Now that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has rested its case against three former executives at the collapsed Dewey & LeBoeuf law firm, a fateful decision awaits the defendants—whether to take the stand.

Although lawyers for ex-chairman Steven Davis, former executive director Stephen DiCarmine and former chief financial officer Joel Sanders stress that their clients have not yet decided whether to testify, several white-collar defense experts said they may be tempted to tell their story directly to jurors.