SLATER & GORDON MOBSTERS IN PIN STRIPED SUITS

Lawyers = Liars for hire!

by Larry Pickering

SLATER & GORDON MOBSTERS IN PIN STRIPED SUITS

Slater & Gordon is coupled in the death throes of the Gillard Government. Make no mistake, this dodgy Labor law firm will do anything to protect Gillard. It will go even further to protect itself and its ill-gotten millions.

Peter Gordon (ex-partner of both Slater & Gordon and Julia Gillard) was frantically drafting a whitewash of Gillard’s conduct. At the same time another lawyer, his one-time friend and colleague Nick Styant-Browne, was suggesting that Lawyers shouldn’t tell lies.

Gordon apparently forgot that Styant-Browne had contrary evidence in his file and he was prepared to swap Gordon’s friendship for principle.

Slater & Gordon, shocked that one of its own would sink to such depths of truthfulness, demanded the return of the file. “Get stuffed”, said Styant-Browne.

You see, Styant-Browne was prepared to let sleeping dogs lie but not prepared to let lying dogs sleep.

Slater & Gordon once found it necessary to sack Gillard but now, as PM, she was an unexpected commercial plus. They often invited her to address their staff in a show of false pride.

The collective wisdom of Slater & Gordon was found wanting because not only were they aware of Gillard’s criminality, they were also aware of their own involvement.

When push comes to shove Slater & Gordon will disown Gillard in favour of shareholders but it is presented with an insoluble problem. If it comes clean on Gillard’s criminal actions, it necessarily incriminates itself.

The other Left wing major, Maurice Blackburn, saw Attorney General Nicola Roxon also as a commercial plus. But she too will eventually need to be disowned.

A rash of TV advertisements has ensued from these two infamous Labor law firms in an attempt to shore up battered reputations and loss of business.

Slater & Gordon will be less generous donors to the Labor Party in future. They have gifted a total of $884,000 to Federal and State branches since 1998.
Maurice Blackburn alone donated $100,000 in March 2010 to Federal Labor.

In April last year, Gillard announced the appointment of Mr Bernard Murphy, then chairman of Maurice Blackburn, to the Federal Court.

He was the first Victorian solicitor to be appointed a Federal Court judge. Mmmm, wasn’t it Murphy who was an equity partner in Slater & Gordon? Wasn’t it he who was complicit with Julia Gillard in setting up the fraudulent structure for Bruce Wilson? He left in a hurry too.

ALP money goes round and round in a self-serving circle. Unions defraud their members of millions. Labor law firms rip it off the unions. The law firms then donate it back to the ALP in return for judicial favours.

The Labor law firms’ mottos are M.B., “We fight for fair” and S&G. “No win no fee”… neither is true. Class actions undertaken by Maurice Blackburn have added to the firm’s bank account more so than any litigant’s.

Millions are charged in outrageous “fees” for cases they won’t touch unless they are on a certain winner.

Slater & Gordon is far worse. Its “no win no fee” motto is a lie that ASIC has ignored. Its shares have never been suspended due to unresolved scandals. Even when it paid $35 million for the infamous Keddies law firm no questions were asked, no disclosures made.

Russell Keddie declared himself bankrupt after having been struck off and ordered to repay $11 million back to clients.
His wife’s assets curiously became inflated by $11 million, backdated and outside the “clawback” period.

Anecdotal and confirmed evidence of overcharging is breathtaking and widespread.

One poor lady was awarded $5,000 for a back injury. The firm’s charges amount to $7,000 so they kept the $5,000 and charged the recipient another $2,000.

Outrageous billing practices included acting for ten Australian clients in Asia. The total cost, including 5 star hotels, first class air travel and ridiculous expenses for one, was simply multiplied by ten. Another woman who won an injury compensation claim was overcharged $215,000.

A successful class action resulted in a $95 million award, the firm’s take? $25 million. Instances are myriad and explain the culture of Labor law firms. No wonder Julia Gillard felt quite at home at Slater & Gordon… until the proverbial hit the fan and the rats scattered.

Slater & Gordon’s “no win no fee” motto is in blatant breach of the Trade Practices Act. It is a listed ASX Company, so where is ASIC?

It’s far too busy unaccountably wasting billions of our taxes on yet more eager lawyers. An incompetent ASIC rarely gets its famous people but always gets its budget.

“No win no fee” is a good deal for Slater & Gordon. If it wins, its “fee” against any payout figure is monolithic. But if it loses, the other side’s costs land squarely on the misled client’s doorstep.

The last year of a law degree is taken up with teaching students how to rip the public off in future. Never, ever sign their “client agreement form”. Contrary to what they claim, it is a licence to steal from you and you don’t legally have to sign anything.

A free initial consultation is merely to see how much money you have. You won’t even know they are doing it. Don’t let them walk you to your car. They will be desperate to know what you drive.

Lawyers won’t give you a legal opinion, they engage insured Barristers for that. But you can’t approach a barrister yourself, you have to go through the law firm. It’s handy to know when a law firm mercilessly rips you off, it is they who are responsible for payment of the barrister/QC.

Barristers often go broke waiting for a phone call, Law firms don’t.

Major law firms are licensed thieves who make huge money charging you outrageous sums for faxes, phone calls, letters, texts and timed discussions. If your original retainer of $5,000 to their “trust fund” is gone within three weeks and they are asking for more, get out while you can. They are after your house.

Chris Nyst, a self-promoting charlatan, drained conman Peter Foster of all his ill-gotten gains in preparing his defence over 18 months. A week before the trial he refused to represent Foster as he could not raise more money. But Nyst knew his client’s mother could. Defrauded funds are never returned to victims, they are quickly usurped by lawyers.

There are four wealthy Labor law firms worth hundreds of millions. Stay away! They didn’t get that rich being fair to clients. There are others you should also give a wide berth to.

But some small firms are fair and reasonable. Never trust lawyers you don’t know. Their long lunches are spent with other lawyers and if you think they don’t discuss opposing clients’ cases, you are dreaming.

Never be in awe of a system rotten to the core. Their ridiculous robes and wigs are there to intimidate you. In most cases with a bit of research you can self litigate successfully. Case law is all there on the net. With a few hours study you will know more than any lazy barrister.

Most importantly, don’t take any nonsense from a condescending magistrate/judge on procedure… procedural matters are self-serving concoctions of theirs. You are there to be heard.

Always get a friend to record proceedings on a phone. Court transcripts have a habit of going astray when judicial fault is at play.

Before engaging any law firm, ask me right here in comment or private message. I know most of the rats in the nest and if I don’t, I will certainly find out for you.