Giuliani’s Firm Severs Ties With Him And Publicly Refutes His Statements On Common Legal Practices

With his former personal attorney Michael Cohen spinning off ethical violations like some hurricanes spin off tornados, Rudolph W. Giuliani was meant to bring back some relief from the worsening scandal over Stormy Daniels.  Instead, Giuliani gave a rambling, conflicted account that the President had to refute the next morning.  The worse rebuke however came yesterday when Giuliani’s firm Greenberg Traurig severed ties with Giuliani and specifically refuted his claims that all lawyers regularly do what Cohen did.  Many of us at the time noted that lawyers do not take these actions and pay hush money from retainer funds.  The firm not only wanted to establish that it did not do such unethical things but that it was no longer going to be associated with Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani defended Cohen’s actions by saying “That was money that was paid by his lawyer, the way I would do, out of his law firm funds. Michael would take care of things like this like I take care of this with my clients.”  That left most of us scratching our heads, but it appears to have left his firm red faced.

Greenberg Traurig has only recently dug out from the scandal of its infamous member, Jack Abramoff. 

The last thing the firm needed was a new member embracing the practices of the ethically challenged Micheal Cohen — let alone having a senior member like Giuliani making himself the brunt of late night comedians for his disastrous comments.

Shortly after Mr. Giuliani’s resignation was announced, the firm issued the following pointed statement:

“We cannot speak for Mr. Giuliani with respect to what was intended by his remarks. Speaking for ourselves, we would not condone payments of the nature alleged to have been made or otherwise without the knowledge and direction of a client.”