A recent enforcement case against several phony law firms in a Florida RICO case highlighted one unexpected class of victims, unwitting young lawyers who had been duped into acting as front persons for the bad guys. The “firms,” run by con men, took fees but did little or no work. The lawyers, who responded to Craigslist ads, were promised that the “home office” would handle all the paperwork. When the house of cards collapsed, the real lawyers got stuck holding the bag. It’s a lesson hard learned; one that keeps repeating itself.
There was a time when even the most modestly talented law grad like myself would find a safe place to earn a bit while learning the ropes. We made mistakes during that period of our lives, though few of them were career-ending. Despite coming out of law school knowing everything, some very patient senior lawyers taught me how little I really knew and set me on the road to success.
