Some corporate executives are hoping a federal appeals court takes a hard look at a case in which federal prosecutors used the company’s outside counsel to testify against and convict the company’s chief executive.

The conviction creates havoc for the attorney-client relationship in corporations. General counsel Ira Raphaelson, for one, was encouraged when the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in December to hear an expedited appeal of the CEO’s conviction. The case is pending.