Brian T. Valery convinced colleagues, clients and judicial officials that he had earned his position at a major Manhattan law firm. But by billing Norwalk, Conn., client Purdue Pharma based on his lawyer’s salary, he was actually stealing money. That’s because Valery never was a lawyer in the first place.
When he applied for — and was later granted — pro hac vice admission in 2005 in Stamford Superior Court, he signed an affidavit attesting to his status as a New York lawyer in good standing. Little did anyone know that the Anderson, Kill & Olick employee had fabricated most everything about his legal background, from his Fordham Law School education to his passing of the New York bar exam.
