A former Los Angeles-based Dentons associate accused of trying to extort money from the firm has entered a guilty plea to a lesser criminal charge, admitting that he illegally accessed sensitive documents about the firm's hiring and billing practices.

The onetime Dentons lawyer, Michael Potere, 32, was arrested on June 22. Prosecutors accused him of downloading sensitive documents from the firm, then threatening to leak information to the legal blog Above The Law unless he was provided $210,000 and a piece of artwork from Dentons' Los Angeles office.

Michael Potere

Under a plea deal, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss an underlying indictment that included a more severe charge of extortion against Potere, which could have resulted in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if he were convicted.

With his plea, Potere admitted to accessing confidential Dentons documents related to the firm's finances, billing and hiring efforts, including quarterly financial reports, a list of clients and how much they owed in legal fees, confidential employment reviews of other associates and a “detailed analysis” describing lateral recruitment efforts and offers made to potential hires, according to court records.

In the original criminal complaint against Potere, filed in court in June, the federal government said he had accessed the confidential information in a relatively simple way, using the login credentials of a partner with whom he had previously worked on a case. Most of Potere's plot to shake down Dentons took place in May and June, according to court records.

Dentons cooperated with law enforcement and dismissed Potere. Several partners gave interviews to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and at least two unnamed partners worked with the agency to obtain video and audio recordings of a meeting with Potere about his demands, according to the original criminal complaint.

Following Potere's arrest in June, Dentons said in a statement that it had “taken appropriate and necessary steps to protect the safety of our employees, the confidentiality of our clients, and the property of our firm.”

Potere's lawyer didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Correction: An earlier version of this story included a sentence inaccuratey suggesting that prosecutors would recommend leniency in connection with Potere's sentencing. We regret the error.

A former Los Angeles-based Dentons associate accused of trying to extort money from the firm has entered a guilty plea to a lesser criminal charge, admitting that he illegally accessed sensitive documents about the firm's hiring and billing practices.

The onetime Dentons lawyer, Michael Potere, 32, was arrested on June 22. Prosecutors accused him of downloading sensitive documents from the firm, then threatening to leak information to the legal blog Above The Law unless he was provided $210,000 and a piece of artwork from Dentons' Los Angeles office.