A theme kept recurring during our reporting for this year’s “Winning,” The National Law Journal‘s annual profiles of successful litigators. It was the thrill of defending the underdog — the “little guy,” as Mark Topel puts it. The Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman attorney managed to portray Jay Lapine in that light while persuading a Northern California jury to acquit the former general counsel of McKesson HBOC Inc. of involvement in a financial scandal that cost stockholders $9 billion.
“For me, it’s like Wheaties for breakfast,” Topel told us. “Good defense attorneys are motivated by a basic desire to represent the underdog. It’s a strong psychological pull.”
