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The decision by the SEC to file civil fraud charges against Goldman Sachs has been big news over the last week or so. On Wednesday, Reuters provided a profile of the Goldman Sachs legal team, which features several Biglaw heavy hitters.
The lead lawyer in the Goldman Sach’s defense is Richard Klapper, a partner at Sullivan Cromwell since 1987 who has represented several big financial firms to victories in the past.
Reuters describes Klapper as a lawyer who “keeps a low profile…(and) is a fearsome litigator.
The story cites Klapper’s previous wins, which includes a role as a lawyer representing Barclays in 2007 in a class-action suit filed by Enron Corp. shareholders against banks that advised Enron before its collapse in 2002.
“It’s certainly fair to say ‘formidable’ is the right word for him,” Charles Whitehead, a securities law professor at Cornell and former attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell told Reuters.
“He’s diligent and very, very focused,” Whitehead said. He goes on to note Klapper does not have a lengthy biography on the firm’s website because “he does not brag.”
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Joining Klapper on the Goldman defense team is Gregory Craig, a former White House Counsel to President Obama who Politico said was brought on to aide in political and legal matters. Craig practices in Washington D.C. as a partner at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.
Also part of the defense team, sources told Reuters, is Vince DiBlasi, another Sullivan & Cromwell attorney who has experience representing high-profile individuals in SEC investigations.
The story goes on to note Sullivan & Cromwell is regarded as a “top corporate go-to law firms in the country” that has “a long-standing relationship with Goldman Sachs.”
