Legal Opinion
Geron ex rel. Thelen LLP v. Robinson & Cole LLP
District Court, S.D. New York
Decided September 4, 2012No. Nos. 11 Civ. 8967, 12 Civ. 1364PublishedCited by 13 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM & ORDER
WILLIAM H. PAULEY III, District Judge.
These actions arise from an alarming phenomenon — the bankruptcy of a major law firm. The pursuit of pending hourly fee matters as assets of the estate has become a recurring feature of such bankruptcies. But this concept of law firm “property” collides with the essence of the attorney-client relationship. That relationship springs from agency law, not property law. The client is the principal, the attorney is the agent, and the relationship is terminable at will. The question presented is whether a dissolved law firm’s pending hourly…
2Cases cited47 opinions
- Ashcroft v. IqbalSupreme Court of the United States · 2009
- Bell Atlantic Corp. v. TwomblySupreme Court of the United States · 2007
- Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Electric Manufacturing Co.Supreme Court of the United States · 1941
- Harris v. MillsCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2009
- Butner v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1979
42 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by13 opinions
- Geron ex rel. Estate of Thelen LLP v. Seyfarth Shaw LLP (In re Thelen LLP)Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2013
- Geron v. Seyfarth Shaw LLPNew York Court of Appeals · 2014
- Horner v. BagnellSupreme Court of Connecticut · 2017
- Jacobs v. Altorelli (In re Dewey & Leboeuf LLP)United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York · 2014
- Wandering Dago Inc. v. New York State Office of General ServicesDistrict Court, N.D. New York · 2014
8 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.