Dirty Money

Can a lawyer be indicted for issuing a bad legal opinion? This evening, Philippe Sands and I will be discussing this issue at NYU Law School, in Lipton Hall, from 6 – 8 p.m. However, Alice Fisher, the head of the Bush Justice Department’s Criminal Division—whose resignation was just announced—apparently believes the answer is “yes,” because she signed the charges against Miami lawyer Ben Kuehne. Among other things, Kuehne had previously advised Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 Florida recount litigation. Read my analysis of the case in the current issue of the American Lawyer, just out.