The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

D.C. Jury Convicts ‘High-Flying’ International Drug Trafficker

Prosecutors in Washington described Gregory Sitzmann as a high-level international drug dealer, participating in a drug and money laundering conspiracy for more than a decade.

Sitzmann, 61, convicted this week in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, now faces a mandatory minimum 20-year prison term when he is sentenced, prosecutors said today. A jury convicted him Monday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

Prosecutors said Sitzmann’s drug and money laundering ring operated out of the United States, Italy, Spain, Colombia and other countries. Sitzmann was indicted in August 2008. Prosecutors said Sitzmann delayed trial for years as he raced through defense lawyers while making demands to represent himself.

“Gregory Sitzmann was a high-flying international cocaine trafficker who eluded justice for decades,” U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said in a statement. “He will now remain behind bars to contemplate the countless lives destroyed by the drugs he distributed for so many years.”

Federal Regulators Say JPMorgan Probes Under Way

Updated 5:00 p.m.

In a perverse way, JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s $2 billion-plus trading loss might have been a blessing in disguise, suggested one member of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee today in a hearing featuring the heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

"It happened with the strongest financial institution we have in the country…[with] no systemic risk or risk to the institution," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). And it coincides with efforts by the financial regulatory agencies to complete rules on key aspects of the Dodd Frank Act dealing with hedging and proprietary trading.

JPMorgan is “a real life, real world example of what can happen,” said SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro. “We’ll use this example and see what the impact would be of all the things we’re proposing.”

Dewey Departures Continue, This Time to Duane Morris

Two more Dewey & LeBoeuf attorneys in Washington have left the close-to-defunct firm. This time, they bolted for Duane Morris, which announced the moves late Monday.

Jocelyn Bramble and Mark Walsh, formerly partner and counsel, respectively, have joined Duane Morris in D.C., along with 14 of their former colleagues who left for Duane's New York and Boston offices.

Bramble, a civil litigator, focuses her practice on complex class actions and insurance matters. She also counsels clients on corporate governance. Recently, she represented Allstate Insurance Co. on litigation matters. Walsh represents clients in civil, criminal and regulatory matters, focused on securities regulation, corporate governance, compliance and commercial disputes.

For more on these moves and other Dewey & LeBoeuf news, check out our sister publication Am Law Daily.

Former Solicitor General, a 'Modest Superstar,' Given Rex Lee Advocacy Award

Former Solicitor General Gregory Garre was recognized Monday not only for his impressive track record of winning 28 of the 34 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, but for the remarkably wide breadth of topics on which he prevailed.

While presenting Garre with the this year’s J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s prestigious Rex Lee Advocacy Award, another former solicitor general pointed out that Republican-appointed Garre argued victories on behalf of a death row inmate and a California university seeking to exclude Christian groups from its facilities.

But Garre, now the chair of Latham & Watkins' Supreme Court and appellate practice group, also represented big car companies against the little guy, and “pretty much was involved in almost every nook and cranny of the defense of President Bush’s war on terror,” said Paul Clement, now of Bancroft in Washington.

“One thing that unites all these cases is the quality of Greg’s advocacy on behalf of the client, which never varies based on the issue or the side of the fence,” Clement said. “He’s a real pro, start to finish.”

D.C. Circuit Upholds $3.4B Native American Class Settlement

A historic $3.4 billion class action settlement over the mismanagement of government trust funds for hundreds of thousands of Native Americans survived a challenge in a federal appeals court in Washington.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously upheld a trial judge’s finding last summer that the settlement, which required congressional authorization, was fair and reasonable. The appellate ruling is here.

The settlement, reached in December 2009 after more than a decade of litigation in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia compensates hundreds of thousands of Native Americans. Lead plaintiff Elouise Cobell, who has since died, sued in 1996 over allegations the Interior Department violated its duty to account for funds the government held in trust for individual Native Americans.

“The Court of Appeals released wise and thoughtful decisions,” a lawyer for Cobell, Dennis Gingold, said this morning. “We wish Elouise lived to see this day. It vindicates her extraordinary efforts on behalf of individual Indian trust beneficiaries.”

The Morning Wrap

Downloaded: The Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a former Boston University student whose admission to downloading 30 songs on the unlicensed file-sharing service Kazaa led to a jury’s $675,000 damages award against him, The New York Times reports.

Supplied: Attorneys general of 15 states have asked the Justice Department to appeal a court decision that blocks supplies of a key lethal injection drug, the Tulsa World reports. Pruitt and the other state attorneys general are asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appeal the district court ruling known as the "Beaty decision," which blocks U.S. states from using foreign-manufactured sodium thiopental in executions.

Libeled?: The wife of Bernie Fine, the ex-Syracuse assistant coach who was fired in November after two ballboys alleged he molested them years ago, filed a libel lawsuit against ESPN, USA Today reports. Laurie Fine accuses a reporter and editor of "knowingly and maliciously" reporting uncorroborated information about her knowledge of the alleged abuse in order to attack Bernie Fine and to "boost television ratings in the wake of the Penn State scandal."

Four Dewey & LeBoeuf Lawyers Defect to Proskauer Rose

Dewey & LeBoeuf Vice Chairman Ralph Ferrara and three of his colleagues are heading to Proskauer Rose, the firm announced on Monday. It's the latest of a long series of recent defections from lawyers with the close-to-defunct firm.

It's also a major gain for Proskauer. Ferrara is considered one of the country's top securities lawyers.

Ferrara and Ann Ashton, a leader of Dewey’s securities, M&A and corporate governance litigation practice, will join Proskauer’s Washington office as partners. Jonathan Richman, who also helped lead Dewey’s securities, M&A and corporate governance litigation practice, and Tanya Dmitronow, a partner in the firm’s litigation department, will come to Proskauer’s New York headquarters as partners.

Baker & McKenzie Expands Tax Practice with Lateral from Miller & Chevalier

The former vice chair of Miller & Chevalier’s employee benefits practice has left to rejoin Baker & McKenzie, the latter announced Monday.

Anne Batter joins Baker & McKenzie in the firm’s Washington office as a partner in its tax practice. She focuses her practice on executive compensation, fringe benefit arrangements and defending clients before the Internal Revenue Service and in court.

Batter was previously with Baker & McKenzie from 2000 to 2008. She has experience in special deduction, excise tax and Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax issues, among others.

Cisco Systems Retains McGuireWoods to Lobby on Cyber Security

A former member of Congress who is now at McGuireWoods Consulting is helping lobby for a major networking equipment manufacturer, the firm disclosed to Congress last week.

Former Rep. L.F. Payne (D-Va.), president of McGuireWoods Consulting, is advocating for Cisco Systems Inc. on "measures to enhance and strengthen cyber security," according to a lobbying registration report. He is handling the account with McGuireWoods Consulting Executive Vice President and Director Frank Donatelli and Vice President Mona Mohib.

None of the lobbyists could be reached immediately for comment.

Baker & Hostetler Hires New Antitrust Partner from Mayer Brown

Updated 4:32 p.m.

Baker & Hostetler announced today it has picked up a new partner for its D.C. antitrust practice.

Jonathan Lewis, who joins Baker from Mayer Brown, said one driving force behind the move was the opportunity to work with trial attorney Robert Abrams, who led a large team that moved from Howrey to Baker in March 2011. Currently, Abrams is chair of Baker's national antitrust practice.

Additionally, Lewis said he is looking to expand his practice beyond just the litigation work he performed for Mayer Brown.