NY Daily Record Since 1908

SYRACUSE (AP) — A former Syracuse lawyer has been sentenced to weekends behind bars for six months and five years of probation for collecting more than $250,000 in disability payments while continuing his legal work. The U.S. attorney’s office in ...

We’ve all seen it happen. After a disagreement with his or her attorney, a party in a criminal or civil matter will choose to proceed pro se in court. When this happens, judges may appoint an attorney who happens to ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

These days, the legal marketplace is becoming increasingly complicated — and more competitive. Solo and small firm attorneys are now competing with legal self-help websites like Legal Zoom and Rocket Lawyer, which provide legal consumers with free fill-in-the-blank forms and ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

For some lawyers, the past few years have been difficult, in large part due to the trying economic times. For that reason, many lawyers have sought out ways to reduce costs and increase profits. One of the best ways to ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

When providing legal services, lawyers often wear different hats: legal advisor, business and tax authority, social worker and even counselor. And occasionally, in addition to fulfilling a number of different roles while acting as an attorney, some lawyers provide services ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

The “of counsel” relationship is not an uncommon one these days and many law firms have attorneys who are of counsel. But what does it mean to be of counsel to a firm? What are the ethical implications of this ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

Interesting ethical issues often arise in the context of criminal cases — especially where prosecutors hold part-time positions and are permitted to practice law or otherwise conduct business when not fulfilling their duties as a prosecuting attorney. This is because ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

Many lawyers in our community accept appointments as referees in mortgage foreclosure proceedings. These appointments are generally quite straightforward, but as is the case whenever an attorney handles any type of matter, potential conflicts of interest may arise which may ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking The Hon. John E. Bernacki

In New York, and in most other states, for that matter, there are strict rules when it comes to naming your law firm. Many reasons are given to support the law firm name restrictions, including upholding the honor of the ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking

Sometimes lawyers wear more than one hat, and much of the time, doing so isn’t problematic. Oftentimes, it makes sense, since obtaining a law degree shouldn’t preclude lawyers from performing other non-legal job functions. Of course, wearing multiple hats can ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking

Sometimes it’s not easy getting paid. With some customers, it seems the check is always in the mail — and legal clients are no exception. So, like everyone else, lawyers are always trying to find new ways to accept payment ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking

As lawyers, we often serve on various boards, whether public interest boards, town boards or otherwise. Doing so allows us to perform a public service and give back to our communities. In fact, I served on the Pittsford Town Board ...

Tagged with: Ethically Speaking