Cheektowaga attorney arrested for OFFICIAL misconduct

[4248]

Nogods:

1) - So are you saying "Members of the Cheektowaga Town Court’s assigned Counsel Program" - are not a separate group from the "Bar Association sponsored public defender program"

2) - or are you saying The "Members of the Cheektowaga Town Court’s assigned Counsel Program" are paid by the "Bar Association sponsored public defender program"

I guess maybe the Bufnews and other media outlets mislead us a little - ?

Is that the case - the News stated it wrong ?

3) - So, I guess your saying there's no cost to the Town Of Cheektowaga home owning tax payers the for Attornies assigned through its - "Members of the Cheektowaga Town Court’s assigned Counsel Program"

[MrElma]

Wow. This is entertaining. First of all, some facts:
There is no "Cheektowaga Town Court" assigned counsel program.
And yes, amazingly, the BN got it wrong.

Legal Aid only assists clients charged criminally who both qualify and have matters in the City of Buffalo. Their attorneys are employed by the program.

Assigned Counsel is a program under the Erie County Bar Assiciation that handles matters anywhere in the county. The largest portion of thier services are in domestic matters. Not divorce, but custody, visitation, abuse/neglect matters. These attorneys are in private practice.

As a rule, assigned attorneys earn 1/3 to 1/2 less per hour when handling these cases.

The Assigned Counsel Program of Erie County is generally recognized as the gold standard in its arena across the state, both for effectiveness and cost efficiency.

And unless the attorney is indigent, (which may well happen to him, making all of you haters happy), he will have to pay for his own attorney.

[Marino]

There is quite a bit of misinformation going around here.

Firstly, Mr. Shaw is a private practice (in business for himself) attorney who accepts cases from the Assigned Counsel Program of Erie County, which is an offshoot of the Erie County Bar Association that is funded through a hodge podge of County funding as well as State and Federal grant money.

Mr. Shaw has a recurring job of handling arraignments at Cheektowaga Court (a job he shares with several other attorneys). It is this job which seems to be the origin of his recent troubles.

All of this rhetoric about the Constitution and specifically the 6th Amendment is irrelevant and frankly ignorant. While it is true that the US Supreme Court ruled in Gideon that every criminal defendant facing a significant punishment has a right to a lawyer, the Supreme Court certainly did not advocate for the creation of corrupt and opaque institutions such as the Assigned Counsel Program.

In contrast, the Legal Aid Society that handles misdemeanor cases in Buffalo City Court is a relatively transparent and efficient operation that does a decent job of serving its purpose at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer.

Anyone who has been to Cheektowaga or Amherst Court (or any other Town Court in Erie County) will tell you that there is ALWAYS a cadre of fat, mediocre lawyers standing around collecting $75 per hour while they gawk at female defendants and joke with each other about how good they have it.

I would guess Cheektowaga Court costs the taxpayer upwards of $15,000.00 per week doling out $75 per hour to every joker in a suit who can't otherwise earn a living or run a business.

The Assigned Counsel Program remains immune from criticism because of people like NOGODS who blowhard about the Constitution every time a tax payer has the nerve to ask why he or she is paying MILLIONS of dollars to mediocre attorneys who represent criminals who, 9 out of 10 times, have made their own mess and would have the resources to clean it up if they had to.

Criminal defendants and criminal defense attorneys are bilking a system that has no transparency, checks or balances. And that is the obvious truth to anyone who cares to look.

[WNYresident]

Thank you MrElma.

I wonder how the News had some many facts incorrect.

Nogods, so you assumed the cost of the lawyers were paid for by the property owners and you were fine with that?

[WNYresident]

There is quite a bit of misinformation going around here.

Firstly, Mr. Shaw is a private practice (in business for himself) attorney who accepts cases from the Assigned Counsel Program of Erie County, which is an offshoot of the Erie County Bar Association that is funded through a hodge podge of County funding as well as State and Federal grant money.

Mr. Shaw has a recurring job of handling arraignments at Cheektowaga Court (a job he shares with several other attorneys). It is this job which seems to be the origin of his recent troubles.

All of this rhetoric about the Constitution and specifically the 6th Amendment is irrelevant and frankly ignorant. While it is true that the US Supreme Court ruled in Gideon that every criminal defendant facing a significant punishment has a right to a lawyer, the Supreme Court certainly did not advocate for the creation of corrupt and opaque institutions such as the Assigned Counsel Program.

In contrast, the Legal Aid Society that handles misdemeanor cases in Buffalo City Court is a relatively transparent and efficient operation that does a decent job of serving its purpose at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer.

Anyone who has been to Cheektowaga or Amherst Court (or any other Town Court in Erie County) will tell you that there is ALWAYS a cadre of fat, mediocre lawyers standing around collecting $75 per hour while they gawk at female defendants and joke with each other about how good they have it.

I would guess Cheektowaga Court costs the taxpayer upwards of $15,000.00 per week doling out $75 per hour to every joker in a suit who can't otherwise earn a living or run a business.

The Assigned Counsel Program remains immune from criticism because of people like NOGODS who blowhard about the Constitution every time a tax payer has the nerve to ask why he or she is paying MILLIONS of dollars to mediocre attorneys who represent criminals who, 9 out of 10 times, have made their own mess and would have the resources to clean it up if they had to.

Criminal defendants and criminal defense attorneys are bilking a system that has no transparency, checks or balances. And that is the obvious truth to anyone who cares to look.

Thank you!

Wouldn't the Assigned Counsel Program still have a board of directors that monitor how the money is being spent? OR is the board comprised of politically connected lawyers to begin with?

Why would the Legal Aid Society do a decent job but not the Assigned Counsel Program? Is it the people who run each group?

[WNYresident]

I would guess Cheektowaga Court costs the taxpayer upwards of $15,000.00 per week doling out $75 per hour to every joker in a suit who can't otherwise earn a living or run a business.

So $15,000 / $75 = 200 billable hours. Not bad.


If one politically connected joker can get 20 hours of "work" a week

At $75 an hour times 20 = $1500 a week in billable revenue.

Or $1500 X 50 weeks = $75,000 a year.....

Not bad.

You have a never ending client base.

[Marino]

The Assigned Counsel Program is mostly comprised of former Assistant District Attorneys who have retired with a pension and now take assigned cases to continue bilking the taxpayer.

So many of these guys are receiving a pension for prosecuting criminals while receiving $75 per hour to defend criminals.

Typically these guys have no office or overhead. They show up to Court and throw their "clients" under the bus the first chance they get.

Don't take my word on it, just go to Cheektowaga Court and watch. 80% of the attorneys "practicing" there are Assigned Counsel earning $75 per hour on the taxpayer. There are usualy at least 10 of them there on any given day.

The real question is this: why does the District Attorney's Office have only one assistant district attorney per each justice Court, but the Assigned Counsel program regularly has 10 attorneys on the public dole waiting in line to speak with the one A.D.A. Why does it take more attorneys to defend criminals than prosecute them (which is a harder job).

The answer is that it is a gravy train that has been hidden from tax payer scrutiny bc the lawyers like it that way.

[BorderBob]

O

The Assigned Counsel Program is mostly comprised of former Assistant District Attorneys who have retired with a pension and now take assigned cases to continue bilking the taxpayer

"Continue" bilking the taxpayer? And what axe are we grinding here Mr. First Time poster since joining last summer. Which side of the bar do you have your experience in?

(The TROLL METER is sounding off)



b.b.

[grump]

The Assigned Counsel Program is mostly comprised of former Assistant District Attorneys who have retired with a pension and now take assigned cases to continue bilking the taxpayer.

So many of these guys are receiving a pension for prosecuting criminals while receiving $75 per hour to defend criminals.

Typically these guys have no office or overhead. They show up to Court and throw their "clients" under the bus the first chance they get.

Don't take my word on it, just go to Cheektowaga Court and watch. 80% of the attorneys "practicing" there are Assigned Counsel earning $75 per hour on the taxpayer. There are usualy at least 10 of them there on any given day.

The real question is this: why does the District Attorney's Office have only one assistant district attorney per each justice Court, but the Assigned Counsel program regularly has 10 attorneys on the public dole waiting in line to speak with the one A.D.A. Why does it take more attorneys to defend criminals than prosecute them (which is a harder job).

The answer is that it is a gravy train that has been hidden from tax payer scrutiny bc the lawyers like it that way.

I've had my (unfortunately) regular visits to some town courts (so I speed a bit; it's not like I've left dead skate boarders in my wake ). Is Marino arguing for more DA's in the justice courts? I'm sure the hapless dope who is the county DA would love it. How does Marino know the people taking these cases have no office and no overhead? Has he done research on this? If so produce it! Stop just throwing allegations out there. This is like all the people who claimed the Cheek. Supervisor was a drunk but none of them produced any real evidence of it. Any proof they have no offices or overhead? Any proof they're former DA's? If so you should be able to identify them by name with proof they have no offices. Their appointment as assigned counsel and as former DA's are public record. Pleae, illuminate it for us!

[Marino]

O

"Continue" bilking the taxpayer? And what axe are we grinding here Mr. First Time poster since joining last summer. Which side of the bar do you have your experience in?

(The TROLL METER is sounding off)



b.b.

I was a court officer in Erie County for 20 years. I think I know something about how this game works. Sorry for using plain English.

[4248]

Thank you!

Wouldn't the Assigned Counsel Program still have a board of directors that monitor how the money is being spent? OR is the board comprised of politically connected lawyers to begin with?

Why would the Legal Aid Society do a decent job but not the Assigned Counsel Program? Is it the people who run each group?

One only needs to look at the donations these people make and to who :

President:James DeMarco III, Esq.
- Vice President:Robert M. Goldstein, Esq.
Secretary:Hon. Julie Ann Dee

Treasurer:JoAnn Wahl, Esq.
Hon. John J. Aman
Earl Key, Esq.
Richard J. Barnes, Esq.
Hon. Richard C. Kloch, Sr.
Samuel P. Davis, Esq.
Marianne Mariano, Esq.
Kenneth Gibbons, Esq.
John R. Nuchereno, Esq.
Paul M. Hassett, Esq.
Joseph J. Terranova, Esq.
Daniel J. Henry, Jr., Esq.
Ayoka Tucker, Esq.
Nicholas W. Hicks, Esq.
Peter Vasilion, Esq.
Hon. Michael E. Hudson
Chief Defender/Administrator: Robert N. Convissar, Esq.

[grump]

I was a court officer in Erie County for 20 years. I think I know something about how this game works. Sorry for using plain English.

You're talking about fat mediocre attorneys when your job was to yell "All rise" and then your work day was over? By the way you collecting your pension yet? Ha, ha, hee, hee, ho, ho....I must admit I have a sneaking admiration for people like you who are so critical of the others wallowing at the same trough.

[4248]

This is how it goes here some times Mr.M. - you hit a nerve so now the pro establishment status quo ostriches attack.

Good bad or indifferent - they don't like reality talk - it scares them and in some cases it forces light into their caves.

I appreciate your enlightened posts - more people on the inside need to speak out. Its not easy ! Thanks !

[grump]

This is how it goes here some times Mr.M. - you hit a nerve so now the pro establishment status quo ostriches attack.

Good bad or indifferent - they don't like reality talk - it scares them and in some cases it forces light into their caves.

I appreciate your enlightened posts - more people on the inside need to speak out. Its not easy ! Thanks !

4248, I sometimes go days and days when I don't check SUWNY. One of the things that keeps me coming back is your posts. It's rare in life to encounter someone who is so ill- informed across such a wide range of topics.

[4248]

Thank You - my naiveté has been - like many others - my shield in life ! Especially in Politics!

I have chosen now and in the last ten years to educate myself and I appreciate those who aren't afraid to deal with the truth.

I see you choose to wear your rose colored glasses - that's your choice ! But I appreciate your comments - it shows me how far I have come.

As far as you staying away from here (speakup) - who you kidding - your a troll - you love it here ! Some of us do take a break here and there - but not many abstain for long !