Man poses as lawyer
Here's a good reason for anybody who is looking for a lawyer to do adequate homework to make sure that they person is who he or she claims to be.
The fact is, anybody with a little homework, a suit and a serious set of you-know-whats, could easily pretend to be a lawyer and get away with it in many courts.
Felon posing as lawyer spoke at local legal seminar - JSOnline: "Dozens of Milwaukee-area lawyers earned education credits a little while back for attending a local seminar featuring a convicted felon posing as an expert on criminal sentencing.
How's that for getting the inside scoop?
Howard O. Kieffer was brought here by Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin to talk to local lawyers about the ins and outs of state and federal criminal prison sentences at a November 2007 conference. Kieffer was identified as a graduate of Antioch Law School.
In truth, he never set foot in the place. The Washington, D.C., school closed in 1992.
Nobody tied to the conference knew anything about his charade.
They weren't the only ones conned by Kieffer. Over the years, he made out like Leonardo DiCaprio on the big screen, persuading clients, attorneys, judges and court administrators around the country that he was totally legit.
Catch him if you can.
'To the extent that Mr. Kieffer hoodwinked Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin, we are one of many in that lot,' said Daniel Stiller, executive director of the agency.
It took authorities in South Dakota to nab the bogus barrister.
Earlier this month, Kieffer was convicted on federal charges of mail fraud and impersonating a lawyer in court records. The Denver Post reported that he has represented at least 16 clients in 10 federal courts throughout the country. Among those paying for his legal services was a former St. Louis Blues hockey player who pleaded guilty to plotting to kill his agent."
The fact is, I have never been asked for my bar card in courts in Washington State or in Arizona. I am rarely asked to write down my bar number, and even when I do, I highly doubt that anybody ever checks to make sure it matches up with the state bar's records.
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