Comments on: Lawyer Wants Someone Who Will Go "Above And Beyond"

Lawyer Wants Someone Who Will Go "Above And Beyond"

reenum — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:08:21 -0800

Samir Zia Chowhan, sensing a prime opportunity in this down economy, set out to hire a secretary who could not only do the typing and filing, but could also engage in group sex with Chowhan and his law partner. The Illinois Supreme Court found that this is conduct unbecoming of an attorney and suspended Chowhan's law license.

By: Nomyte

Nomyte — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:14:30 -0800

Ulla go to work!

By: Sticherbeast

Sticherbeast — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:14:30 -0800

Well. Yeah.

By: RobotVoodooPower

RobotVoodooPower — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:18:04 -0800

Yeah, I mean I'd expect this kind of thing from dentists, not lawyers.

By: Ironmouth

Ironmouth — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:22:18 -0800

There's nothing crazier that bar discipline decisions.

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:27:55 -0800

I get the premise, but the approach was all wrong. I think it goes something like this: "Are you pregnant? Do you plan on getting pregnant? Are you living in an apartment? Alone? Siblings? Are you married? Have you ever won an award? Are those your scores? Do you really want to be a secretary? If you like "very dull work", typing and answering phones, please contact us at our Law Office."

By: yeloson

yeloson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:28:43 -0800

Lastly, we've actually hired a couple of girls in the past for this position. But they have not been able to handle the sexual aspect of the job later. We have to be sure you're comfortable with that aspect, because I don't want you to do anything that you're not comfortable with. So since that time, we've decided that as part of the interview process you'll be required to perform for us sexually (i didn't do this before with the other girls i hired, now i think i have to because they couldn't handle it). ... This is the point where you paste in the looping gif of someone's look of consternation and WTF.

By: Dasein

Dasein — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:30:45 -0800

Hey baby, mind if I enter your docket? You think my brief is thick, wait until you open my briefs. You've got a beautiful prima facie. Want to help me discharge my onus? Come and feel my power of attorney. I'm into usus and abusus. I'll bet you're a ferae naturae in the sack.

By: naju

naju — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:30:53 -0800

conduct unbecoming of an attorney Accurate, in that he won't be coming

By: jquinby

jquinby — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:32:12 -0800

I'm a little disappointed that there's not a photograph of this tool.

By: immlass

immlass — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:32:24 -0800

This story makes me grateful for the good experience I had working for a boutique immigration firm! On the other hand, I didn't apply based on the Adult Gigs section of Craigslist, either. Also, dude was a just plain bad lawyer if the allegations in the other two counts in the first link are true. Wtf, if you're an immigration lawyer, you don't just not file petitions and applications on behalf of your clients.

By: unliteral

unliteral — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:37:39 -0800

Must have a bit of a backlog there in Illinois. It took 2 years to process this.

By: me & my monkey

me & my monkey — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:40:26 -0800

I'm a little disappointed that there's not a photograph of this tool. Craigslist doesn't allow dick pics, right?

By: book 'em dano

book 'em dano — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:44:19 -0800

I get so much pleasure in flagging the shit out of these type of ads on Craigslist. "I'll pay you $50 a day to feed my cat. P.S. You have to dress like slave Leia while doing so."

By: unliteral

unliteral — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:47:49 -0800

Maybe he thought someone like Lee Holloway would apply.

By: planet

planet — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:49:21 -0800

Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?

By: Winnemac

Winnemac — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:54:11 -0800

The job was posted in the adult gigs section. Pay looks good, includes healthcare, 401(k), dental plan, life insurance. The poster is quite up front about what he is expecting. This is probably more legit than 90% of the non-illegal help wanted ads out there actually.

By: Ron Thanagar

Ron Thanagar — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:54:43 -0800

Lawyers. Always looking to screw someone. *runs away*

By: a robot made out of meat

a robot made out of meat — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:58:07 -0800

As valkyrn put it, "Filming sex with a client's wife as payment for legal services? That's a suspension." I'm thinking that a bar discipline blogfeed would be highly entertaining.

By: winna

winna — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:58:55 -0800

Considering how inflated job requirements are these days, I'm amazed the ad asked simply to be able to do the required tasks. Lately all the job ads I've seen are so hyperbolic this ad would currently require nine years of experience as a sex worker and paralegal at a white-shoe law firm with signed affidavits of enjoyment from Larry Flynt, Arnold and that creepy guy who runs American Apparel.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:11:45 -0800

This ad is pretty gross for many reasons, and several people have pointed those out. But the grossest bits of it, to me, are the references to past applicants: “Lastly, we've actually hired a couple of girls in the past for this position. But they have not been able to handle the sexual aspect of the job later.” Ugh. At least people who responded to the ads this time had a heads-up – but those poor women had to deal with bosses who, in some way or fashion, introduced to them the idea that part of their job would be to service them sexually, and after they'd been hired. Ugh, ugh, ugh. I guess that, being lawyers, they figured out a way to bring that up to their employees in a way that wasn't harassment, but it's hard for me to imagine how.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:14:30 -0800

(Ah – apparently he was not actually practicing, and that was just bunkum. Well, good. Still: ugh.)

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:58:28 -0800

Someone saw The Secretary and thought it was the basis for some solid lifestyle choices.

By: Leezie

Leezie — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:05:03 -0800

Oh, I just love lawyers behaving badly. They are so creative in what they cook up. This is one of my current favs.

By: markkraft

markkraft — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:43:29 -0800

Apparently, Samir is still on the market, for those of you who are Muslim and would like to nab a famous lawyer. Only disbarred in one state!

By: sbutler

sbutler — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:38:56 -0800

I think I saw this on Arrested Development...

By: CautionToTheWind

CautionToTheWind — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:29:36 -0800

Imagine having to seriously consider going to this interview. If you can imagine, then you will have a glimpse of the poverty now being forced on so many.

By: klarck

klarck — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:33:08 -0800

Give the poor guy a break - this just more class warfare against the Job Creators.

By: resurrexit

resurrexit — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:20:21 -0800

Please drop off your application in person at Dewey, Screwem & Howe.

By: DU

DU — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:23:28 -0800

At least people who responded to the ads this time had a heads-up – but those poor women had to deal with bosses who, in some way or fashion, introduced to them the idea that part of their job would be to service them sexually, and after they'd been hired. I don't see how you drew that conclusion. The way I read it, they did the same hiring process except with this latest ad they are also auditioning the sex part during the interview.

By: the cydonian

the cydonian — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:29:56 -0800

Found the timeline interesting; wasn't immediately obvious, but seems like the advert/ complaint went ahead in June 2009, ruled upon in July 2011, and just been upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court. Is that the chain? Then there's this curious nugget:

In a 2009 interview with Ashby Jones, Chowhan admitted to the racy ad and follow-up email. "I did do that," he said. Chowhan said that he was winding up his immigration practice, and "curiosity" got the better of him. "I wasn't intending to hire anyone," he added. "I was just screwing around, just curious to know if anyone would respond. Unfortunately, someone did."

Given that two years have passed between the original complaint and now, someone with more google-fu than me could easily check if he has been indeed practising for the last two years. Also, if the guy welcomed the suspension as the WSJ blog puts it, who or why has this been referred to the Illinois Supreme Court?

By: anniecat

anniecat — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:22:33 -0800

I was depressed to learn he was Indian. I'm going to go check SepiaMutiny now.

By: anniecat

anniecat — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:23:07 -0800

I mean, I could tell from the name. But when I saw the original post on Above the Law, I was depressed then.

By: reenum

reenum — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:26:56 -0800

From what I found, he may have been practicing in Indiana while the Illinois complaint was being decided.

By: the cydonian

the cydonian — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:35:54 -0800

I mean, I could tell from the name. But when I saw the original post on Above the Law, I was depressed then. I'm sure he's American. :) _{(Even at that, he could be of Bangladeshi or Pakistani extraction, not necessarily Indian)}