Two Am Law 100 lawyers who fell on hard times—Matthew Kluger and Lee Smolen—have recently discussed their trials and tribulations in vastly different venues.
Smolen, a former Sidley Austin tax partner who left the firm’s Chicago office in late 2012 after being accused of faking nearly $120,000 in expenses, testified in late June before a panel of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which filed a complaint against him in June 2013. Smolen subsequently admitted faking some expenses, but claimed not to have done so for personal gain.
