The Friday Whine is a casual email to friends and colleagues and contains three things: An ethics update, and a wine recommendation. If you see text in blue, it is a link to an article or information.
Ethics
Stellar Advice from President Trump
You may have heard Michael Cohen pled guilty this week. If not, you’re probably not reading this because you likely don’t have the internet. No link here, you can just Google “Michael Cohen.”
Right after the guilty plea, President Trump tweeted: “If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!”
Stellar advice, particularly because Cohen’s guilty plea is the end of his career as a lawyer, likely forever. You probably don’t want to hire a lawyer that’s about to not be a lawyer. He’ll probably just surrender his law license in New York, and although convicted felons can reapply for admission, because his crimes involve conspiring with a client to violate campaign finance laws, he has little chance to be readmitted.
And if you’re waiting for an analysis of the attorney client privilege issues, they’re insignificant. Cohen is now a convicted felon, and the crime/fraud exception to attorney client privilege applies. The feds either have, or will get everything they need from Cohen. Even if there are some privilege issues, Cohen won’t care. What could happen? The loss of his license?
See how that works?
Let’s be honest, Michael Cohen wasn’t much of a lawyer anyway. I’ve been asking if anyone has seen a pleading he drafted, and am still waiting for a copy.
Michael Cohen became a sycophant for his now-President client, and lost sight of the obligations required of the profession. The loss of his license is a sidebar for him.
And although I look forward to hearing what Cohen has to say, I say good riddance as a fellow Member of the Bar.
Wine
Speaking of Prisoners…
Speaking of Prisoners…
This is probably a good week to talk about this wine. The Prisoner.
It’s been out for over 10 years and remains a popular wine. People think it’s a cute name, but the wine is actually well-made. It’s a blend from Napa, and can usually be found for under $40. It’s available almost everywhere – wine shops, grocery shops, liquor stores.
The blend is interesting – mostly Zinfandel, with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and – Charbono.
Speaking of barbeques, The Prisoner is a great barbeque wine, or for some people… an end-of-the-night wine before you send everyone home.
If you want the white counterpart, try Blindfold, which is one of the only white wines I’ve ever opened, put in the fridge for more than 2 days, and it only got better. That is evidence of a very well made white wine. It’s not your pool-sipper wine, it’s a rich blend of, get ready, Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Semillon, and Riesling. Definitely something you could serve with a meal. It runs about $34 and is also usually available where you find The Prisoner.