For most firms, the indictment of even a run-of-the-mill partner would create a major public relations crisis.
Last month, 110-lawyer Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro saw its managing partner, Terry Christensen, indicted on conspiracy and wiretap charges.
Christensen has pleaded not guilty. But the firm is in for a rough patch. And recruiters across Los Angeles say the charges hanging over him and his firm are probably already affecting the L.A.-based entertainment boutique's ability to attract and retain lawyers. At the same time, recruiters say, the indictment makes it harder for any worried lawyers there to lateral to a different firm.
"I think people recognize that law firms are rather fragile entities, and when your lead name partner might have a legal matter to contend with, I think people inside and outside are going to look elsewhere," said Larry Watanabe, a Southern California-based recruiter. "If you have this happen to a major rainmaker at a big firm, it's unsettling, but when you have a name, founding partner of a boutique firm, a lot of people are going to be concerned and watching."
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