Judicial Notice (12.11.21): Money Problems
A lawyer turned bank robber, the Davis Polk bonuses, and other legal news from the week that was.
Things are starting to slow down for the holidays, but I still had a busy week—in a good way.
First, my friend Laurie Lin and I published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing the practice of judges changing their retirement plans because of issues with their likely successors (a topic that I had mentioned I might be returning to). Second, I participated in two events—a panel discussion about the legal job market sponsored by Leopard Solutions, and a “fireside chat” with Rachel Brand, vice president of global governance and chief legal officer at Walmart, that was broadcast to members of the global governance team. Third, Zach Sandberg of Lateral Link and I recorded a new episode of our podcast, Movers, Shakers, and Rainmakers, focusing on—what else?—associate bonuses.
Oh, and I finished (most of) our family’s holiday shopping. Given all the supply-chain problems, this is not the year to procrastinate; I have ordered some items that are scheduled to arrive perilously close to Christmas.
Now, on to the news.
Lawyer of the Week: Aaron Patrick Honaker.
Many of you are familiar with the inspiring story of Shon Hopwood, bank robber turned lawyer. Today I’d like to share with you the less-inspiring story of Aaron Patrick Honaker, lawyer turned bank robber:
After robbing two banks and attempting to rob three more in fall 2020, former Miami attorney Aaron Honaker was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment this month by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke, according to a Thursday press release by the Department of Justice.
Honaker worked at Greenberg Traurig between 2008 and 2011. He later moved on to Salazar Jackson, the business boutique now known as Salazar Law that formed in 2012 with former Greenberg Traurig lawyers Luis Salazar and Linda Jackson.
Unlike Hopwood, who was actually a decent bank robber—he hit five banks, stole more than $100,000, and didn’t get caught until ten months after the first robbery—Honaker was not so talented. He tried to rob five banks, successfully robbed only two, stole less than $2,000, and got arrested five days after the last attempt.
What explains a seemingly successful lawyer’s descent into crime? It’s unclear, but it sounds like a sad story. According to the Miami Herald, Honaker told police that he was homeless and estranged from his family.
At sentencing, several other inmates submitted supportive letters on Honaker’s behalf. They described him as “kind-hearted, respectful, smart, and a ‘willing to give you the shirt off his back’ kind of guy.” They also noted that he was using his legal training to help other prisoners with their cases.
Successfully serving as a “jailhouse lawyer” is how Shon Hopwood turned his life around. Here’s hoping Aaron Honaker can do the same.
In nominations news, the Senate confirmed eight U.S. attorneys this week—including Rachael Rollins (D. Mass.), who needed help from Vice President Kamala Harris en route to a 51-50 confirmation. But even with these additions, some two-thirds of U.S. attorney positions remain vacant, which could hamper the Biden Administration’s effort to crack down on white-collar crime.
In memoriam: former Senator Bob Dole (R-Kansas) passed away last Sunday, at the age of 98. He’s most remembered for his political career, which included serving as Senate majority leader and running as the Republican presidential nominee in the 1996 election, but he was a lawyer as well. After his heroic service in World War II, Dole earned a law degree from Washburn Law, and after his political career, he worked as a special counsel at Alston & Bird. May he rest in peace.
Judge of the Week: Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.
Justice Neil Gorsuch is the only member of the Supreme Court who has not yet been Judge of the Week (even though some of his colleagues have been JOTW more than once). But that changes today, thanks to his authorship of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, the closely watched challenge to Senate Bill 8 (“S.B. 8”), Texas’s controversial new abortion law.
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