Bored by US$1,000-an-hour pay, lawyer hunts Wall St scores

New York

TEN years ago, lawyer Dan Brockett and his colleagues opted for the equivalent of ditching an office job for a career as a big-game hunter.

As Wall Street cratered during the financial crisis, Mr Brockett helped lead the firm's move away from representing the world's biggest banks and forgoing US$1,000-an-hour defence work. Instead, he would earn his keep by suing the very companies that used to pay his bills. He'd be paid only if he won - on contingency, in which lawyers get a cut of a client's recovery.