NOUN: Slang
1. A lawyer who obtains clients by persuading accident victims to sue for damages.
2. A lawyer avid for clients.
This is Peter Moschetti. He represents David Nocenti, counsel to Governor Spitzer, in the ongoing Dirty Tricks scandal. Mr. Moschetti's major practice areas, he helpfully notes, include "slip and fall accidents." The legal advice he offers, which comes with a FREE CONSULTATION (it's in yellow on his website), is:
"Whether it’s an unsalted patch of ice in a business’s entryway or an unmarked spill on the grocer’s floor, New York slip and fall hazards are lingering amidst businesses, homes, and pathways . . . If you or a loved one has been injured in a New York slip and fall or other premises liability accident, consider these steps to help you with your claim.
"Take photographs of the accident scene and your injuries soon after, if not immediately after the accident. Write down the names and addresses of any eyewitnesses. Contact a New York premises liability lawyer at Anderson, Moschetti & Taffany as soon as possible. Our staff can help collect vital evidence and take action promptly to thoroughly investigate the case."
Unfortunately, I'm not near a shower as I write this post but I will carry on dutifully.
David Nocenti holds a position of immense responsibility. Having worked closely with one of his talented predecessors on criminal justice issues, I can confidently assert that they are not supposed to be this dumb.
I'm not a lawyer, and I know Mr. Nocenti needs a new lawyer. Immediately. If Mr. Nocenti slips and falls on his way into the Grand Jury room or has an auto accident on his way to take a polygraph, he can pursue an ambulance chasing case with Mr. Moschetti.
But since he's involved in a scandal that could prevent Governor Spitzer from completing his term in office, he's going to need the services of someone with experience in government corruption and white collar criminal cases. The Governor's Chief of Staff Richard Baum apparently understands the stakes. He hired Steven F. Reich.
Mr. Reich has experience as a trial lawyer and also "served as Special Counsel to a Select Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly considering whether to recommend the impeachment of then-Governor John Rowland." There aren't many attorneys directly involved in impeachment proceedings for a Governor. Mr. Baum hired the right lawyer.
