Imprisoned class action lawyer Bill Lerach, who was recently upgraded to a high-security suite after he attempted to give a guard football tickets, has fired high-power criminal defense attorney John Keker of San Francisco and retained Michael Lipman of the San Diego firm Coughlan, Semmer & Lipman.
Speculation is that the change was a result of Keker's apparent failure to get Lerach into an alcohol treatment program -- which is seen by some corporate convicts as a ticket to an early release. Lerach agreed to serve a maximum of 24 months in prison.