By all accounts Blanche is an excellent lawyer, and he must have been making big bucks as a Cadwalader partner, but he walked away from that sweet gig to represent the original Client From Hell. Why? Is he so self-assured that he thinks he can control the client whose representation led to the destruction of the careers of so many other lawyers? Is he hoping for fame and glory as the only lawyer who could bring TFG to heel?
If I were representing TFG (a situation that would cause me to think I'd died and gone to Hell), I would insist on an enormous retainer, payable in advance with the check clearing the bank before I even answered a phone call, and a similarly enormous hourly rate. And I would insist on some stringent conditions for continuing representation. I would guess Blanche has had a serious come-to-Jesus talk with TFG, and maybe he has some conditions, too; maybe like these:
- The client may not issue any public statements through any platform or in any form, either directly or through a third party, without clearing them first with me.
- The client may not discuss this or any other prosecution or civil lawsuit in which he or a member of his family or any of his businesses is a party, in any public forum, including media interviews and campaign rallies.
- The client may not publicly criticize, threaten or disparage any judge, prosecutor or other person involved in any way in any criminal prosecution or civil action in which the client or a member of his family or any of his businesses is a party.
- The client may not use his involvement in any civil or criminal action as a basis for fund-raising.
- Violation of any of these requirements will result in my immediate withdrawal from representation of the client and no refund of any amount already paid as a retainer.
But you know what? TFG would violate at least one of those conditions within a day. Where would that leave me? I could withdraw in accordance with our agreement and keep the fat retainer, but I would no longer have the lucrative partnership at the prestigious law firm I left to take this job, and I no longer will go down in history as the only lawyer who could control TFG and save his big orange ass from a felony conviction. Or I could let it go this once and remind him sternly of our deal, in which case he will certainly do it again and again, and he does. Pretty soon I'm in deep shit with some judge. TFG is out of control, says incriminating things on TV, we go to trial and I lose despite doing some extraordinary and possibly unethical things to try to save the whole mess. TFG fires me (if he hasn't already). I've used up the original retainer and TFG still owes me, but he won't pay. The state bar is breathing down my neck on account of some desperate measures I took but shouldn't have. I'm in the same leaky boat as Rudy Giuliani and Alina Habba and all the other sorry fools...
Beware, Mr. Blanche. This might not end well for you.
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