Are the Dewey Defendants Guilty? Who Cares?

It isn’t surprising that a jury in Manhattan court is having trouble pulling the trigger on sealing the fate of three former Dewey & LeBoeuf executives after 15 days of deliberation: to the general public, it’s difficult to see what was so terrible about any of their alleged actions.

Even lawyers at the top of the profession, as well as journalists — including myself — who have covered the legal industry for years and cut their teeth on the Dewey & LeBoeuf story, don’t have a solid handle on whether the defendants did anything that merits prison time.

Dewey’s Chairman Steve Davis, ...