Follow all the coverage of Hewlett-Packard’s boardroom spying scandal � and the continuing legal fallout.
Thomas Carlucci, a Foley & Lardner partner and former federal prosecutor not involved in the case, said Dunn should be able to mount a strong defense by saying she relied on advice of counsel.
“We can all question her judgment about doing the investigation in the first place, but in the pretexting,” he said, “I’ve got to believe she’s relying on her general counsel or outside lawyers.”
HP’s general counsel, Ann Baskins, has hired Berkeley defense lawyer Cristina Arguedas. Another in-house lawyer, HP ethics director Kevin Hunsaker, is represented by San Diego solo Michael Pancer. Arguedas could not be reached for comment by press time.
Larry Sonsini, the high-powered Silicon Valley lawyer who has long advised HP, has hired Michael Madigan, a D.C.-based partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, in connection with a congressional subcommittee hearing later this month.
Sonsini investigated the methods used by HP to plumb the leaks, and has long been the board’s outside adviser, and that role continued after the news of the leak probe broke. The Journal reported last week that Sonsini led the board discussions that culminated last week in Dunn’s decision to relinquish her role as chair at the end of the year.
It isn’t clear if Sonsini and his firm will continue in that role. When asked about this, Wilson Sonsini spokeswoman Courtney Dorman provided the following written statement: “Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati will continue to have a relationship with HP.”
Ryan Donovan, a spokesman for Hewlett-Packard, said Wednesday that he wasn’t able to answer questions about the company’s relationship with Wilson Sonsini by The Recorder’s deadline.
Susan Beck, a senior writer at The American Lawyer, contributed to this story.
