Myerson & Kuhn

Myerson & Kuhn was a New York-based law firm that operated during the late 1980s and disappeared after a rapid and highly publicized collapse. It was established in 1988 by Harvey D. Myerson and Bowie Kuhn. Myerson had previously been a partner at Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, a large law firm whose unraveling released attorneys, clients, and business opportunities into the market. He brought approximately 80 attorneys from that former firm into the new practice, giving Myerson & Kuhn an unusually substantial starting platform for a newly formed firm. The firm’s early appeal rested partly on the reputations and client relationships of lawyers associated with Finley Kumble. Those relationships reportedly helped attract prominent clients and matters involving Donald Trump, Lehman Brothers, Teleflex, and ConAgra. The firm presented itself as a new legal powerhouse, combining Myerson’s litigation profile with Kuhn’s public prominence. It expanded beyond New York in 1989 by opening in Los Angeles with 18 lawyers who had left Shea & Gould. That expansion was followed by severe financial and organizational problems. The firm’s relationship with its largest client, Shearson Lehman Hutton, became a central point of conflict. Shearson Lehman Hutton, a predecessor of Lehman Brothers, allegedly challenged the firm over padded legal bills. At the same time, the practice accumulated more than $11 million in debt. Internal discord, client tensions, ambitious spending, and weak financial foundations contributed to a spectacular breakdown in December 1989. The firm’s operations did not continue as a durable legal enterprise, and it is generally described as having operated from 1988 to 1990. The collapse also produced personal and legal consequences for the named partners. Creditors sought to hold Bowie Kuhn personally responsible for as much as $3 million in firm obligations, and he left for Florida while those efforts were under way. Harvey Myerson, whose litigation reputation had earlier earned him the nickname “Heavy Hitter Harvey,” later became associated in the legal press with the more critical sobriquet “Agent Orange of the legal profession,” reflecting commentary about his extravagant tastes and unfulfilled plans. His subsequent attempt to return to legal practice did not succeed; he was later sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for tax fraud and defrauding clients. Myerson & Kuhn is therefore remembered less for a sustained practice area or enduring service line than as an example of the risks of rapid law-firm expansion, partner and client concentration, costly image-building, and inadequate financial control. Its history is linked to the broader collapse of Finley Kumble and to the volatile New York legal-services market of the late 1980s.

Myerson & Kuhn emerged in 1988 from the disintegration of Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, one of the prominent law-firm failures of the period. Harvey D. Myerson, a former partner at Finley Kumble, joined with Bowie Kuhn to establish the new practice in New York. Myerson brought roughly 80 attorneys with him, allowing the firm to begin at a scale unusual for a newly created partnership. The recruited lawyers also brought client relationships developed at Finley Kumble. Among the clients associated with the firm’s early business were Donald Trump, Lehman Brothers, Teleflex, and ConAgra. The firm’s formation was accompanied by substantial publicity and an ambition to establish a major national legal platform. Myerson was known for litigation ability and had acquired the nickname “Heavy Hitter Harvey.” The practice sought to combine that litigation identity with the visibility associated with its named partners. In 1989, it expanded to Los Angeles, hiring or receiving a group of 18 attorneys who had departed Shea & Gould. The office opening indicated that the firm intended to compete beyond its New York base. The expansion was not matched by stable finances. Shearson Lehman Hutton, described as the firm’s largest client and a predecessor to Lehman Brothers, became involved in a dispute concerning alleged padding of legal bills. The client conflict occurred while Myerson & Kuhn was carrying debts reported at more than $11 million. The combination of client concentration, billing controversy, partner discord, and heavy operating costs undermined the firm’s viability. In December 1989, Myerson & Kuhn underwent a spectacular collapse. Its business did not develop into a lasting successor to Finley Kumble, although the firm is described as having operated through 1990. The consequences extended beyond the partnership. Creditors attempted to make Bowie Kuhn personally liable for as much as $3 million in firm debts. Kuhn went to Florida, and press reports later located him in northern Florida while creditors were looking for him. Harvey Myerson’s public image also deteriorated. Legal commentators used the nickname “Agent Orange of the legal profession” in connection with his extravagant tastes and ambitions, contrasting it with his earlier litigation nickname. The firm’s lavish launch party, at which guests reportedly received Cartier crystal apples with gold leaves and engraved wording about a new legal powerhouse, became a memorable illustration of the spending and image-building associated with the venture. Myerson later hoped to re-establish a legal practice, but he was eventually sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for tax fraud and defrauding clients. The firm’s short history is significant as a case study in the instability of large law-firm partnerships. Its rapid formation from another failed practice, aggressive recruitment and geographic expansion, dependence on major clients, alleged billing problems, and large debt burden combined to produce a brief and troubled existence.

• 1990

  End of operating period

  [1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identifies 1990 as the end of the firm’s operating period.

• 1989

  Los Angeles expansion

  [1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  The firm launched a Los Angeles office with 18 lawyers who had departed Shea & Gould.

• 1989

  Collapse amid financial and client disputes

  [1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  The firm collapsed in December amid an alleged legal-billing dispute with Shearson Lehman Hutton and debts exceeding $11 million.

• 1988

  Firm founded in New York

  [1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  Harvey D. Myerson and Bowie Kuhn established Myerson & Kuhn, with approximately 80 attorneys joining from the unraveling Finley Kumble firm.

A high-profile, litigation-oriented New York law firm built around senior lawyers recruited from the collapsed Finley Kumble practice and marketed as a new legal powerhouse.

• Legal services · 1988

  Litigation and dispute resolution

  Litigation was closely associated with Harvey Myerson’s professional reputation and the firm’s market identity. The practice represented clients in significant commercial and business matters, although the available reference material does not provide a complete list of court practices or specialist departments.

• Legal services · 1988

  Corporate and commercial counsel

  The firm served corporate and institutional clients, including businesses connected with finance, consumer products, and industry. Specific service-line boundaries are not documented in the supplied material, so this entry describes the broad commercial role of the practice rather than a formally named department.

• 1989

  Collapse following alleged legal-bill padding

  The firm collapsed after conflict with Shearson Lehman Hutton over alleged padding of legal bills, while debts reportedly exceeded $11 million.

  Source

• Harvey Myerson’s criminal conviction and imprisonment

  Harvey Myerson was later sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for tax fraud and defrauding clients.

  Source

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• 1989

  Expand into Los AngelesStrategy

  Background

  After establishing a large New York practice, Myerson & Kuhn sought a broader geographic footprint and access to the Los Angeles legal market.

  Action taken

  The firm opened a Los Angeles office with 18 lawyers who had left Shea & Gould.

  Aftermath

  The expansion preceded the firm’s collapse later in 1989 and did not produce a durable national platform.

  Source

• 1989

  Attempt to manage a major-client billing disputeOther

  Background

  Shearson Lehman Hutton, identified as the firm’s largest client, disputed alleged padding of legal bills while the firm faced mounting debt.

  Action taken

  The firm continued operating amid the client conflict and financial pressure; the available material does not document a negotiated resolution.

  Aftermath

  The dispute formed part of the circumstances surrounding the firm’s December 1989 collapse.

  Reported firm debt. More than $11 million (1989)

  Source

• 1989

  Myerson & Kuhn opens a Los Angeles office[1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The firm expanded to Los Angeles with 18 lawyers who had left Shea & Gould.

• 1989

  Creditors seek personal liability from Bowie Kuhn[1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  Lawsuit · Bankruptcy

  As creditors pursued firm obligations, Bowie Kuhn left for Florida and was reportedly sought for potential personal liability of up to $3 million.

• 1988

  Myerson & Kuhn launches after the collapse of Finley Kumble[1]Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Harvey D. Myerson and Bowie Kuhn formed a new New York law firm, with approximately 80 attorneys joining from Myerson’s former firm, Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey.

1. 1Myerson & Kuhnen.wikipedia.org