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Hillbroom hires Palau lawyer, looks for local counsel
Junior Larry Hillbroom has hired a new lawyer from Palau and is looking for a lawyer in the CNMI to serve as his local counsel in connection with his lawsuit in federal court against his former counsels, David J. Lujan and Barry Israel, and trustee Keith Waibel.
At a status conference held in the U.S. District Court for the NMI on Wednesday, Hillbroom, who is currently detained in Palau, appeared telephonically.
According to the minutes of the conference, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona addressed the issue of Hillbroom’s efforts to obtain new counsel.
The Girardi and Keese law firm withdrew as original counsel for Hillbroom. Attorney Mark Hanson also withdrew as local counsel for Hillbroom.
At the status conference, Hillbroom disclosed that he hired attorney Vameline Singeo to represent him and that once they find local counsel in the CNMI to work with, they can submit all the motions that are going forward. He also stated that there are no plans to change the trial date of his lawsuit.
Hillbroom stated that if a local counsel is found, they are ready to show up in all depositions.
Saipan Tribune learned that Singeo was formally sworn in as a Palauan lawyer in February 2010. She graduated in 2009 from the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she was a dean’s lister.
Hillbroom is suing Lujan and Israel for allegedly conspiring with a former trustee to inflate their attorney’s contingency fee when Hillblom’s fortune was still undergoing probate proceeding. He also sued trustee Waibel.
The trial of Hillbroom lawsuit is currently set for a jury trial on Feb. 22, 2017.
