession, I'd just like to point out that Allen -- while dumb to post her client's bond -- was merely engaging in a little freelance bounty-hunting here. The only difference between her and Dog Chapman -- whom we regard as a hero, yes? -- is that her license is for practicing law rather than nabbing bail-jumpers. I'd also point out that the client sounds like a bigger crook than she is. Not all lawyers are scum, and some people are even scummier!

1/19/2006 2:42 AM
Dymphna said...

st--

Not all lawyers are scum, but the ones that are seem to be so flagrant about it that one can't help but add to the oeuvre of lawyers jokes, the one that predates even Shakespeare's jibes.

My grandfather was a lawyer, as are several cousins. The woman who heads the Legal Assistance Program here collects lawyer jokes...

As for this particular attorney, since she's up on felony charges then she's not a licensed bondsman, is she? At the very least, she ought to have recused herself from this one and hired professional help.

I'd say she needs professional help in more ways than one...I can understand being pi**ed off, however. That's what gives this story juice.

Think she'll be disbarred? In Texas? Maybe not.

1/19/2006 11:36 AM

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