Akin Gump: Connecting the Dots

Michael X. Morrell was disbarred in Fall 1996 for violations of the District of Columbia Code of Professional Responsibility, including “dishonest, deceitful or fraudulent conduct,” “illegal acts involving moral turpitude,” and “misappropriation of client funds.” For the factual underpinnings of these violations, see In re Morrell, 684 A.2d 361, 362-65 (D.C. 1996).

Michael Morrell practiced law at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld while I worked there.

I recall reading in a newspaper report in the year 1996 that the D.C. Court of Appeals, in its disbarment opinion concerning Michael Morrell, chastised Akin Gump for its lax management practices. I found that to be an interesting observation. While I worked at the firm, whenever a mental health professional asked me why I thought I was a victim of job harassment, I always attributed my problems to "weak management." I recall telling William D. Brown, Ph.D. in 1991 that I thought the firm was run "like a candy store."

Be that as it may.

In the book MOBBING: Emotional Abuse in the American Workplace, the authors say that mobbing is typically found in work environments that have poorly organized production and/or working methods and
incapable or inattentive management and that mobbing victims are usually "exceptional individuals who demonstrated intelligence, competence, creativity, integrity, accomplishment and dedication".

So there's an interesting connection between In re Morrell (1996) and Freedman v. D.C. Department of Human Rights (1998).  There is a direct link between Akin Gump's lax management that the D.C. Court of Appeals noted in Morrell and the case of mobbing behavior that I presented to the D.C. Court of Appeals in Freedman.  Unfortunately, the Court got it right in Morrell and got it wrong in Freedman (if I may be permitted to criticize a court's opinion).  I suppose it never dawned on the Court that it was dealing with interconnecting pieces in one big jigsaw puzzle -- the Wild and Wacky World of Akin Gump!