Law firm gets back in the game.
Orlando-based KEL law firm, whose leading partners have faced discipline by the Florida Supreme Court twice, is rebranding as LawyerASAP.
A new website, LawyerASAP.com, launched recently with a virtually identical roster of attorneys and other features similar to the former KELattorneys.com.
But three attorneys no longer appear on either website: founding partners Jerry Kaufman, Matt Englett and Craig Lynd.
They were reprimanded last year for failing to communicate properly with clients about foreclosure cases during the Great Recession — and for allowing non-attorney staff to share in legal fees. Before that, back in 2010, all three also received admonishments for violating advertising rules.
The Sentinel received several reader tips about the new website with the same attorneys as KEL. Attempts to reach Kaufman, Englett and Lynd were not successful. According to GoDaddy’s website ownership database, LawyerASAP.com is owned by Kaufman.
It’s not uncommon for companies who get in trouble to rebrand themselves, said Peter Boyd, an attorney who also runs a web design firm called Paperstreet in Fort Lauderdale.
“I have seen it in the past where firms that get into trouble just open up another firm, with the same people. It’s easier for smaller businesses,” Boyd said. “People have also done this if they are banned by Google for some reason, with a new name and new website.”
He said there’s no rule about listing every attorney on a law firm’s website, “but if they are doing work still, it seems a bit disingenuous.”
Skin-cream wars
Skin-cream giant Jeunesse Global, which is based in the Orlando area, has lobbed a lawsuit at its former sales chief over allegations that he ripped off the formula for Jeunesse’s anti-aging serum.
Annual revenue for Jeunesse in 2014 was reported at more than $400 million.
The company says it has about 400,000 “direct selling” distributors for its products around the globe.
Jeunesse claims that Darren Jensen, now CEO of competitor LifeVantage, stole secrets of its serum, Instantly Ageless. The suit alleges that Jensen helped LifeVantage copy the formula and launch its own serum called TruScience. Jensen worked at Jeunesse from 2012 to May 2015.
Jeunesse also claims that Jensen contacted its sellers and tried other methods to move business from Jeunesse to LifeVantage. Jensen’s actions allegedly violated a separation agreement he had signed with Jeunesse.
Jensen has denied the allegations in a formal answer to the lawsuit filing, and claims that any
damages Jeunesse suffered were not caused by him, and that Jeunesse “failed to mitigate” damages.
Formerly based in Altamonte Springs, Jeunesse purchased a new office building in Heathrow last year.
IRS indictment
A former Republican candidate for Congress, Bruce William O’Donoghue, is set for arraignment Friday on an IRS indictment for alleged tax evasion.
O’Donoghue, of Winter Park, tried to run against U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, in 2010, but did not receive the Republican nomination. During his campaign, the IRS filed a lien against O’Donoghue for failure to pay $219,962, plus interest and penalties, in payroll tax for his engineering company.
At the time, O’Donoghue claimed that the problem stemmed from his former financial officer embezzling from him.
On Wednesday, the IRS filed an sixcount indictment alleging unpaid payroll tax in 2009 and 2010. The IRS also alleges that O’Donoghue borrowed $125,000 from his company — Control Specialists Co. — for his campaign, and failed to pay the money back.
O’Donoghue’s attorney, Stephen Calvacca, said Friday that O’Donoghue has paid some of the money back and is prepared to pay it all back.
“We are preparing to pay back $375,000 to meet the IRS demands,” Calvacca said. “I think this is a wrong-headed prosecution.”