Ethics
Before joining Anderson Kill, judge was accused of rude behavior on bench, retaliatory threats in ethics case
A former New York judge who joined Anderson Kill last month told Law360 that he made the move because of family considerations and a looming mandatory retirement when he turns 70 years old in a few years. (Image from Shutterstock)
Updated: A former New York judge who joined Anderson Kill last month told Law360 that he made the move because of family considerations and a looming mandatory retirement when he turns 70 years old in a few years.
But former Judge Louis L. Nock did not mention that he joined the law firm on the same day that New York ethics regulators agreed to drop ethics charges against him in return for his agreement to resign from the bench and never accept judicial office again, Law360 reports in a separate story.
Law.com also has coverage.
The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct made the agreement in a stipulation accepted Sept. 18 and made public Sept. 25. He had already resigned, effective Sept. 2.
According to a Sept. 25 press release, written ethics complaints had alleged that Nock:
• Often acted in a rude, demeaning and otherwise unprofessional manner toward court staff.
• Threatened to file attorney grievance complaints against conduct commission staff and witnesses and to file a criminal complaint against another witness, unless the charges against him were dismissed.
Nock had denied all allegations of misconduct but agreed to resign after the commission denied two motions to toss the charges. He began his service as a civil court judge in New York City in 2015 and became an acting supreme court justice, which is a trial-level state court judge, through a 2018 appointment, according to Law.com and Law360.
Anderson Kill told Law360 that Nock disclosed the ethics allegations before he was hired and had explained the matters at issue. There had been no finding of wrongdoing in the ethics case, the firm pointed out.
“We were satisfied that the allegations did not call in question his conduct as a judge or his character,” Anderson Kill said in the statement, which was also provided to Law.com. “Throughout his 11-year career on the New York bench and distinguished decades in private practice preceding his appointment, Justice Nock has been highly respected by the New York legal community, and we are glad to welcome him to our litigation practice.”
Nock’s lawyer, Malcolm S. Taub, also noted that the commission had made no findings of wrongdoing in the ethics case.
“There was no finding; we agreed that there would be no finding and no further charges,” Taub says in an interview with the ABA Journal.
Taub says Nock “vehemently” denies the demeanor allegation, and he “100%” respects the commission staff.
“With regards to my dealing with the commission, they could not have been more professional or willing to come to a positive resolution,” Taub says.
Taub says there was no purpose to continue to fight the ethics case because Nock had already planned to exit the bench. He had been exploring new jobs for a couple of years and had at least two opportunities at the time of his resignation.
“Judge Nock has always maintained that it was his greatest honor to serve as a judge,” Taub says. “And he is equally delighted to be back in private practice with such an amazing firm.”
Taub added in an interview with Law.com that Nock “served in his judicial post with honor and integrity,” and he was respected by lawyers and litigants.
Updated Oct. 9 at 10:17 a.m. to add Malcolm S. Taub’s comments to the ABA Journal.
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