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Dailey Law Firm files for bankruptcy amid embezzlement claims

The law firm, which specializes in medical malpractice, Social Security, class action, mass tort and criminal defense, has four attorneys listed on its website, including principal Brian Dailey. It was founded in 1927 in Iowa and relocated to metro Detroit in 1992, with additional offices in Chicago and Indianapolis.

Brian Dailey
Brian Dailey

Dailey did not return a message for comment, nor did Scott Kwiatkowski, attorney at Southfield-based Goldstein Bershad & Fried PC representing Dailey’s firm in the bankruptcy case.

The financial trouble for Dailey Law began with family issues and a cancer diagnosis, which was exacerbated by liquidity shortcomings brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the bankruptcy cover sheet.

Then in 2021, the law firm discovered that a former employee allegedly “wrongfully diverted” $600,000 in settlement proceeds. The firm was ordered to pay $600,000 into Wayne County Circuit Court in connection to the settlement from about five years ago, the filing said. Unable to pay the sum, the firm was appointed a receiver.

Dailey Law filed a lawsuit earlier this year against insurance company Travelers Indemnity Co. in an attempt to recoup the $600,000 that was allegedly embezzled. According to that lawsuit, Dailey contracted Travelers in 2010 to protect

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FTX’s bankruptcy lawyers and advisers pocket $32.5M in February

February’s round of legal expenses for bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has been published, and it remains a scary figure for debtors.

A series of court filings from April 4 to April 10 detailed the monthly fee statements for February of the law firms involved with FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings, which come to a combined total of around $32.5 million.

The figure didn’t include the recompense for restructuring chief and CEO John J. Ray III, who pocketed $305,000 in February, according to a March court filing.

Ray’s remuneration for March came in at a similar figure, with an April 10 filing showing his total fees and expenses were $329,173.

The FTX chief billed at $1,300 per hour and reported working 255.9 hours for the period of March 1 to March 31. This makes his fees a whopping $327,470, with the remaining $1,703 for airfares, lodging, transport, meals and other expenses.

John J Ray III’s expenses and hourly billings for the month of March. Source: Kroll

The law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan sought a total of over $2.7 million in reimbursements for February. Partners at the firm billed between $1,246 and $1,917 per hour and associates billed between $747 and $1,183

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Law Firm NautaDutilh Appoints New Managing Partners

NautaDutilh has appointed new managing partners.

Lieke van der Velden, head of the firm’s corporate M&A group, and Sjoerd Meijer, head of the dispute resolution group, have been appointed as managing partners of NautaDutilh effective June 1, the firm has announced.

The two are joining Chris Warner on the board of management. The NautaDutilh board doesn’t have a chairman, instead operating as a collective.

Lieke van Der Velden joined the firm back in 1995, and was made a partner in 2005. She specialises in  the financial sector, advising on international and domestic mergers and acquisitions. In 2016, she played an important role in the Vodafone and Liberty Global Netherlands merger,

Sjoerd Meijer joined NautaDutilh in 2008, and also became a partner in 2005. He advises and litigates in the areas of class action insurance and professional liability law, a practice which has seen exponential growth in the Netherlands over recent months.

Their predecessors, Jaap Jan Trommel and Petra Zijp who were appointed alongside Warner in 2017, will return to practice on a full-time basis.

In a statement by the firm, Chris Warner, congratulating the two on their appointment, said: “They are both leaders in their fields and genuinely nice

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Brazil’s Lefosse Continues to Expand, Recruiting Another Tax Partner

Brazilian law firm Lefosse recruited an experienced tax partner for its busy tax practice as the full-service law firm continues to chart an ambitious growth plan.

Vinicius Jucá joins from TozziniFreire Advogados, another large Brazilian firm, where he was a partner for nearly a decade. Associate Pietro Rondó will follow Jucá to Lefosse. Both are based in São Paulo.

With the addition of Jucá, Lefosse’s tax practice now has more than 75 legal professionals, including 11 partners.

TozziniFreire chief executive Fernando Serec told Law.com International that the firm thanks Jucá for his service and wishes him luck on this “new path.” He added that his firm’s tax team has been significantly reinforced in recent years with the hire of several new partners, including Renata Emery, who joined in 2021 to co-head the practice. All told TozziniFreire has 11 partners and more than 60 lawyers dedicated to tax, he said.

The Brazilian tax system is notoriously complex, making that practice area one of fierce and ongoing competition for talent in the country.

“The practice of tax litigation involves the entire business cycle and requires a technically strong service, but with a practical vision, with the development of strategies that best represent

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