I was riding on a federal building elevator with Lord Black on Thursday afternoon and foolishly missed an important call from another powerful lord:
Lord Jim.
“Kass,” said Lord Jim on my phone mail. “It’s Thompson.”
That’s Lord Big Jim Thompson of Illinois.
But Lord Conrad Black, whose former company runs the Sun-Times, was on his way to get fingerprinted before his bond hearing. And we were in the sky carriage with him–his lawyer Eddie Genson, my friend Carol Marin, the Sun-Times columnist, and me.
I was thinking of a way to ask if he wanted to get a Polish and talk about his criminal case after court. But I was on the other side of the elevator, with Genson, while Carol stood next to Black, who said he’d been to Chicago “a number of times.”
In all his visits, I figured he probably never had a decent Maxwell Street Polish. “How about a Polish, your lordship?” I thought about asking, or if he didn’t like our Polish, perhaps I’d say, “Let’s go to Palermo’s Pizza on 95th Street, your nobleness, and you can tell me your troubles.”
But I didn’t ask. He displayed a haughty countenance in the elevator. And if there’s one thing I won’t abide, it’s a haughty lord eating a Polish or pizza that I just bought him.
Back at the office, Lord Jim was calling, but I wasn’t there to answer.
Jim Thompson is a former U.S. attorney, a former dealmaking Illinois governor, and currently a rainmaking boss of the giant Chicago law firm Winston & Strawn. He’s also a big White Sox fan and a leading collector of ridiculously expensive antiques.
I didn’t feel like asking Thompson about the Sox re-signing Paul Konerko. I’d hoped to discuss the legal strategies in Black’s criminal case. Thompson was chairman of the audit committee of Black’s company, Hollinger International Inc., which Black is accused of looting to the tune of more than $80 million.
It puzzles me that Black could allegedly loot his company with a tough former prosecutor like Thompson overseeing the big expenditures. That’s what an audit committee does. Oversees things.
“Kass. It’s Thompson,” Lord Jim said in the message left on my office phone. “Because you’re a White Sox fan and a hunter and because sometimes I agree with you, I’m calling you back. But I’m not talking about the Hollinger case with anybody, period.”
That was disappointing, because I wanted to ask Thompson how he thinks he might be cross-examined on a witness stand by Black’s attorneys, Edward Greenspan of Toronto and Eddie Genson of Chicago.
I did ask Genson.
“Oh, I don’t want to talk about that now,” said Genson, as we rode up to court in the sky carriage.
Oh, I do, I said. “I know,” Genson said.
If tracing the lineage of British nobles is confusing, what with their odd Canadians and Australians and such, try figuring out how Chicago’s legal aristocracy is going to handle the Conrad Black trial, if there is one.
Genson is currently busy representing Illinois political insider Larry Warner, who is on trial on corruption charges along with his co-defendant, former Gov. George Ryan, a close political ally of Lord Jim’s. Warner is paying for his lawyer out of his own pocket.
Dan Webb, a criminal defense attorney, a former Thompson protege and a former U.S. attorney in Chicago, represents Ryan. Webb now works at Winston & Strawn. The law firm is providing Ryan with upward of $10 million in free legal work.
They’re cozy there in court, Genson and Webb, working together as a team trying to thwart the federal prosecutors. This cozy relationship has kept Warner close to Ryan’s side, which is nice for Ryan. Most guys in Warner’s shoes would have already bolted and cut a deal with the feds.
This strategy helps Ryan, whose acquittal would make politicians in Illinois delirious with joy, particularly our own crown prince at City Hall. And if Warner goes away, I’m sure George and the boys will say something nice about him as they chew their steaks at Gene’s.
“That Larry, what a stand-up guy,” they’ll say. “Hey, pass the salt.”
Now that Black is facing trial, Genson and Greenspan will have to undercut the federal prosecution’s case.
Thompson will likely be called to the witness stand to testify about how Black allegedly lied to him about how those millions were spent. And Thompson will have to explain how he didn’t ever say the word “No” to the spending, and why.
Every partner in Thompson’s firm will be keenly interested, as will the clients, the entire bipartisan Illinois political combine ruling class and every CEO in town.
“You obviously have a keen interest in the audit committee,” Greenspan told me later, raising an eyebrow, almost smiling. “That is a matter that will come up in a court of law at the appropriate time.”
Lord Black received most of the media attention on Thursday. But Lord Jim might get his turn someday too.
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jskass@tribune.com
