Joe Francis vs. his lawyers: Who, dare we ask, has gone wilder?

By Eriq Gardner

It's been awhile since we checked in on "the Bobs," the pair of Milwaukee attorneys who called themselves "legal mercenaries" to Portfolio magazine before hopping on a plane to hit it big in Hollywood. Last year, we wondered whether anybody in the entertainment community would bother putting Robert Bernhoft and Robert Barnes on their lunch schedule. 

Well, the Los Angeles Daily Journal today prints a front-page update on the Bobs in which disgruntled client Joe Francis of "Girls Gone Wild" fame calls them "swindlers," saying "The only reason they wanted me was to mooch off me and open up an L.A. office...The Bernhofts are the Paris Hilton of lawyers — just to be famous, not to do anything."

Them's fighting words. Bernhoft responded swiftly to the article, invoking the dreaded D-word in a statement to LA Observed. "Today’s Los Angeles Daily Journal story on Bernhoft Law’s representation of Joe Francis is ambush journalism at its worst. It turns a false premise – that Joe Francis allegedly dismissed Bernhoft Law for poor performance in Francis' tax case – into a lazy, false, and defamatory hit job."

True, THR, Esq. favorite Francis sees a lot of conspiracies in this world. And if Francis did ditch the Bobs, it wouldn't be the first time they've been let go without really being fired. After the two got Wesley Snipes acquitted on the major charges in the actor's tax evasion case, they were allegedly dismissed because they said they didn't want to be held responsible for Snipes' maximum prison term sentence on the misdemeanor counts.

 

But the real question here is, who cares? We're surprised the DJ gave Francis, not exactly a reputable critic of legal service providers, a venue to trash his attorneys. Lots of starry-eyed lawyers set up shop in LA hoping to land celebrity clients. And plenty of those lawyers end up getting kicked to the curb by those same celebrities, often for reasons that have little to do with the quality of the representation. 

 

That said, Joe Francis is a special breed. The Bobs probably should have known that when you take on a guy like Francis, you're probably going to end up as humiliated as the women in his videos. 

Comments

[Interested observer]

Eriq, as a former employee in what's left of the "legal" department of Mantra and Joe Francis' companies, the idea that a legal newspaper would give a convicted felon on probation who's out on bail on another felony charge a forum to attack his attorneys blows my mind. It's an execellent point you made.

Joe has been trying to denigrate these attorneys since November to his friends in the tabloid business, and they didn't bite. Reporters at E! and US and TMZ checked in with Joe, and said they'd check it out once Joe changed attorneys and the other side could speak. It's hilarious that a legal newspaper, one that is supposed to know better, fell for Joe's stuff.

I actually took the time to read the Daily Journal story after I saw your post, and it's one strange brew. Joe's lawyers are still on the case, and can't ethically respond to Joe's usual b.s. because they're obligated to represent their client -- Joe Francis. WTF?

[The b#&ch in the cubby next door]

Mr. Gardner, you have no frickin' idea the mess you're stepping into. I do like your style, though!

If the Daily Journal story looks like a croque, follow the money. Hello, Brad Brian of Munger Tolles & Olson wants to substitute in as Joe Francis' counsel,according to the Daily Journal story!

Brad Brian is a great lawyer, but it looks like he's got some helpers on the payroll at the Daily Journal. Munger Tolles literally owns the content at the Daily Journal, and it's the worst kept secret in L.A. law. The named partner of the firm, Munger, is the chairman and founder of the Daily Journal. The Daily Journal's outside general counsel is at Munger Tolles. Ron Olson, who co-founded Munger Tolles with Munger, is on the board of directors of Munger's multi-billion dollar company. Whenever the Daily Journal and Munger need a litigator, they hire Munger Tolles.

the daily journal feeds all sorts of money to Brad Brian's law firm. The chances of these pikers from Milwaukee not getting thrown under the bus by the Daily Journal when a Munger Tolles lawyer stands to make millions from defending Joe Francis are one in a billion. If you don't believe me, just Google Daily Journal Corporation and Munger Tolles and Olson.

Hey, Interest Observer, what time's lunch at the Dining Car?

[b%$#h in the cubby next door]

fun times. ever see the five stages of death in "All that jazz" stage one started friday