A year or so after leaving a firm, then named Newman Schlau, P.C., where I was the administrator, I was shocked to read in the New York Law Journal that my replacement had been arrested for theft of significant funds from the firm. That was a long time ago, but recently, in the process of unravelling and documenting a similar theft for a law firm client, I was surprised to learn from bank officers and insurance claim agents that theft (a.k.a., embezzlement) at law firms (and other entities) was a fairly common happenstance.
I was even more surprised to learn that such thefts most frequently were by long-term trusted employees, and even by relatives of partners, owners or officers. I guess you need to be a trusted employee to be placed in a position that allows you to steal.
