The Hindu Business Line : Victims of fraud, he's your darling

YOU know Spiderman, not Snyderman. But he's `coming soon,' screams www.snyderwins.com, the Web site of Stephen L. Snyder, a Baltimore lawyer who proclaims himself as `Litigator for Hire.' He's been spending a million to run full-page ads in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and so on, inviting prospective clients to his URL, if they have "a billion-dollar set of facts."

I hit the site to check out: "Many will try. Few will enter," reads the homepage, posing a set of three questions to see if "Snyder will take your case."

After I clear that hurdle, Snyder asks: "Guess what a Big Four accounting firm did after I beat them in a $185-million corporate conflicts case." Answer: "They hired me, of course." The bean counter in question is Ernst &Young that figures in three of the five cases listed as the lawyer's accomplishments.

"Snyder is a master at uncomplicating the complicated and getting the largest result in the shortest amount of time," announces the page. And there's more: "He has a chess grandmaster's ability to think several moves ahead; a gambler's willingness to sink huge money into case preparation; and, above all, an actor's instinct for his audiences. Juries love his flair for the dramatic. For those victimised by fraud or corporate conflicts-of-interest, nobody's better."

A 1999 article in Baltimore Sun, included in Snyder's site, describes him as "a strutting, shouting, weeping, cajoling master of the jury case," and also reports how his critics look at him as "more showman than lawyer, a flashy cynic who manipulates unsophisticated jurors by twisting the facts." And Snyder talks of `vibes' and `messages' he gets from jurors; and of how he `empowers' them to award big money.

There's a charity angle to the man and that's prominent. For instance, a press release of the University of Baltimore for its Law School Litigation Skills Week in the second week of March speaks of a `generous gift' from Snyder that helped it redesign its facility "to reflect the evolving direction of legal education and provide a proper setting for the future." And the United Cerebral Palsy Associations Inc too recognises his munificence.

One of the early wins the lawyer scored was against a radiation therapist who had overdosed his patients. Thus, the site of his firm, Snyder Slutkin & Kopec, lists, under `Medical Malpractice,' news headlines of cases that were won, such as: `Crash victim awarded $7.39 million settlement,' `Woman who lost leg after surgery awarded $2 million,' `$12 million for malpractice,' `Patient awarded $1.67 million,' `Girl, obstetrician reach $4.1 million malpractice settlement' ...

The E&Y verdict was about how the consultant failed in a business turnaround of a clothing chain named Merry-Go-Round Enterprises. For Snyder, however, accountants were no different from doctors. Another early win was against United Cable Television for more than $100 million. Also listed in the site is a December 2004 case where E&Y agreed to pay $125 million to the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission over the collapse of a sub-urban bank.

For those who have the right case to fight, there's Steve@litigationteam.com, provided you can find the fee first.

ExParte@TheHindu.co.in

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Victims of fraud, he's your darling

Tropical look

The trendy Panerai

Women's day out

Now pay channel broadcasters seek guarantee fees from cable operators

Handicrafts expo