So, now it’s Debra Wong Yang, U.S. Attorney for California’s central district, is resigning to take a job with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP where she will serve as co-chair of the firm’s crisis management practice group. Sounds sort of like a legal SWAT unit, don’t you think?
At any rate, Yang — like Arthur Andersen-slayer Andrew Weissman before her — is moving on to greener pastures after spearheading the indictment of the Milberg Weiss law firm. Larry Ribstein — who just used Yang’s pursuit of Milberg Weiss in his recent talk on arranging key witness testimony — is wondrous about this development:
The WSJ reports that Debra Wong Yang, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, has parlayed her prosecution of Milberg into a plum partnership at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Bruce Kobayashi and I recently discussed Ms Yang’s handiwork: the irony of an indictment alleging that Milberg bought witness cooperation supported by a government plea deal with a leading witness. Now Ms Yang will earn big bucks to defend clients against similar government tactics. Is this a great country or what?
The prosecutor helps the GOP raise big $$$ between May and November with her “creative” indictment of Milberg Weiss. Now she herself accepts big $$$ from a law firm connected with the GOP — Ted Olson represented them in the Supreme Court case that decided the 2000 election.
Help me…isn’t there a legal term for this?
The timing is practically unbelievable…bailing as soon as Judge Walter tells her, “At some point in time, this investigation HAS GOT TO END!”
Is the term “corruption” perhaps?
Prosecutors are supposed to be motivated by the public interest and the search for justice, which are already often in conflict. Poorly motivated prosecutors create a terrible threat, given their massive power, to the very public and justice they purport to serve. I donít know what to do about this ñ prosecutors can and should be able to work anywhere they want ñ but thereís a big problem here.