Barry Mukamal Update!

Face it, you guys can't go more than a few hours without thinking about Barry Mukamal.

I know I can't.

Sometimes it's almost like a weird kismet, I can be walking down the street or having lunch at the Bankers Club, not planning at all to think about Barry, when suddenly -- BOOM -- there he is!

True story -- one time I even thought of Barry while I was windsurfing.

What the hail is it about this guy?

Well, even the 11th Circuit has Barry on its mind, as it entered a pretty interesting order affirming The Power of Barry.

The question before the Court was whether a debtor's efforts to consolidate debt among credit cards constituted a "preferential transfer" or merely bank-to-bank transfers among creditors.

Even though there was not much at stake, Barry as trustee was not about to let that money escape:

The decisions of the Bankruptcy Court and District Court are affirmed. The
transfer of credit card funds to pay Egidi’s debt owed to MBNA now BOA, which
occurred within 90 days of the bankruptcy petition, was a preference subject to
avoidance by the trustee under 11 U.S.C. § 547(b) and were not subject to
earmarking. The trustee was entitled to judgment in his favor in the amount of the
transfer, $16,065.00.

Allow me to translate all that bankruptcy gobblygook: You Don't Mess With The Mukamal.

Rachlin Merges; Older Male Judges Discuss What Women Attorneys Are Wearing

Many of us have hired these guys as experts over the years, and I see the firm is merging and changing its name:

South Florida's eighth-largest accounting firm, Rachlin LLP, is merging with Marcum & Kliegman LLP, the largest accounting firm on New York’s Long Island.

Newsletter Inside Public Accounting ranked Marcum & Kliegman the nation's 23rd-largest accounting firm for 2008, with net revenue of $123.26 million. It had a 28 percent growth rate.

Miami-based Rachlin ranked 81st, with $36 million in net revenue and a 3 percent growth rate.

After the June 1 merger, the combined firm will be known as Marcum in the Northeast, and Rachlin will change its name to MarcumRachlin, a division of Marcum LLP.

Laurie Holtz, Barry Mukamal, all good guys who have helped many of us out on plenty of occasions.

Congrats, fellas!

Switching gears but I couldn't hold this for Friday, what do you make of this discussion at a recent 7th Circuit Bar Association meeting:

Noting that there weren't many women in the audience to hear her message, Lefkow suggested that lawyers address the "delicate issue" with female colleagues at their firms.

As it turned out, one of the male judges on the dais with her, and the male lawyers in the audience at the Indianapolis meeting, had plenty to say right away about the issue. It had been bothering them, too, perhaps in a slightly different way.

Women come into court wearing "skirts so short that there's no way they can sit down and blouses so short there's no way the judges wouldn't look," said Judge Michael McCuskey, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois and a panel member.

Murmuring in the audience quickly rose into loud comments and laughter, with one female voice calling for someone to help save McCuskey from himself. Bankruptcy Judge Benjamin Goldgar, who presides in the Northern District of Illinois, came to his rescue from the audience, saying that McCuskey shouldn't be made to keep quiet about the matter because he too considers the issue "a huge problem." Sometimes it's so difficult that Goldgar said he wishes he could tell the female lawyer standing before him: "I'd really like to pay attention to your argument."

"You don't dress in court as if it's Saturday night and you're going out to a party," said Goldgar from the audience. "Dress as a serious person who takes the court seriously."

First of all, I've been to plenty of bar lunches and judicial events, and I've never heard talk like that at our conferences here in South Florida. Step it up, people!

Second, how many male lawyers do you know who have crappy suits, mismatched ties, or sometimes barely put on a jacket and scruffy shoes to shuffle down to Flagler? Yet these folks are fashion arbiters for women attorneys?

I'd like to pay attention to your argument too, but honestly you look like a total schlub who just woke up from a weekend bender.

And we all know the 7th Circuit has an oddball bench, but come on, guys.

A women is entitled to include whatever elements of their femininity they elect to incorporate into their overall professional appearance. Or not.

Same is true for a guy.

Of course some outfits are inappropriate in a professional context, no matter who is wearing it.

But a hint of our masculinity or femininity has long been a part of dressing for success.

Don't fear it -- embrace it.

Legal Recruiter Jorge Luna Writes Article Praising Jorge Luna

Hi kids! It's only the first Tuesday of the New Year and I already got one really bad order from a federal judge.

Oh well, the week's not over yet. Of course now we all have those meetings, depositions, lunch appointments, hearings etc. that we put off to the New Year coming in all at once.

Personally, I can't wait to hear what exciting developments Barry Mukamal has to share with me in the New Year (just teasing, Barry -- I'm actually looking forward to it!).

Let me ask you -- does anyone know a Miami legal recruiter named Jorge Luna? Of course I know and am very fond of those who comprise what I call "The Troika" -- Herb, Joe, and Abbe. But Jorge Luna is a new one on me.

Anyways, Jorge managed to pen an ode that appears to exclusively concern the formidable recruiting talents of....Jorge Luna:

I am working with a Harvard grad currently practicing at a prominent boutique firm in Pennsylvania. Harvard grads should have no problem getting a job, but if asked, I guarantee that she would tell you how important I have been to the process.

I found her a firm that she is excited to join, in the state (Florida) to which she is dying to return; I gave her vital information to prepare for the interview, which was a resounding success; and, spent time working with the hiring manager to come up with an offer, in terms of salary, that she can live with (or possibly be ecstatic about). In short, I have managed most every aspect of the process in a manner that allows her to do her job – be a lawyer. In turn, she has allowed me to do my job – be a recruiter – and it has made all the difference, as I have received tentative notice of an offer that I know she will be accept.

Of course, for every story such as those, attorneys or law firms will point to ten others that give recruiters a bad name.

I recall the candidate who wanted to meet me for lunch before giving me his resume. The last recruiter sent his resume all over town without permission and that fact, of course, got back to his boss. He was open to hearing about opportunities, but he wasn’t ready to burn his bridges yet again, and wanted to look me in the eye before deciding to trust me.

At least three of Florida’s top firms have recently called to let us know that, although hiring is slow at the moment, they are working almost exclusively with us. These firms have received from other recruiters enough bad resumes (clearly unqualified attorneys, attorneys in practice areas the firm don’t even have, etc.) to wallpaper the offices, and some firms have simply gotten into the habit of hitting delete when they see a particular email address. They know, however that when we send a resume, if nothing else, the person is worth considering.

Hmm, if it's "almost exclusive," doesn't that make it not exclusive? Note also that all his negative recruiter stories somehow rebound to his personal benefit.

I tell you what, if Jorge managed to get the Tampa Bay Examiner to print this column, then maybe he is as good a recruiter as he says he is.