Is Adams & Reese the Al Capone of Louisiana law firms?
by Penny Brown - Baton Rouge Business Report (excerpt)

THE PERDIGAO PLOT

Is Adams & Reese the Al Capone of Louisiana law firms?

That’s the question at the heart of an incendiary civil lawsuit filed last month in New Orleans federal court.

James Perdigao, a former lawyer at the firm accused of swindling $30 million⎯offers an insider’s account that, if even partially true, makes John Grisham’s The Firm read like a child’s bedtime story and might cast some doubt on the conviction of former Gov. Edwin Edwards.

Through the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act [RICO], Perdigao insists Adams & Reese’s rap sheet includes bribery, wire and mail fraud, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and retaliation, and other misdeeds.

The firm and eight of its lawyers--including Charles P. Adams Jr. himself--are named as the only defendants. But there’s a cast of heavy hitters in the 73-page filing, many of whom have their own troubles: U.S. Congressman William Jefferson [himself under indictment for unrelated racketeering], former U.S. Attorney [and fallen district attorney] Eddie Jordan, former Treasure Chest Casino owner and snitch extraordinaire Robert Guidry, former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, former Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley, convicted former Film Commissioner Mark Smith [bribes for inflated tax credits], convicted WorldCom fraudster Bernie Ebbers and part-time Orleans Parish traffic court judge and aspiring appellate judge Ronald Sholes.