Chapter 8 - The Fall of Sterling, Vance & Howard
The legal quake triggered by the events of Christmas night did not stop at David and Sylvia Vance. It rippled through the entire legal establishment of the state.
Three days after Christmas, Richard Sterling, the managing partner of Sterling, Vance & Howard, stood in the marble lobby of his Midtown office building, surrounded by federal agents carrying boxes of seized documents, servers, and hard drives.
The media was camped out on the sidewalk in full force.
"Mr. Sterling! Is it true that your firm helped David Vance conceal illegal offshore retainers?!"
"Mr. Sterling! Did your firm cover up previous domestic abuse complaints against David Vance?!"
Richard Sterling, a wealthy sixty-year-old man who had built his firm over thirty years, looked pale and sick as he was escorted to a waiting federal vehicle by two IRS Criminal Investigation agents.
An internal investigation revealed that David Vance had not acted alone in his arrogance. For years, the senior partners at Sterling, Vance & Howard had enabled David’s unethical behavior because he brought in high-value corporate clients who required "aggressive, off-the-record solutions."
When the news broke that David had attempted to use his firm’s political influence to suppress a federal crime involving the Chief Justice’s daughter, every major corporate client severed their ties within forty-eight hours.
By January 5th, Sterling, Vance & Howard filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The firm was dissolved. Thirty associate attorneys were out of work, their reputations forever tarnished by their association with David Vance.
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Meanwhile, in a local holding cell, Sheriff Miller, the law enforcement official David had bragged about playing golf with, signed a full confession and resignation agreement in exchange for a reduced sentence on federal conspiracy charges. In his statement, Miller admitted that David had called him at 6:52 PM on Christmas night, asking him to "keep any 911 calls from my address off the log for an hour."
The paper trail was complete. The net had closed. Every friend, mentor, and institution David had relied on to protect his cruelty had been systematically dismantled.
