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It’s not just bankruptcy deals that are sucking up massive amounts of BigLaw resources.
Big Tobacco just suffered a big RICO loss at the DC Circuit, and there were major law firms all over the place.
One commenter called the MBIA suit a “Big Law orgy.” Well that deal has nothing on US v. Philip Morris et al. (D.C. Cir. No. 06-5267, May 22, 2009).
After the jump, we’ve tracked down the BigLaw firms working on the suit. There were at least a dozen, by our count.
First, the merits, as the National Law Journal put it:
The court, upholding a trial judge’s landmark ruling, found tobacco companies liable in a decades-long conspiracy to deceive consumers (pdf)about the adverse health effects of smoking, a substantial win for the Justice Department in a closely watched RICO case. The appeals court, however, rejected the government’s request to seize billions of dollars in corporate profit from companies that include Altria Group, Reynolds, and Brown and Williamson.
On to BigLaw.
According to the opinion, Michael A. Carvin of Jones Day and Miguel A. Estrada, co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s appellate practice, argued for Big Tobacco.
Just from major firms, they were joined on the brief by:
- Guy Miller Struve and Charles S. Duggan, of Davis Polk,
- David M. Bernick and associate John K. Crisham, of Kirkland & Ellis,
- Michael S. Fried, Peter J. Biersteker and Robert F. McDermott, Jr., of Jones Day
- Bruce G. Sheffler, of Chadbourne & Parke,
- Joseph Kresse, of Covington & Burling, and
- Deborah Israel, of Womble Carlyle.
Other BigLaw attorneys “entering appearances” for Big Tobacco were
- Timothy M. Broas and Dan K. Webb of Winston & Strawn,
- James A. Goold, Clausen Ely Jr., and Keith A. Teel, of Covington,
- Gene E. Voigts of Shook Hardy & Bacon (which desperately needs to hire a search-engine-optimization expert; searching for him doesn’t show his firm profile on the first set of results); and
- Theodore V. Wells, Jr. (who is one of those litigators famous enough for us deal lawyers to know who he is, plus he’s busy on the MBIA mess) of Paul Weiss.
Still more BigLaw engagements on briefs for amici:
- Andrew G. McBride and Thomas R. McCarthy of Wiley Rein for National Association of Manufacturers and the Washington Legal Foundation;
- Scott A. Sinder of Steptoe & Johnson for National Association of Convenience Stores;
- Theodore B. Olson (another litigator famous for us to know who he is) and Matthew D. McGill, of Gibson Dunn for Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America; and
- Harvey Kurzweil and Alexander Kayne, of Dewey & LeBoeuf (also known to deal lawyers) for Citizens’ Commission to Protect the Truth.
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