White & Case and Kirkland & Ellis have come under scrutiny for refusing to blow the whistle on alleged client fraud in a case that looks set to re-ignite the debate over the role of lawyers in preventing corporate fraud.

The two US firms are singled out in an Illinois Court report that claims the proposed powers under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that would require attorneys to inform on client fraud could have prevented alleged fraud at retailing giant Spiegel.