Assistant Corporation Counsel Suspended

The New Jersey Supreme Court imposed a suspension of one year and untiul further court order of an attorney who pleaded guilty to attempted criminal coercion, official action, a third-degree crime.

The attorney was an Assistant Corporation Counsel. He threatened to file a lawsuit against the Corporation Counsel Director unless he was promoted and paid $750,000. He claimed that the Director had improperly awarded a city contract to his former employer and had engaged in workplace discrimination.

The evidence was a memo and email as well as a recorded conversation in  which the attorney demanded payment and promotion for his silence. (Mike Frisch)