The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

Gonzales Apologizes to Justice Employees

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales apologized to Department of Justice employees and said he accepts full responsibility for "what this Department has gone through in the past six months," according to a transcript of his remarks obtained by Legal Times.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said Gonzales addressed Justice employees via closed-circuit television last Friday, and the transcript appears accurate. The remarks are similar, in some respects, to comments Gonzales made before the Senate Judiciary today. Senators had tough questions for Gonzales, who said he would not resign. "I have never been one to quit," he said.

In the transcript of his remarks to employees, Gonzales said that "Since I have never been one to quit, I decided that the best course of action was to remain here and fix the problems."

The transcript follows after the jump:

Republican calls for special prosecutor in Justice Department firings

After months of revelations about the Justice Department's decision to fire nine prosecutors last year, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said it might be time to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate.

Specter raised the possibility of appointing the special prosecutor during U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's appearance before the Senate Judiciary committee today. Specter said there are questions about Gonzales' credibility, and he is concerned about low morale at the Justice Department in the wake of the scandals.

Gonzales said he has no plans to quit. President Bush has repeatedly expressed support for his embattled AG.

Legal Tender: Retirement Mistakes

Half of success in retirement comes from "not doing anything stupid," financial adviser William Suplee IV writes in today's Legal Intelligencer, a sister ALM publication.

Among the common errors that Suplee warns against: Failing to diversify. Not considering investment costs. Buying municipal bonds for the bulk of your portfolio. Trying to time the market. Not rebalancing. And not taking advantage of company-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s and employer matches.

"If you follow three or four of these errors," Suplee warns, "I am highly confident that your retirement will be less [than] you hoped it to be."

The long, languid days of summers....

Are summer associates too indulged? Salaries have soared this year, with many firms paying the equivalent of $160,000 annual salary to top-tier recruits. That's in addition to a long list of perks - theater tickets, five-star restaurant meals, face time with partners (well, there's no rule all summer perks have to be fun). All of that, of course, is supposed to lure those summer associates back to the firm after they graduate.

But when does the largesse become over-the-top? The Washington Post metro section ran a feature on the life of summer associates today, and noted a backlash against the high salaries. And last week, Slate posted a scathing piece on Simpson Thatcher's Chow for Charity program. If summers lunching with a partner spend $15 per person instead of the $60-per-person cap on lunch, the firm donates the other $45 to charity. " Only in this new gilded age could a $15 lunch for a 23-year-old student be seen as a self-abnegating act," writes Daniel Gross, the author of the Slate piece.

Now, we at the BLT would be remiss if we didn't say we know some summer associates who work like dogs, and are grateful to have the odd weekend off. And the issue of summer salaries has been much discussed. But do summer associates really want $60 worth of rich food at a swank restaurant, and comp tickets to La Traviata? Or would they prefer to see firms start more muscular charitable programs, and a gift certificate to a good health club? Summer associates, we'd love to hear from you.

Libya frees medical workers charged with infecting children with HIV

Libya early this morning released six foreign medical workers accused of intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus, ending an international legal saga that dragged out for eight years and contributed to Libya's international isolation.

The nurses and doctor arrived in Bulgaria early this morning, released after intervention by Cecilia Sarkozy, wife of newly elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy, The New York Times reported today.

The medical workers had faced death sentences, which were recently commuted to life in prison. They have maintained their innocence. Under the terms of the prisoner exchange, Bulgaria is now able to pardon the workers. The resolution of the diplomatic standoff came after several European nations agreed to forgive Libyan debt, and the Libyan government made payments to the families of the children involved.

European Commission officials said the release of the medical workers will allow them to move to normalize relations with Libya.

Morning Wrap

VA Fray: A class action, which seeks to represent between 320,000 and 800,000 Iraq War veterans, was filed yesterday against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in federal court in San Francisco. The vets say they’ve been denied adequate disability benefits and mental health treatment. The lawsuit goes so far as to accuse the VA of plotting with the Pentagon to deliberately diagnose cases of post traumatic stress disorder as pre-existing mental health problems to avoid paying up.

Star-big-bucks: I grew up in Seattle, so I guess that means I’m responsible for the coffee beat. Starbucks plans to charge you 9 cents more for your daily java fix (in my case, a tall, nonfat, no whip, extra hot mocha) starting July 31st. Though the coffee giant boasts nearly 14,000 stores worldwide, it cites rising costs of dairy products, energy and fuel as the reason for the price increase.

Showdown: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will deliver his promise to stay in office today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This comes despite the House Judiciary Committee’s announcement yesterday that it will seek to challenge the Bush administration over the constitutionality of the controversial U.S. attorney firings.

In YouTube we trust?: Democratic presidential candidates faced a different kind of challenge during their first official debate last night: questions from real Americans submitted via YouTube. And the unprecedented format did seem to break the candidates out of their shells a bit. A highlight: A southern reverend’s taped question for John Edwards, asking how he can use his religious beliefs to justify opposing same-sex marriage. Edwards talked around the question before the reverend surprised him by standing up in the audience and asking for a more straightforward response.

In the bag: An Annapolis City Council member says his proposed ban on all plastic bags is a sure thing. Democrat Samuel Shropshire says he’s got all the votes to pass the ban, which would fine retailers $100 per bag for a first offense. A vote on the restriction, which would be the first on the East Coast, isn’t likely before October.

Ookie Lawyers Up

Word late today that embattled Atlanta Falcon's quarterback Michael "Ookie" Vick has retained Washington heavy-hitter Billy Martin to represent him in the federal investigation into whether Vick conspired to run an illegal dog-fighting operation at a home he owned in Smithfield, Va. Vick, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, was indicted last week after federal authorities found the bodies of 17 dogs on the property. The feds apparently have several eye witnesses that place Vick at dog fights and finger him for participating in the execution of eight dogs. Martin is no stranger to high-profile criminal cases. He represented ex-New Jersey Net Jayson Williams when he was accused of shooting and killing his limo driver Gus Christofi (Williams was acquitted of the most serious charges). A roster of other prominent clients includes Allen Iverson, Juwan Howard, and boxer Riddick Bowe. Martin has also worked on high-profile political cases on behalf of Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell, Monica Lewinsky and the parents of murdered Washington intern Chandra Levy. Martin, a former federal prosecutor, joined the D.C. firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan as a partner earlier this year. He previously was a partner in the Washington office of Blank Rome.

Committee to Vote on Contempt Charges

The House Judiciary Committee just announced that members will vote Wednesday on whether to hold White House officials in contempt of Congress for disregarding subpoenas, the WaPo reports.

Specifically, the Dems are directing their ire at former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten, chief of staff and guardian of executive-level records sought by the panel.

Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said he made the decision to put the charges to a vote reluctantly.

"It is still my hope that they will reconsider this hard-line position, and cooperate with our investigation so that we can get to the bottom of this matter," he said.

Miers’ empty chair made headlines on July 12 for illustrating her refusal to attend a hearing on the U.S. Attorney firings.

The committee's latest step is chancy one. President Bush has ordered the Justice Department not to carry such contempt charges to a grand jury.

Executive privilege, and all that. Must be nice.

LT Mailbag

Here at the Legal Times, we always look forward to mail call. After all, feedback from our readers is one way we know we aren't just talking into the void. Recently, however, we have received a flurry of curious postcards from an angry individual who calls himself Miles. Miles, it seems, has some issues. Miles does not like Jones Day. Miles likes to assert his constitutional rights in epistolary form.

The postcards show a man (Miles, we’re guessing) standing next to his pickup truck, a photo of Jones Day partner Robert Rawson Jr. emblazoned on the back complete with phone number and a grievance list. “I’m in your face JONES DAY and you have no defense,” says the postcard.

Rawson won’t comment on why Miles is so angry, but he does give some insight into why the LT mailbag is getting a little full. “He’s a guy who wants to send postcards,” says Rawson.

For a closer look at Miles’ postcard extravaganza, check out his Web site. Take it away, Miles.

Guantanamo Bay

Colonel Stephen Abraham, an intelligence officer in the Army reserve and a California lawyer, stepped forward this June to publicly slam the detainee hearings at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His statements even led the Supreme Court to reverse its decision to hear an appeal on the detainee hearings. With a staunchly conservative background and decorated military career, Abraham was the first military official involved in the process to denounce the hearing procedures, according to a profile in today’s New York Times. Money quote from Abraham: “Nobody stood up and said the emperor’s wearing no clothes.”