O’Melveny & Myers is under fire in the SonicBlue bankruptcy for failing to disclose potential conflicts of interest until asking the court to approve $1.3 million in fees last week.
The electronics maker filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003, in a case that led to major trouble for its law firm, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, over undisclosed conflicts of interest. According to last week’s filing, by O’Melveny partner Suzzanne Uhland, her firm represented SonicBlue at the same time that it was counsel to a parent company of one of SonicBlue’s debt holders. The company, Smithfield Fiduciary, was acquired by a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase in 2004. O’Melveny has represented JP Morgan on more than 400 matters between 2003 and now.
