Lawyer Sues Ex-Law Firm Partner—His 84-Year-Old Father—in $300K Fee Dispute
When V. Michael Simko Jr. formed a law firm with his father in 1994, they didn’t bother signing an operating agreement. But in recent years, the father-son team disagreed over control, money and technology, leading to a split and a lawsuit.
Now Simko Jr. wants an accounting and $300,000 in fees he claims are due, the Connecticut Law Tribune reports. The trial is scheduled for May 19 in Bridgeport, Conn., superior court.
Simko Jr. says his father, Vincent M. Simko Sr., formerly a state representative and a local bar president, discussed retiring or taking a less active role, but it never happened.
“His style is he wants to pull the strings, and he just can’t give that up,” Simko Jr., 53, told the Connecticut Law Tribune. He left The Simko Law Firm in December 2007 and filed suit the next month. He now has a solo practice in Shelton, Conn.
Simko Sr. had handled business law cases, while Simko Jr. did construction law and represented workers in employee rights cases, the story says. The plaintiffs cases were one of the sources of disagreement. Simko Jr. told the Law Tribune that he wanted a line of credit so he could handle contingency cases, but borrowing money “was anathema to my father.”
Another problem, Simko Jr. said, was that his father disagreed with his efforts to move toward a paperless office where all information and data was stored electronically.
Simko admits that the lawsuit has been tough on the family. “It’s very ugly, and it’s a sad situation,” he told the publication. “This has strained family relationships, unfortunately.”
