Micheal Milken is hoping for a reversal of fortune after hiring famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz this week to reduce his ten-year sentence and defend him against a flood of pending civil suits. Milken, the 1979 Wharton graduate who plead guilty to six felony charges including conspiracy and tax violations is seeking to reduce his ten-year prison term that has highlighted the government's well-publicized campaign against securities fraud. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor who is an agressive appeals specialist, said earlier this week that he will be working with two other attorneys to reduce Milken's sentence and help defend him against a rash of pending civil suits. Dershowitz is best known for gaining an aquittal for accused killer Claus von Bulow and helping to win a dismissal of some tax evasion charges against Leona Helmsley. Milken, who helped build the now-collapsing Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. investment bank, began serving a ten-year sentence for six securities-related felonies earlier this year. Dershowitz will also defend Milken against billions of dollars worth of civil suits seeking redress for financial problems allegedly brought on by the failure of junk-bond investments. The former "junk bond king's" attorneys have urged in the past that courts consider the financier's more than $360 million charitable contributions. Milken has donated millions to the University since his graduation, including a $2 million grant to help West Philadelphia community service programs. Milken, who received his M.B.A. from Wharton, has also been sentenced to three years probation during which he must work 1800 hours a year in community service. "We're leaving no stone unturned," said Dershowitz, who will be joined in the case by Susan Estrich, the campaign manager for former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, and a third attorney, Harvey Silvergate. "I was asked to come into the case and really do an individual assessment of the civil-liberty issue not only in civil but in all cases," the famed lawyer added. Dershowitz added he will try to win a reduced sentence at an upcoming hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood, who sentenced Milken last year. The hearing is expected to be set for this fall. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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