HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017494.jpg

Page 15 Se nigaranamreaneee etegienlenn ar atreye ishanantenenent rece RSTO EDISON TDD OV UO aT OG aa EE RS TA SEY aR I hb s pa Ls if oat ERET EAE REE ES EE ALM NN A TRT AP MRTREGS PE CAEN IATA SENS RESETS GARNET A AMARA RR RINE Ne Ae ARES : NM NNN DN RH rob vay Pp 1 Q. Okay. When you were looking at people to 2 bring in to the firm to legitimize, as you said. Your 3. firm had a very unique area of practice and had a very 4 unique environment to which to work. How did you know 5 orhow did you come to decide what people may or may 6 not fit into that? 7 A, Okay. Hang on one second. J think you just 8 accidentally misstated my testimony, 9 ] was not bringing the people in to 10 — legitimize the law firm. | was bringing them in to 11 the legitimate side of the Jaw firm. The bulk of the 12 Jaw firm, despite the lack of financial success, was a 13 Jarge group of very honest, hard working Jawyers 14 trying to do their best in difficult economic 15 conditions. There were some that were obviously not 16 legitimate. And the way ] decided to bring people in, 17 again, it's really everything | just told you. Are #18 you looking for how I brought people into the Ponzi #19 scheme? 20 Q. No, right now I'm just asking about the firm 21 because, as J said, it’s a very unique way in which to 22 practice and a very unique workplace environment with 23 politics and restaurants and parties at your home and 24 _ things of that nature. I'm asking, personality wise, 25 other than the book of business, how did you decide on Page 14 1 people that would be a good fit? 2 A. J looked for people that were outgoing, that 3 had the type of personality. On the legitimate side 4 of the business, people that had charisma that were -- 5S that could go out and hustle and try to develop a book 6 of business if they didn't have it. And as one of the 7 50 percent of the shareholders of the firm ] was 8 trying to hire people ] wanted to work with. 9 Q. Okay. When you would see people from whom §i0 you would offer jobs, for example, as you mentioned 11 earlier with Brad and his practice, if somebody stated 12 that people told you that he was a good lawyer, did 13 you need to see him in action, so to speak, prior to 14 your deciding to hire them or would you just take 15 people at their word for it? 16 A. Some of people I saw in action; he wasn't 17° one of them. Steve Osber is an excellent example of 18 that. J hired Steve after he was beating the living 19 — daylights out of me on the other side of a case. And 20 I certainly would ask around about the people. But 21 _ the people that ] trusted -- see, J] can't remember. | 22 think Gary Farmer was working for me before Brad, and 23 if I'm not mistaken he would have been one of the 24 people that ] went to with regard to Brad because we 25 were really developing that whole tort group around MO MM MM NFP FF FF FP OPW NF OW DAIMAMADAY FS WNYFPR DUH DAKO BWN PE that time with Farmer and Fistos and Jaffe and Mr. Edwards. Q. Do you know where Mr. Edwards was working when you first learned of him? A. | don't recall whether he was working for someone or had his own practice, I don't recall. Q. When did you first learn about Brad? A. ] don't remember the time frame. Q. Do you recall when you first met with him regarding a job? A. No. The easiest way to figure that out is to go look at his personnel file, it will have the notes saying when he met with me the first time. Q. You don't have any recollection of your first meeting with him? A. No. As you know, ] was hiring people left and right and ] was also unfortunately very busy doing things ] shouldn't have been doing, so ] don't have a specific recollection of when I hired him. | barely have a specific recollection of when | hired me. Q. But you did, in fact, meet with him? A. I'm certain J met with him before I hired - him. | can't imagine -- although | did hire people without meeting them. | did hire people based on other people's word, if they were people within the Page 16 firm that ] trusted. Because | always said, I had a very simple, you lie or die by what you are telling me. If you are telling me this guy is good and he's not good, that's on you, it's going to hurt your income. So] used to tell my partner, people that were recommending people to me, don't sel] me a bill of goods just to get somebody in here because if you do that it's going to come back on you, it's going to affect your income and your ability to grow in the firm. So with that admonishment, ] might have very well hired someone sight unseen based upon what someone else told me. Q. But you did meet with Brad you say before he came in to work? A. Now that I'm saying it out loud, ] think I did but really I'm guessing. ] don't have a specific recollection of meeting him. Q. Do you recall if you knew that he had worked as an assistant state attorney for a few years prior to doing tort litigation? A. 1] don't recall that one way or the other. Q. So you wouldn't have asked Howard Scheinberg or anybody about him before he came to work there? A. | can't say that 1 wouldn't have asked because, like 1 said, ] might have asked. But Page 17 5 (Pages 14 to 17) FRIEDMAN, LOMBARD] & OLSON 305-371-6677 5ed93085-0554-447f-bcdd-ca2d8fe94 1 df HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017494