Susan Beck

June 05, 2006 | Law.com

What happened behind the scenes of the Sunbeam case that cost Morgan Stanley $1.6 billion? The record shows that the company and its in-house lawyers made some horrendous miscalculations and engaged in discovery misconduct -- although it's not clear to what extent those acts were intentional. What is clear: The case cost Morgan Stanley general counsel Donald Kempf Jr. his job and his relationship with his old firm, Kirkland & Ellis, which Kempf wound up firing as lead counsel on the Sunbeam case.

By Susan Beck

52 minute read

October 01, 2004 | Corporate Counsel

Ou want to be Dan Webb. You want Jack Welch calling you when his divorce gets ugly. You want John Reed, a man you've never met before, asking you to get to the bottom of how Richard Grasso ended up with nearly $200 million from the New York Stock Exchange. You want former Illinois governor George Ryan reaching out to you when federal prosecutors indict him for fraud and racketeering. You want The New York Times anointing you a superlawyer; clients falling over themselves to pay your $700-an-hour f

By Susan Beck

24 minute read

June 01, 2007 | The American Lawyer

By Susan Beck

29 minute read

December 06, 2006 | Law.com

Wilson Sonsini Chairman Larry Sonsini, who has plotted his career and his law firm's path to dominance with the precision and focus of a master, found himself this year in a place he never expected to be: testifying before Congress on his role as outside counsel to Hewlett-Packard, caught up in a boardroom spying scandal. Sonsini and his firm have faced criticism before -- over alleged conflicts and investments in client stock -- but now they face a crisis that might not blow over.

By Susan Beck

26 minute read

June 04, 2007 | Law.com

When Houston's Bracewell & Patterson hired Rudolph Giuliani as partner two years ago, they got a real catch who would bring instant name recognition to the firm's fledgling New York office. In return, Giuliani got a pile of cash, an easy job and partners with ties to Texas Republicans. But politics can test the best of unions. In recent months the political spotlight has become increasingly uncomfortable for the former New York City mayor, the firm -- now known as Bracewell & Giuliani -- and its clients.

By Susan Beck

29 minute read

April 01, 2006 | Law.com

By Susan Beck

52 minute read