Tamman, a former partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, has a reply brief due today in his appeal from his conviction and seven-year prison sentence for obstructing two Securities and Exchange Commission investigations.
The Santa Monica resident was convicted on Nov. 13, 2012 in U.S. District Court of all 10 counts of an indictment charging him with trying to prevent the SEC from discovering that his client was running a Ponzi scheme.
Following a two-week bench trial, Tamman was found guilty of one count of conspiring to obstruct justice, five counts of altering documents, one count of being an accessory after the fact to his client’s mail and securities fraud crimes, and three counts of aiding and abetting the client’s false testimony before the SEC.
The client, former fund manager and radio personality John Farahi, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for running the scheme, which involved false promises that investors’ money—more than $24 million was collected, prosecutors said—would be invested in corporate bonds backed by the Troubled Assets Relief Program.
Tamman, who had left the firm while the SEC was investigating, is suing Nixon Peabody, contending that he was “thrown under the bus” by the firm, so that his partners could get their hands on his $1.5 million book of business.
The firm contends that it acted properly in firing him when it learned that he was under investigation by the SEC and had not disclosed that fact to the firm, and in cooperating with the SEC.
Tamman’s interim suspension from the State Bar took effect Feb. 18 of last year. An additional suspension for not paying bar dues took effect last July 2.

A ceremonial investiture for the court’s newest judge, Michelle T. Friedland, was held in San Francisco June 13. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, for whom Friedland once worked as a law clerk, administered the oath of office.

U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. was nominated April 3 to succeed Judge Gary Feess, who took senior status March 13.
Scott Yun, a shareholder at the law firm of Stutman, Treister & Glatt, was sworn in as a bankruptcy judge June 23.
Services were held June 9 for retired Bankruptcy Judge Arthur M. Greenwald, who died June 4.

Justice Joyce L. Kennard retired April 5. Justice Marvin Baxter announced June 18 that he will not seek retention in November’s election.

Gov. Jerry Brown appointed eight new judges July 18—former County Bar President Richard J. Burdge Jr., civil attorneys Rupert A. Byrdsong and Christopher K. Lui, Superior Court Commissioner David J. Cowan, former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Brian S. Currey, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherilyn P. Garnett, and Deputy Public Defenders Enrique Monguia and Gustavo N. Sztraicher.
Burdge succeeds Judge Shari K. Silver, who retired Aug. 1 of last year. Byrdsong and Garnett fill vacancies created by conversion of court commissioner positions last year.
Lui succeeds Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell, who joined the federal bench April 30. Cowan fills the vacancy created when Judge Diane Wheatley retired April 16 of last year.
Currey replaces Judge Lawrence Mira, who stepped down last July 24. Monguia is the successor to Judge Dewey L. Falcone, who retired May 8 of last year and died Aug. 15.
Sztraicher succeeds Judge John Reid, who retired June 2 of last year.
Judge Janice Croft retired Feb. 18, Judges David Milton and Michael Solner Feb. 19, Judge Jessica Silvers Feb. 20, Judge John Meigs March 7, Judge R. Bruce Minto March 31, Judge Candace Beason April 15, Judge Ronald Sohigian April 16, Judge Carlos Uranga April 30, and Judge Wendy L. Kohn June 6.
Vacancies created last year that have not been filled include the seats of Judge Charles W. McCoy, who retired Sept. 1, and Judge Cynthia Rayvis, who took disability retirement Aug. 22 and died Dec. 28.
There is a vacancy in a position that the Legislature authorized but has never funded, and five commissioner positions have been converted to judgeships that have not yet been filled. Presiding
Judge David Wesley said he will ask the Legislature to convert seven more commissioner vacancies—resulting from the retirements of Commissioners James Endman, Anthony Jones, John Green, Carol Halowitz, and James Copeland, as well as the appointments of Joel Wallenstein and Lloyd Loomis to judgeships—to judgeships. Another commissioner, Louise Halevy, is on long-term sick leave.
A more recent commissioner vacancy, resulting from the judicial appointment of Commissioner David Cowan, will be filled by electing a new commissioner. Also, Commissioner Mitchell Block is retiring today.
Earlier this month, the court elected three new commissioners—Nancy Ramirez, western regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Deputy Public Defender William L. Sadler; and Robert Palazzolo of the Glendale firm Holmes & Holmes.
Among those whose names have been sent to the JNE Commission as possible judicial appointees to judgeships are Court of Appeal staff attorneys Frank J. Menetrez, Kenneth E. Roberson and Kim Nguyen; Superior Court Commissioners Collette Serio, Marilyn Kading Martinez, Robert Kawahara, Alan Rubin, Emma Castro, Jane Godfrey, Sharon Lewis Miller, Mark Zuckman, Dennis Mulcahy and Kenneth Taylor; Deputy District Attorneys Candace Foy Smith, Leonard Torrealba, Kathleen Tuttle and Brentford Ferreira; State Bar Court Judge Richard Honn; Deputy County Counsels Terry Truong and Julie Ann Silva; Deputy Public DefenderJohan ElFarrah; Glendale attorney Kenneth Wright; Los Angeles attorneys Timothy Martella and Angel Navarro; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Hsu.
The name of Ed Chau was sent to the commission prior to his election to the state Assembly.
Funeral Services were held June 15 for retired Judge Reginald A. Dunn, who died May 29. Services were to be held this past weekend for retired Judges Juleann K. Cathey, who died May 29, and Raymond Cardenas, who died June 22.