JD Journal » llc

Quellos Group Owners Plead Guilty to Fraud and Tax Evasion

ashley — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:58:25 +0000

Both Jeffrey Greenstein and Charles H. Wilk plead guilty on September 10th to federal charges of aiding in the filing of a false tax return and conspiracy to defraud the government. The men were the chief executive and tax attorney respectively of Quellos Group, LLC., a fictitious investment firm based in Seattle.

Quellos operated under the guise of a tax shelter, but had no employees or even assets. They advertised avoiding taxes to their clients, then fabricated loses from depreciated stocks from 1999 to 2006. Among their clients was Haim Saban, a media proprietor and the 102nd richest person in America. Quellos allowed Saban to circumvent paying $280 million in taxes and other fees which Saban has completely repaid to the Internal Revenue Service. Quellos ultimately allowed their clients to avoid paying taxes on $1.3 billion in capital gains.

Last year Matthew Krane, a Los Angeles based attorney, pleaded guilty to to tax evasion and false statements. Krane had been hired to deal with taxes on Saban’s transactions and, in turn, hired Quellos with the promise of receiving $36 million in kickbacks.

Greenstein and Wilk have been ordered to pay $7 million to the Internal Revenue Service, an additional $400,000 to cover court costs, and to return to their graduate schools to give speeches on ethics. They will be sentenced in January to no more than six years in prison and no less than two.

Eckert Seamans Cancels 2010 Summer Program

Erik Even — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:32:54 +0000

Eckert Seamans, which laid off 90 temporary attorneys in July, has canceled its 2010 Summer associates program.

Other than a terse announcement on its website, the firm has made no official statement.

Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC is a national full-service law firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with two offices located in the Pittsburgh area and eight other offices located throughout the eastern United States.

Seyfarth Shaw Partners Jump Ship to Eckert Seamans

Erik Even — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:37:53 +0000

Eckert Seamans has picked up two Seyfarth Shaw partners for its real estate practice.

Ralph Stone and Rachel Gould join Eckert Seamans in Boston.

Stone will handle commercial, industrial, and residential properties. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School.

Gould will represent parties in commercial real estate matters. She earned her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

Eckert Seamans Lays Off 90 Attorneys [Correction]

Erik Even — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:30:37 +0000

Eckert Seamans, which in May laid off 119 temporary attorneys targeted 119 temporary attorneys at its Pittsburgh document coding center for layoffs, has concluded the layoffs, with 90 affected.

Sixty attorneys still work at the center. The firm hopes to rehire some of those let go when the economy picks up.

Hallihan IP Partners Brings on Attorneys

Erik Even — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:21:47 +0000

Chicago-based intellectual property boutique Hallihan IP Partners, founded by William J. Hallihan this Spring, has brought on two veteran attorneys.

Gregory S. Umberson, MD joins from Ericsson, where he worked on both patent and trademark issues involving both the US and other countries. His JD is from Tulane University Law School; his LL.M in Intellectual Property Law is from John Marshall Law School.

Jose J. Aparicio is a registered patent attorney with experience working in IP law in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, and medical devices. He also attended the John Marshall Law School, earning a JD and an LL.M.

The firm has also hired four patent agents: Donald F. Moyer, Ph.D, Jose J. Aparicio, Susan M. Davis, and David J. Bremer.

Hallihan IP Partners, LLC. is a full-service intellectual property law firm comprised of registered patent attorneys and patent agents, based in Chicago, Illinois.

Eckert Seamans Poaches 5 Lawyers from Ballard Spahr

Erik Even — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:21:02 +0000

Pittsburgh’s Eckert Seamans has brought on five lawyers from Ballard Spahr.

Joseph Nealon, Jeffrey Larroca and Constantinos Panagopoulas join as partners. Jennifer Lattimore and William Ledoux Jr. join Eckert Seamans as associates. Nealon managed Ballard Spahr’s litigation practice.

The new hires will work out of the firm’s Washington, DC office, which will now have 17 lawyers.

Earlier this month, Eckert Seamans announced it is laying off 119 temporary attorneys at its Pittsburgh document coding center.

Eckert Seamans Lays Off 119 Lawyers

Erik Even — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:47:08 +0000

Eckert Seamans will lay off 119 of 200 temporary attorneys at its Pittsburgh document coding center.

The layoffs will be final by July 1st.

In April, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania office of Eckert Seamans hired 12 lawyers from the defunct Wolf Block.