Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Bernstein to Jessamy staff: Beat it

Writes our former friend Joe Sviatko:
"Thought you would like to know that my last day in the SAO is January 3, 2011. Your SA-Elect has told me there is no place for me in his administration. ... HR woman gone. Financial guy retired. Deputies gone. Joe and Marty gone. Should be fun for continuity. But he won thanks to you. :) Good luck! No more Joe and Marty to kick around."

10 comments:

Cham said...

I hope Bernstein knows what he is doing because this is going to be a mess otherwise. Flapping your gums is one thing, walking the walk is another.

Sean said...
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Sean said...
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Sean said...

Clearly I have nothing to say about this.

Anonymous said...

He won't change anything in Baltimore. The rot is terminal.

Lawyer said...

He doesn't know what he's doing. He fired a deputy with 30 years of experience who basically ran that office's operations on a day to day basis. Unlike a corporation, there is no contingency plan in the SAO for losing a person who knows as much as he does. That's the SAO's fault, but it's going to hurt Bernstein in a huge, huge way. No one he brings into the office will know what he/she needs to do to keep things running smoothly. Bernstein doesn't even realize what the ASA's do on a daily basis. Unlike a law firm, ASAs stand at the copiers for hours copying their files for discovery, they do their own legal research, they type their own letters to witnesses, they make phone calls to police and witnesses regarding scheduling meetings, they call the police department and beg for reports to be furnished...Bernstein thinks the secretaries or legal assistants (which don't exist in the SAO) do it ('cuz they do at law firms) and he wonders why ASAs don't have time to truly work on trial theory and preparation. They have secretaries who only answer the phones (if that) and 1 or 2 law clerks to units of 10+ attorneys. He will be shocked when he actually takes office.

Lawyer said...

Additionally, Joe Sviatko is a good man and it's a shame he worked for Marty and her reputation somehow rubbed off on him.

Sean said...

So what you're saying, Lawyer (if that IS your real name), what you're saying is the SAO's office, as it currently exists, doesn't function effectively, and attorneys spend their days doing the jobs that should be done by assistants and aren't able to effectively prosecute cases?

Anonymous said...

That's what he is saying. Hire administrative assistants to do the copying and dictation and let the lawyers lawyer. Private firms operate the way they do because they want to make money. Maybe the DA should operate like that.

Anna said...

As someone who has worked with a lot of government spokespersons, I would just like to say that Joe is one of the great ones. He is always helpful and kind and understands that his job is to help people get information, not keep it from them. I will miss working with him a lot.