A prominent and politically connected South Florida attorney was being investigated by his own firm for financial irregularities in an investment business that led his law partner to seek dissolution Monday.

The attorney, Scott Rothstein, and partner Stuart Rosenfeldt founded the firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler in 2002. Now Rosenfeldt is seeking to dissolve their partnership and have the 70-lawyer firm placed into court-supervised receivership "to minimize any further damage caused by Mr. Rothstein," according to court documents.

"A review of the firm's records undertaken this past weekend indicates that various funds unrelated to the direct practice of law cannot be accounted for, circumstances suggesting that investor money may have been misused by Mr. Rothstein who controlled all such accounts," Rosenfeldt said in the court papers.

A lawyer for some investors, Jeff Sonn, said initial estimates of the missing cash range from $100 million to $185 million.

"Nobody knows for sure," Sonn said.

At a brief hearing, Circuit Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld put off a decision on appointing a receiver by a day, in part to find out if Rothstein plans to return from an undisclosed foreign country to contest the move.

"This is an extraordinary effort that would have to be undertaken on an immediate basis," Streitfeld said. "Let's take a deep breath and see where we're going."

Neither Rothstein nor his attorney immediately returned telephone calls and e-mails seeking comment. An attorney hired by Rosenfeldt, former Miami U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey, said he has been assured that Rothstein will return to the U.S. Coffey also said he has notified federal prosecutors about possible criminal wrongdoing at the firm.

Leading international law firm SJ Berwin has opened an office in Shanghai.

The office is the firm’s third opening this year, its second in East Asia and its 12th office worldwide. It follows the opening of the regional office of SJ Berwin for East Asia in Hong Kong in April 2009 and the formal opening of its Dubai office last month.

SJ Berwin’s application for a license to operate a Representative Office in Shanghai was granted on 28 August 2009 at an official ceremony at the Ministry of Justice in Beijing. The new office for SJ Berwin in Shanghai, China opened in October 2009, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

The business of the office will start by focusing on Fund Formation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity and Real Estate, reflecting the traditional key strengths of SJ Berwin.

Jonathan Blake, Senior Partner of SJ Berwin, said: “This is a further step in our strategy of international development in our core areas, and reinforces our confidence in the expansion and growth of our firm worldwide.”

Daniel Liew, Asia Managing Partner of SJ Berwin, said: “China’s impressive economic growth continues despite the global economic challenges, and client demand is high for dedicated, capable and experienced legal resources able to assist with both inbound and outbound cross-border legal work involving China.”

Luke James Stobie, Attorney at Law, has been accepting clients since Oct. 1 at his new general practice law firm at 10702 Manchester Road, Suite 208, in Kirkwood.

The Stobie Law Firm, LLC is a general practice law firm that provides effective, vigorous representation on a primarily flat fee basis. Areas of practice include, but are not limited to: wills/estate planning, criminal defense, traffic tickets, DWI defense, business law, divorce, civil litigation, and Second Amendment law.

Stobie practices primarily on a flat fee basis. Clients pay a set amount for their case even if the matter takes more time than expected. Stobie said clients will never be surprised by an unexpected bill or have to worry about how much a pone call to discuss their matter will cost.

Initial consultations are free and have no commitment. Stobie, a graduate of Kirkwood High School and Saint Louis University School of Law, opened the Stobie Law Firm to provide affordable general practice legal services to the St. Louis area.

For more information, call 856-9645 or visit www.stobielaw.com.

The Milwaukee-based office of Foley & Lardner LLP says the law firm has received a $208 million contract from the National Institutes of Health.

Foley says the contract calls for it to provide intellectual-property services for up to 10 years.

The law firm says it will begin performing work this month on issues related to biotechnology patents, as well as to patents for mechanical, electrical and software technology.

The firm says lawyers in its Boston, San Diego, Madison and Washington, D.C. offices will work on the contract. Its intellectual-property practice has nearly 240 attorneys.

The NIH is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.

Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, is pleased to announce the addition of Margaret A. ("Maggie") Clemens, a Rochester-based, nationally recognized ERISA litigator. Ms. Clemens recently joined Littler to open its 49th office in Rochester, New York.

Clemens is a much sought-after trial attorney with significant experience in ERISA and employment litigation - with a specialization in trial and appellate work. She has worked with some of the nation`s largest employers and has counseled clients in a variety of industries, including: manufacturing, communications, health care, higher education, and echnology and defense. Clemens joins Littler from the Rochester office of Nixon Peabody LLP, where she was a partner and the chair of that firm`s ERISA litigation practice group.

"We are thrilled that Maggie has decided to join the Littler team. Her depth of knowledge and experience working with Fortune 100 companies and counseling clients on their complex ERISA and employment litigation needs will strengthen Littler`s presence in the Northeast," said Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of the Firm.

The Web site, tire-defect-law, includes sections on tire anatomy, tire tread separation, aged tires, valve stem defects, Load Range E tires, tire informational markings and tire recalls. It also includes a list of tire-related cases Greene Broillet & Wheeler either won in court or for which it negotiated settlements.

Greene Broillet & Wheeler claims to have conducted successful product liability litigations against most major tire makers. Christine D. Spagnoli, a partner in the firm, is plaintiffs’ liaison counsel for all product liability suits against Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. in California, according to a press release.

“Unfortunately, tire manufacturers and sellers don’t provide adequate warning or instruction to protect consumers and warn them of tire-related dangers,” Ms. Spagnoli said, explaining why the firm decided to establish a tire defects Web site.