Five years after Coudert Brothers announced its dissolution, a court-appointed administrator overseeing its liquidation plan has sued Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, accusing it of delivering the “fatal blow” to the defunct international law firm by poaching Coudert partners while simultaneously holding merger talks with the firm (See Complaint).
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District last Friday, followed a series of actions brought by Coudert against Dechert, DLA Piper, Baker & McKenzie and other firms seeking to recover monies for unfinished business. But the suit against Orrick goes a step further, alleging that the San Francisco-based firm interfered with Coudert’s business and aided and abetted in partners’ breach of their fiduciary duty.
