In the end it would take Howrey CEO, managing partner, and chair Robert Ruyak two tries to deliver the bad news to his partners.

Inside a conference center in suburban Virginia on the afternoon of November 12, 2010, Ruyak was facing questions about the firm’s relationship with its primary lender, Citibank, N.A. The annual leadership meeting, which roughly 50 partners attended, was an especially urgent one, as it had become apparent that the firm was about to post poor results for a second year.