Star client: Jimmy Cayne, Bear Stearns

One of Berke’s previous big-name clients was A.I.G.  He represented the company during a 2005 investigation into stock manipulation, and he successfully defended David Pinkerton, A.I.G.’s former global investment head, in a foreign bribery case.

The call: Berke, 44, was retained by Bear in the fall of 2007 and by ex-C.E.O. Cayne in the summer of 2008. He intends to prove that Bear’s losses were a result of industrywide dislocation.

Star client: Erin Callan, Lehman Brothers

A former prosecutor, Cleary, 53, sent the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, to prison for life and, more recently, worked with the Justice ­Department on issues arising from the ­Patriot Act. In 2002,

Cleary ­represented a Tyco ­contractor under ­investigation by the S.E.C.

The call: Former Lehman C.F.O. Callan, who’s under government investigation, hired Cleary to ­represent her in September. Callan had no role in ­Lehman’s demise, Cleary says. She “just happened to be there.”

Star client: Dick Fuld, Lehman Brothers

Hynes, 66, cut her teeth as a class-­action lawyer at ­Milberg Weiss, where she won a $700 million securities suit against Drexel Burnham Lambert.

The call: Hynes’ role as Fuld’s lead lawyer was announced in October when the former Lehman C.E.O. testified ­before Congress. Hynes is now advising Fuld in S.E.C. and F.B.I. investigations. If Lehman’s and Fuld’s interests diverge, things could get sticky. Hynes’ husband, Roy Reardon, is Lehman’s lead outside counsel. 

Star client: Ralph Cioffi, Bear Stearns

A former federal prosecutor, Little, 60, helped convict New York Democratic Representative ­Mario Biaggi on corruption charges. Little was Bear Stearns’ longtime attorney.

The call: Cioffi, who managed hedge funds for Bear, hired ­Little in the fall of 2007, well ­before Cioffi’s

2008 ­indictment for fraud. Little, who’s known for colorful courtroom ­language—he called Biaggi “a thug in

a congressman’s suit”—charges $900 an hour.

Star client: Angelo Mozilo, Countrywide

McLucas, 58, spent eight years as the director of en­forcement for the S.E.C.—the agency now investigating Mozilo’s sales of Countrywide stock. After leaving the S.E.C., McLucas was hired by Enron to conduct an ­internal review of what had gone wrong at the failing company. His report was scathing.

The call: McLucas has ­represented Mozilo in S.E.C. investigations since the fall of 2007.

Star client: Joseph Cassano, A.I.G.

Warin, 58, has successfully defended corporations like MCI in regulatory lawsuits. To date, no charges have been brought against Cassano, but the S.E.C., the ­Department of ­Justice, and Congress are investigating him and his unit’s role in A.I.G.’s unraveling. (CNN put Cassano at No. 10 in its “Culprits of the Collapse” series.)

The call: Warin was tapped by Cassano, who ran A.I.G.’s financial-products unit, in April 2008, one month after ­Cassano resigned.