The e-mail from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe chairman Ralph Baxter to newly tapped Coudert Brothers chair Clyde Rankin on February 12, 2005, was short, friendly, and direct: “Skip, Congratulations on your election. I look forward to seeing you this week. Let’s talk on Monday.”
The message, it turned out, wasn’t just an electronic high-five from one firm leader to another. It was also the start of what evolved into talks between Baxter and Rankin about a possible merger of their firms. The e-mail’s inclusion in a lawsuit filed in December against Orrick by the administrator overseeing the bankrupt Coudert estate underscores where those talks led.
