Michael D Goldhaber

October 19, 1999 | Law.com

If a lawyer discovers that a client plans to commit fraud with his help, should the lawyer tell? The American Bar Association is moving in the direction of allowing attorney whistleblowing - or, as some put it, "ratting" on clients. To say the least, this is a controversial idea among lawyers weaned on the sanctity of lawyer-client privilege. As the ABA's extended comment period draws to a close this fall, the rule proposed by an ABA commission called Ethics 2000 is prompting angry reaction among lawyers.

By Michael D. Goldhaber

9 minute read

September 01, 2005 | The American Lawyer

Mikheil Saakashvili left the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in the early 1990s to get a degree at Columbia Law School-then returned to lead a democratic revolt. In late 2003 Saakashvili rallied his countrymen against corruption in the so-called Rose Revolution, elbowing out former president Eduard Shevardnadze. Today Georgian cabinet meetings have the feel of an Ivy League seminar, with the foreign minister and deputy justice minister also trained in American law.

By Michael D. Goldhaber

8 minute read

April 25, 2011 | The American Lawyer

By By Michael D. Goldhaber

18 minute read

November 01, 2009 | The American Lawyer

Right now there's no international court to handle Madoff-scale fraud cases or cross-border disputes between the world's biggest banks. A few lawyers are starting to imagine what one might look like.

By Michael D. Goldhaber

12 minute read

May 09, 2000 | Law.com

A former litigator, Rick Flamm now finds himself the legal guardian of the Pokimon phenomenon. He stays involved in day-to-day operations by roaming the halls and retaining control of strategic decisions: whether to sue or negotiate, the selection of venue, the formulation of a media plan, the briefing of top management, and -- perhaps most important -- the hiring of inside and outside counsel.

By Michael D. Goldhaber

6 minute read

February 03, 2000 | Law.com

By Michael D. Goldhaber

9 minute read

June 01, 2006 | The American Lawyer

The one thing that everyone knows about the United Nations's Commission on Human Rights is that it was a disgrace for human rights rogues like Sudan, Zimbabwe, China, and Saudia Arabia to be members. The much-maligned commission, the U.N.'s main human rights body, gets a fresh start this month, after the General Assembly voted to rebrand it as the Human Rights Council. But for most people, it remains a mystery why the U.N. human rights system should matter.

By Michael D. Goldhaber

7 minute read

July 07, 2000 | Law.com

Fifth-year associate Megan Gray is one of the nation's leading private cybersmear defense lawyers. "Cybersmear" is what corporations claim they suffer when anonymous posters defame them on the Web. In 1999, Gray represented the first John Doe to try to defend himself against a cybersmear claim. This summer, she represents the first John Doe to actually fight back against such a claim, suing Yahoo! for disclosing his identity.

By Michael D. Goldhaber

5 minute read

June 24, 2008 | The American Lawyer

More than 2,000 companies allegedly paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein under the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food program. Which of the world's prosecutors are taking them on?

By Michael D. Goldhaber

18 minute read

October 11, 1999 | Law.com

After Nicholas Farber switched from a smaller firm, a partner ordered him to bill for "getting up to speed" time. Another partner told him that for any paralegal entries in excess of 15 hours on a bill, he should change the paralegal's initials to his own. "But I wasn't even at the firm when this work was done!" protested Farber. Farber worked as a third-year associate during 1993-94 for a 50-lawyer insurance defense firm. His true story was told by Professor Lisa Lerman in "Scenes From a Law Firm."

By Michael D. Goldhaber

5 minute read