‘Best’ Attorneys Money Can Buy

‘Best’ attys $$ can Buy
The New York Post by James Covert and Corey Voegele  -  April 13, 2012

Best Buy’s board has hired some big legal guns as it probes allegations of an improper relationship between former CEO Brian Dunn and a 29-year-old female subordinate.  The board of the electronics chain retained powerhouse Washington law firm Wilmer Hale, which is putting two former federal bigwigs on the case.  William R. McLucas, who served as director of enforcement for the Securities and Exchange Commission for eight years, has also advised boards in high-profile crises, including Enron and WorldCom.  Thomas Strickland, formerly chief of staff for US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, has areas of expertise that include “Congressional and internal investigations, corporate governance, and high-stakes crisis management matters,” according to Wilmer Hale’s website.  The hires are a signal that Best Buy aims to keep its investigation thorough and independent, legal experts said.  Asked about the timeline of the probe, a Best Buy spokesman yesterday said it is “on a fairly fast track” and that it will be completed in “weeks, not months.”  On Thursday, Best Buy said it would take six to nine months to name a new CEO.  The spokesman added that negotiations are still pending on Dunn’s exit package.  Past corporate scandals haven’t always kept CEOs from walking away with big payouts — most notably Mark Hurd, who was granted $30 million by Hewlett-Packard after the tech giant ousted him amid allegations of sexual harassment.  However, 51-year-old Dunn’s payout could be curbed by the company’s severance plan, whose “basic elements,” according to Best Buy’s proxy statement last year, “are comparable for all eligible employees.”  Dunn has kept a low profile this week except for a handful of Twitter posts, including an exchange with NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson.  On Facebook, however, “Brian Dunn’s Mustache” appears to have recently opened a page, purporting to be “devoted to celebrating the greatest plot of facial (hair) ever seen on a Fortune 500 CEO.”  While Brian Dunn’s mustache had only four friends, Dunn appeared to be one of them.  jcovert@nypost.com