ABRAMSON GOES ON DEFENSIVE, DENIES MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS.Byline: Janet Gilmore Daily News Staff Writer With the gag order A court order to gag or bind an unruly defendant or remove her or him from the courtroom in order to prevent further interruptions in a trial. In a trial with a great deal of notoriety, a court order directed to attorneys and witnesses not to discuss the case with the media—such lifted, defense lawyer Leslie Abramson Leslie Abramson (born c. 1944) is a famous American criminal defense attorney best known for her role in the legal defense of Lyle and Erik Menendez. In 2004, she was hired by Phil Spector, who is charged with fatally shooting actress Lana Clarkson at his suburban Alhambra mansion, wasted no time Wednesday answering a witness stand claim by Erik Menendez's psychiatrist that she asked him to delete from his notes statements prejudicial prej·u·di·cial adj. 1. Detrimental; injurious. 2. Causing or tending to preconceived judgment or convictions: to her client. ``In the press right now I am tried, convicted, in jail, disbarred and in permanent disgrace,'' Abramson said. ``I can unequivocally say I did not violate any laws. I did not violate any ethical structures. I doubt very much that I would ever be disbarred for such a thing.'' State Bar of California spokeswoman Anne Charles said her organization would review information about the matter after the brothers are sentenced. A sentencing date is scheduled for July 2. Asked about the possibility of a criminal probe, District Attorney Gil Garcetti Gilbert "Gil" Garcetti (b. August 5, 1941) served as Los Angeles County's 39th District Attorney for two terms, from 1992 until November 7, 2000. Background Gil Garcetti received a bachelor's degree in Management from the University of Southern California and a Juris said: ``I do not want to start speculating on possibilities involving either Leslie Abramson or Dr. (William) Vicary. Let's just say it will be reviewed very carefully by this office.'' The State Bar, overseeing California's 119,271 active attorneys, has the power to punish lawyers for professional misconduct professional misconduct, n conduct inappropriate to the practice of health care. professional misconduct Behavior by a professional that implies an intentional compromise of ethical standards. . Last year the association investigated 17 allegations of attorneys suppressing evidence and 337 complaints that attorneys made misrepresentations to the court. Bar officials said they could recall no instance in which an attorney was disbarred for courtroom conduct. During the penalty phase of the Menendez brothers' retrial retrial n. a new trial granted upon the motion of the losing party, based on obvious error, bias or newly-discovered evidence. (See: newly-discovered evidence) , psychiatrist Vicary testified that Abramson threatened to kick him off the case if he did not omit statements such as Erik's alleged assertion that he ``couldn't wait'' to kill his parents. Legal analysts say criminal prosecutors and defense attorneys have been playing fast and loose with notes, documents, reports and other so-called ``discovery'' for years. ``He who gets caught is crucified,'' said defense attorney Ray Clark, who worked on the notorious ``Night Stalker'' case. ``But we all know in our heart of hearts that shading of evidence is something that people do all the time.'' During the O.J. Simpson double murder trial, attorneys for both sides were fined for withholding information. ``I think that discovery is a place where lawyers often try to come as close to the line as they can and frequently cross it,'' said USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born 1953) is a well-known professor of Constitutional law and federal civil procedure, has recently accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine, in the new Donald Bren School of Law, beginning in 2009. , who teaches professional responsibility. ``Usually what you see are lawyers not turning over things they should turn over,'' he said. ``Much less common is where a lawyer tries to change the document and that really is, in kind, something different.'' |
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