Legendary law professor Arthur R. Miller has joined class action law firm Milberg as a special counsel.
Miller will head Milberg's appellate practice while maintaining his position as a professor at New York University School of Law.
"I believe deeply in the importance of providing effective legal representation for people and groups who traditionally have been under-represented. That is why I joined Milberg," Miller said in a statement.
The professor, who taught civil procedure at Harvard Law School for 36 years before joining NYU last year, called Milberg an "absolutely first rate litigation firm" and said the firm's work for consumers and investors was more important than ever in light of the poor economy.
Milberg's reputation, never strong in the business community, has been damaged in recent years by the indictments and subsequent guilty pleas of four former name partners, including co-founder Melvyn I. Weiss, who paid millions in kickbacks to name plaintiffs in securities class actions. The firm itself agreed earlier this year to pay $75 million to avoid prosecution over the scheme.
Miller has worked with Melvyn Weiss on litigation in the past, and he appeared for the firm before the U.S. Supreme Court last year to argue against restrictions on shareholder suits in Tellabs Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 127 S. Ct. 2499.
When Mel Weiss was sentenced in June, Miller was among the many in the legal community who wrote letters requesting leniency. In addition to his work as a professor and practitioner, Miller is also a well-known TV personality, having hosted several law-themed programs on public television over the years.
