DLA Piper says Morgan Lewis & Bockius bungled representing one-time client BDO Seidman LLP. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher says DLA Piper should be sanctioned for articulating that fantasy. And Bingham McCutchen argues Gibson Dunn shouldn’t be allowed in the case at all.
The firms are pointing fingers at one another in a $9 million malpractice lawsuit brought by BDO against Morgan Lewis in the District of Columbia Superior Court. The Chicago-based accounting and consulting firm accuses Morgan Lewis of professional negligence, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and constructive fraud. BDO argues that, over a period of several years, Morgan Lewis breached its professional obligations to BDO “with disastrous results.” The $9 million accounts for the fees that BDO paid to Morgan Lewis. BDO, which is represented by Lucinda Bach, a Washington partner at DLA Piper, has also asked for as-yet-uncalculated damages.
