When UnitedLex this week announced the sudden departure of James Schellhase from his position as chief executive officer, it seemed a mystery, since he had just celebrated his one-year anniversary in that role and had even just been on my LawNext podcast to reflect on that year — an interview suggested by the company. Even Schellhase’s LinkedIn profile suddenly disappeared.

But the day after his departure, video was posted to the social media platform X showing a man who appears to be Schellhase being confronted by a group of four men associated with Dads Against Predators, which Wikipedia says is a vigilante group whose members pose as minors on the internet to lure men into filmed, live confrontations.

Elsewhere, a cofounder of the group posted screenshots alleged to show chats between Schellhase and someone he thought was a 15-year-old, arranging to meet.

I have no way of confirming the veracity of any of these allegations.

A source inside UnitedLex with knowledge of the situation said that Schellhase’s departure had nothing to do with his work there or any sort of corporate or employment-related malfeasance. The source said that Schellhase had been a good CEO during his tenure and that employees had been excited about the company’s future with him at the helm.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.