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

Dan Brockett has become a securities watchdog-for-hire, a role that could grow more prominent in an anti-regulatory era

Published Fri, Jun 23, 2017 · 09:50 PM

    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.