From:    Fredric Rice
To:      All                                    May-16-94 08:44:14
Subject: FidoNet SysOp/Lawyer still on the lam

    As some may know, FidoNet SysOp Bob Hirschfeld has taken it on the
    lam for failing to pay fines for unethical business practices.  And,
    considering that he's a co-hort of Linda Thompson (the creator of
    "Waco: The Big Lie," the video tape which perpetuates the belief
    that flame throwers were used in the assult against innocent people
    in the church, using edited and modified video tape) I must say I'm
    not surprised

> Source: THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
> Wednesday, May 4, 1994
> page B7
>
> COURT UPHOLDS FINE FOR DIVORCE LAWYER ON LAM
> --------------------------------------------
> By Brent Whiting
> and Pamela Manson
> The Arizona Republic
>
> The legal problems of a Phoenix divorce lawyer on the lam took
> another turn for the worse Tuesday as the Arizona Court of Appeals upheld
> a blow to his pocketbook.
>
> The court refused to set aside a $9,350 fine slapped against Robert
> Hirschfeld last year after a judge held him in contempt for advising a
> client to sell his estranged wife's van to pay Hirschfeld's fees.
>
> In a 3-0 opinion, the court rejected Hirschfeld's arguments that he
> doesn't need to pay because legal fees are "necessities of life" that are
> exempt from court orders to preserve assets in divorce cases.
>
> The court's decision follows a ruling Friday in which a federal
> judge refused to prohibit state judges from having Hirschfeld jailed for
> failing to pay a $20,000 fine in another case.
>
> Hirschfeld vowed Tuesday that despite the recent setbacks, he will
> continue with appeals that he expects to solve his problems.
>
> "It's improper to use an arrest warrant to collect a money
> judgement," Hirschfeld said.  "Ultimately, they (the courts) will have to
> admit I'm right."
>
> He made the comments during a telephone conversation with _The
> Arizona Republic_.  Hirschfeld, who placed the call from an undisclosed
> location, would not comment on reports that members of the Valley legal
> community have spotted him in Puerto Penasco, Sonora.
>
> Hirschfeld, 52, went underground last month after Judge Alfred
> Rogers of Maricopa County Superior Court issued a warrant for his arrest
> for failing to pay the $20,000 fine.          (MORE)
>
> Sources say that aside from his differences with Rogers, Hirschfeld
> may face more-serious problems with clients who feel they are being
> short-changed while he is gone.
>
> The sources said the State Bar of Arizona takes a dim view of
> lawyers who collect fees but don't perform services.  Such complaints
> could result in the revocation of Hirschfeld's license, they said.
>
> One client, Daniel Howard of Glendale, said his child-support
> payments were increased two weeks ago because Hirschfeld did not show up
> in court.  Hirschfeld sent a substitute lawyer for another hearing, but
> the replacement knew nothing about the case, Howard said.
>
> "He should take care of his clients and then take care of his
> problems," said Howard, who says Hirschfeld still owes him $3,000 worth
> of legal work for a $6,000 retainer he paid.
>
> Hirschfeld replied that he has made arrangements for substitute
> lawyers in his cases and that Howard's payments went up despite an
> objection.
>
> "I'm not abandoning him," he said.
>
> The Court of Appeals ruling against Hirschfeld involves a pending
> divorce between an Air Force captain and his wife.
>
> Judge Brian Hauser of Superior Court held Hirschfeld in contempt
> Dec. 7 after the officer had removed his wife's van from a Glendale
> Community College parking lot while she was attending classes.
>
> The officer later sold the vehicle for $13,300, about $5,000 less
> than its fair-market value, and used the proceeds to buy a less-expensive
> vehicle for himself and to pay legal fees to Hirschfeld.
>
> The Court of Appeals upheld findings by Hauser that the sale
> violated the terms of a preliminary injunction enjoining both parties in
> the divorce from disposing of assets.
>
> Judge Thomas Kleinschmidt, writing for the court, said Hauser
> reasonably could have inferred from the evidence that Hirschfeld had
> advised his client to sell the van.
>
> Hirschfeld said Tuesday that the vehicle was taken from the wife
> before he was representing her husband.
>==============================================================
>
> Arizona Republic, May 11, 1994
>
> BAR WANTS LICENSE OF LAWYER SUSPENDED
>
> The Arizona Supreme Court was urged Tuesday to suspend the license
> of a Phoenix divorce lawyer who left the state last month after being
> slapped with a fine.
>
> The State Bar of Arizona filed court papers claiming that Robert
> Hershfeld has brought discredit upon the legal profession.
>
> The group argued that Hirshfeld should be barred from practicing law
> pending the outcome of numerous complaints that have been filed against
> him by unhappy clients.
>
> Hirshfeld, 53, left the state after a judge issued an arrest warrant
> when he failed to show up for a hearing.
>
> The Supreme Court will hold a hearing next Wednesday on whether to
> grant the suspension order.