Larry Sonsini, uber-lawyer to Silicon Valley tech firms, appears enmeshed in both the backdated options and HP spying scandals.
Bizarrely, although not a member of the HP board, he chaired their emergency meeting last week, even though he’d advised HP “not to worry about getting personal phone records without permission”
His firm also advised half the companies under investigation for backdating options.
HP execs and Sonsini have been requested to testify at a House hearing. HP execs may refuse to testify, invoking their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, something which might be advisable legally, but which can not help but be a PR disaster for the company, “The HP Way”?