The Takeover of Our Public Utilities and Government Agencies by Arizona's Large Law Firms

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES, May 9, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- ARIZONA SUPREME COURT ASKED TO STOP LARGE LAW FIRMS’ UNETHICAL CONDUCT
In an appeal brief filed with the Arizona Supreme Court today, Attorney Jack Levine, a former member of the Arizona State Bar Board of Governors, a Past President of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association and, a former F.B.I. Agent, is appealing the suspension of his law license. Levine claims that the State Bar’s complaint against him is meritless and, that the real reason for their seeking a suspension of his license is in retaliation for criticizing the State Bar for failing to investigate certain large law firms for their unethical conduct. Levine has alleged that the law firms of Snell & Wilmer, and Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, over the years, have deliberately placed law firm members and relatives on the governing boards and in executive positions of their two large public utility clients, APS and SRP, respectively, thereby exercising undue control of these utilities to the financial advantage of the law firms.
In addition, Levine claims that in election years, Burch & Cracchiolo, PA and other large law firms, have been selecting candidates running for state, county and municipal offices and then bundling campaign contributions to such candidates, who, when elected, refer their agency’s outside legal business to the contributing law firms. Levine claims that accepting legal business, after making a campaign contribution, is prohibited by the State Bar’s ethical rules, because it gives the appearance, if not the reality, that the law firm is paying for the referral of legal business.
Levine further alleges that the conduct of these large law firms creates an inherent conflict of interest with their clients in deciding what legal services their clients require and, most importantly, how much their clients should pay for such services. Levine estimates that if these practices can be stopped, ratepayer’s water and electric bills, as well as state, county and city taxes will go down by as much as 10-15%.
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Jack Levine
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Jack Levine, P. C.