So I see everybody is buzzing about that French love-sick skunk being named the new US Senator from Florida.....

Huh? You mean it's not...?

Oops -- apparently the new US Senator is in fact Gunster chairman and former Crist chief of staff George LeMieux.

You can read more about George in his self-styled The Lemieux Report.

Roberto the trial lawyer and I apologize for any confusion.

Hi kids, it's a slow news day huh?

Doesn't anyone have anything interesting to share with your humble South Florida civil law blogger?

Sure I could regale you all with stories about a phone call I just had, or a letter I just wrote, or even a hearing I am getting ready for.

Hey, later I'm gonna edit a response I am working on and have a meeting with some of my partners!

ZZZZZ

So let's discuss pig roasts:

In a news release from the Republican Party of Florida e-mailed at 9:12 a.m., Gov. Charlie Crist confirmed the worst-kept secret in Florida politics: He'll run for the seat to be vacated by the retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.

''Here in Florida, we've shown that when we put people first and work together, much can be accomplished, and I intend to bring that same approach to Washington,'' Crist said. ``That is why, after thoughtful consideration with my wife Carole, I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate.''

His low-key announcement -- no press conference, no statewide fly-around -- starkly contrasts with the high-stakes political firestorm it triggers. Florida is likely to see as many as five statewide races for open seats in 2010.

Crist already has the endorsement of the NRSC over his opponent, local lawyer Pat Toomey, I mean Marco Rubio.

So Marco will draw out all the crazies, who want to "purify" the party, while Charlie tacks to the hard right to appease the 20 percenters who manage to always get their letters published in the Miami Herald.

Should be fun.

Gotta love the Governator:

In a message callers hear when they get put on hold after calling Gov. Charlie Crist, Crist transposes a couple of numbers and turns the phone number for Florida KidCare into the number you’d call for “hot, horny girls.”

Here's what you hear if you dial the number:

“Hey there, sexy guy. Welcome to an exciting new way to go live, one on one, with hot, horny girls waiting right now to talk to you.”

I suppose this is better than if the number went to a hotline for "hot, horny guys"?

I'm bored to bits here.

Can someone explain how a lawyer who has accepted voluntary disbarment is still on the 4th DCA JNC and our Governor has "no immediate plans" to remove him?

I also love the ridiculous application he made to the Governor for appointment, preceded and followed by boatloads of cash (was any of it his?):

"I am driven to insure (sic) the integrity of our judiciary,'' Rothstein wrote. "I will accept nothing less than professionalism and integrity.''

Rothstein was a major contributor to Florida's Republican Party and donated to Crist's campaign for attorney general and governor. A photo hanging in Rothstein's law office when the investment scandal broke late last month shows Crist hugging the lawyer with a handwritten note from the governor: "Scott – You're amazing!''

Ivey did not respond to questions about whether the governor's relationship with Rothstein or his political support influenced the appointment. Rothstein's term is up in 2012.

Earlier this month, the Florida Bar removed Rothstein from a Broward County grievance committee that hears complaints against attorneys.

The Best Lawyers in America had included Rothstein in its lawyer referral database since 2005 but removed him on Nov. 4, the day of an FBI raid on Rothstein's office, a spokesman said.

Rothstein touted his inclusion in Best Lawyers in his gubernatorial application. He also noted that he had handled more than 150 jury trials, and he had a "unique insight into the judiciary.''

"I am a confidante (sic) of many members of the judiciary and am called on regularly for counsel,'' Rothstein wrote.

Rothstein listed auto magnate Ed Morse Jr. as one of three character references. Morse's family now says that Rothstein swindled them out of millions.

The governor selected Rothstein and two other attorneys for the commission from a pool of 24 applicants.

At the time, Rothstein, his partner and their immediate families had donated over $200,000 to the Republican Party of Florida, and Rothstein had contributed $8,500 to Crist. Four days after the appointment, Rothstein contributed $140,000 to the GOP.

Once again, the question arises -- how did this man get this far in the South Florida legal community without anyone calling bull@($t?

A middling Broward employment defense lawyer but he claims to have tried 150 jury trials?

Hey, did he mention his $57 million sanctions order before Judge Marra?

Love ya South Florida!!

They're all special in their own way.

How many news cycles can this story dominate?

Scott, this scandal has officially joined the list of Things That I Hate -- in no particular order:

1. Flatbread;
2. The Case That Dare Not Speak Its Name;
3. Any current or former lovers of Drew Barrymore;
4. Metadata;
5. Flavored vodka;
6. Jeremy Piven and/or Brett Ratner;
7. Pesto wraps;
8. Certain Herald TV critics (Glenn was right about V however -- it rocked).

Oh the melodrama:

Rothstein mused that he had three options -- kill himself, live life "on the lam as a fugitive'' or go to prison and risk being killed there because he had made enemies, said the law firm's co-founder, Stuart Rosenfeldt, according to the website. Rosenfeldt talked to Rothstein, urging him to "choose life.''

I bet that's the first time a George Michael T shirt saved a high-powered lawyer from suicide.

Scott seems to possess a perfect storm of characteristics -- talented yet narcissistic, delusions of grandeur, persecution complex, excessive displays of wealth even by South Florida standards, megalomania and a sense that the entire world revolves around him -- in other words, your typical successful South Florida trial lawyer.

Consider the stories coming out -- private elevators, a car fetish, carrying a gun in an ankle holster, blowing $10 million a month.

Indeed, look at the comments section of Bob Norman's "Jewish Avenger" story -- there is definitely something not right about the way Scott engages Norman.

Are there some chemical or other disorders at work here?

Now that he's down, it seems everyone has a negative Rothstein story -- yet some of these folks sat on their feelings or refused to act on them, no?

Roger Stone now says Scott "never added up"; Bill Scherer says "[w]e all wondered where the money came from"; Michael Goldberg says Scott's spending "made no sense." Sunshine Charlie says "I think everybody heard rumors."

My friend Brian Tannebaum wonders how in this recession a firm can go from seven lawyers to seventy and no one questions why or how?

He relates a story of how he drove 40 minutes to meet with Scott for lunch, only to be totally stiffed:

I never met Scott Rothstein. He ducked out a few minutes before our lunch a few years ago. His secretary telling me and his colleague, who set up the lunch: "he went to lunch." There was no further inquiry as we were not entitled to even be standing by his office, an "off-limits" area of the firm. Instead I went to lunch with some other lawyers in the firm who felt they needed to take pity on me for my wasted 40 minute drive, all of them telling me in response to the unprofessional behavior of their king: "I'm not surprised." "That's Scott."

These out-of-control legal types, of which I know many, all have enablers -- those who justify, excuse, or clean up the mess left by the large lives of the bosses they serve, and who not coincidentally benefit from being near to the flame.

Now we know that a seventy lawyer firm, with only two equity partners, really only had one -- as Stuart Rosenfeldt apparently had no signatory authority on certain firm accounts and there is suddenly only $500k left in the firm's operating account.

Judge Streitfeld called Rosenfeldt "clueless" about the firm's finances at a hearing yesterday. Stuart has since invested a large chunk of his own money to keep salaries paid and the firm afloat.

There are lots of victims here, including many many fine lawyers at RRA, but a few of us in the South Florida legal and business communities should probably step up and acknowledge we could have been a bit more proactive on what some apparently suspected all along.

I don't know about you, but I don't recall Charlie Crist or my rush hazing to be anything like this wholesome little frat at UF, which is the subject of this 11th Circuit opinion today written by Judge Tjoflat:

BYX is a national fraternity founded in 1985. It has twenty-two chapters in nine states. According to its constitution, it “exists for the purpose of establishing brotherhood and unity among college men based on the common bond of Jesus Christ.” BYX espouses a strict approach to the Christian faith, and membership in the fraternity is contingent upon what the fraternity deems “a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ.” This requires agreement not only with the traditional core Christian beliefs and values contained in such ancient expressions as the Nicene Creed, but adherence to a demanding view of the faith. In its doctrinal statement, BYX explains that members must “believe that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, that it is inspired, authoritative, and without error in the original manuscripts.” Accordingly, BYX bars from membership non-Christians, Roman Catholics, and adherents to the traditional Christian orthodoxy taught by the mainline Protestant denominations.

BYX also demands moral and “sexual purity.” According to its code of conduct, BYX believes that “sex is a gift of God to be enjoyed inside the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, we will not condone such activity as homosexuality, fornication, or adultery.”

. . . .

After admission into the fraternity as a pledge, the applicant must complete the pledge process. The purpose of the pledge process is to examine the applicant’s understanding of salvation, his personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and his willingness to accept and promote BYX’s doctrine. As part of the process, the pledge must participate in BYX’s “Big/Little Brother Program” and is assigned to an active member of the fraternity who serves as the pledge’s “Big Brother.” The Big Brother is required to watch over the pledge and ensure that he is conducting himself in conformity with the fraternity’s code of conduct. Ideological, theological, and moral purity are central elements of BYX’s foundational purpose, and the “Big Brother” program is designed as a safeguard against the pledge going astray. As BYX’s constitution states,

BYX has fulfilled its purpose over the years, and Satan hates it. He wants to sift this group like wheat and is roaming on [ ] campus like a roaring lion waiting for the chance to destroy us. If the devil sifts our group, he will probably do it primarily through alcohol, but also through sexual impurity or lust, pride, laziness, and contention. So be on your guard.

The “Big Brother” is the first line of defense against such impurities and influences infiltrating the group.

. . . .

All BYX members and pledges participate in Cell Groups, which are weekly meetings where the members and pledges hold one another accountable to living consistently with BYX’s Christian beliefs and values. BYX also holds weekly meetings, which include prayer, worship, encouragement of specific members, a testimony or Bible message from a fraternity member, and announcements pertaining to fraternity business.

Ummm -- sounds like fun??

Forget Fast Times, Animal House, or even Revenge of the Nerds.

Haven't any of you guys seen PCU? Real Genius? Back to School?

Does any of this ring a bell at all?

Related -- do any of you know a lawyer in Leesburg?