How did a leading US law firm that was 'in court every day' lose its way? Julie Triedman charts the fall of a legal empire

In the end it would 
take Howrey chief executive, managing partner, and chair Robert Ruyak two tries to deliver the bad news to his partners.

Inside a conference centre in suburban Virginia on the afternoon of 12 November 2010, Ruyak was facing questions about the firm's relationship with its primary lender, Citibank. The annual leadership meeting, which roughly 50 partners attended, was an especially urgent one, as it had become apparent that the firm was about to post poor results for a second year.