Newsday from New York, New York • 8

A8 Getting up and running vising the emergency protocols to improve coordination with fire and rescue personnel On April 18 68 people were trapped after the electrical system shut down The diesel-powered backup also foiled Rescue workers used an emergency cage and later a crane to bring commuters down safely unfortunate what happened but the bottom line is that it taught us what has to be done to make it even more Berman said Berman also announced a 812-million to $15-million overhaul of the 30-year-old system replacing virtually every piece of equipment from tram cars to operating systems The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp has consulted the City Council about starting ferry or water taxi service while the work is done The modernization effort could start in 2009 state has already pledged its Berman said of the overhaul Jim Fletcher an engineering consultant blamed the April 18 shutdown on a latent in the motor controller The diesel- VtOkcl rUJktaCU Roosevelt Island Operating Corp head says trams could be running by early fall after upgrades made BY RAY SANCHEZ STAFF WRITER The Roosevelt Island Tramway could resume service in the early fall after a half million dollars in mechanical upgrades officials said yesterday Herb Berman president of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp which runs the tramway said a series of backups to the electrical systems should prevent another shutdown like the one that left dozens of commuters hanging above the East River for nearly 12 hours last month is our hope and anticipation that be the earliest part of the fall" Berman said of the reopening The upgrades include the addition of a second electrical motor controller that can be placed into service moments after the failure of the primary motor unit The primary electrical system NtftabAY KrtOIU Herb Berman the Roosevelt Operating Corp foiled last president of Island yesterday NEWSDAY HU PHOTO ROftERT MEUA East River on April 18 after the tramway's electrical system failed month after a wiring problem the event one of them goes down the flick of a switch will connect it over to the other one" Berman said at a Roosevelt Island news conference In addition anew diesel-powered emergency backup system will replace one that also failed last month A refurbished DC motor will serve as yet another backup Officials will also be re- ciation need Berman noting that tram rid-ership has increased 45 percent in the last two years said no thought had been given to shutting it down permanently the transit strike took place this tram was running about three times the amount of passengers that it normally runs round-the-clock every few minutes and it responded he said a lot of life left in the powered backup failed after relay switch malfunction likely resulting from the intrusion of dust and dirt into the inner Berman said issue is dealing with 30-year-old Fletcher said After the news conference several Roosevelt Island residents complained about the difficulty of getting around without the tram A private bus has been shuttling commuters to Queens the payments Paul Seltzer another lawyer in Palm Springs was also charged The charges include money laundering perjury bribery and obstruction of justice in more than 150 lawsuits against a wide swath of corporate America More than $200 million in fees was collected in the cases prosecutors said Melvyn Weiss the lead part- Legal troubles Feared law practice now seems less formidable after indictments Top law firm hit with fraud charges A tram car dangles above the and the Upper East Side The tram stop has been more crowded than usual they said tram has proved to be extremely necessary said Sherie Helstien secretary of the Roosevelt Island Residents Asso tier at Milberg Weiss and William Lerach former partner who now leads a spin-off San Diego firm were told in February that prosecutors have plans to charge them in the case The charges which legal experts say involve the largest US law firm ever indicted might inhibit Milberg! ability to represent clients in securities cases go into court as an indicted entity and say you ought to be able to represent the said Adam Pritchard a securities law professor at the University of Michigan Law School unfathomable to me that any judge would approve an in dicted firm as counsel for the lead "The allegations of wrongdoing have been categorically denied by the indicted partners and the firm intends to join with them in vigorously defending against the Milberg Weiss said in the statement Milberg Weiss officials said Weiss declined to comment Andrew Lawler an attorney representing Bershad and Herbert Stem a lawyer for Schulman immediately return calls seeking comment Bershad and Schulman took leaves of absence this week from the firm Prosecutors said the firm from 1984 through 2005 pud three clients more than $11 million secret and illegal for cases in which the firm made $216J million in fees The payments were made through intermediary lawyers or other professionals Two of the clients Howard Vogel and Steven Cooperman have reached plea agreements with prosecutors and agreed to cooperate with the investigation A third Seymour Lazar was charged with mail fraud and money laundering last year and refused to assist prosecutors This story was supplemented with Associated Press and Reuters reports BLOOMBERG NEWS Milberg Weiss Bershad Schulman the law firm that has won more than $45 billion for investors in securities-ffaud cases and two of its partners were charged with participating in a scheme to pay illegal kickbacks to clients In a 20-count indictment the Manhattan-based Arm and attorneys David Bershad and Steven Schulman were charged with secretly paying about $24 million to co-defendant Seymour Lazar a Palm Springs Calif lawyer and others to act as plaintiffs in class actions since 1984 and concealing NEWSDAY FRIDAY MAY 19 2006.