Modus Operandi   When dealing with disputes with third parties such as former employees or disgruntled investors, a Machiavellian "take-no prisoners" approach has long been undertaken by Morgan Stanley.  However, it was taken to new levels in 1999 by the new General Counsel for the firm - to wit, Donald Kempf, a long time senior partner in the lawfirm of Kirkland & Ellis took the helm, and it was shortly thereafter that the law firm he had spent decades with became primary legal counsel to Morgan Stanley.  The modus operandi against a "target" typically entails creating an overwheming level of turmoil and strife, so they are unwilling or unable to pursue their claims against Morgan  Stanley -- the end result is a morally depraved destruction of careers, reputations, lives, families, livelihoods and communities of their adversaries. These malicious campaigns take on a wide range of elements, examples of which are summarized below: Gather Dirt - The Morgan Stanley/Kirkland & Ellis ("MS/K&E") "m.o." typically starts with engaging private investigators to find any "skeletons in the closet" of their target, which is then exploited (e.g., public humiliation); Engage in Deceit - In the event no skeletons exist, then bold face prevarications are introduced to achieve the same result Assassinate Orally  - disparaging statements are verbally circulated in the market place about the target creating specters of doubt Homicide via Media - various channels are then employed in a blitzkrieg fashion (e.g., TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, and blogging gossip-mongereres) are introduced as part of an orchestrated character assassination, the thinking being that if consistent disparaging comments are disseminated from various sources, then an unsuspecting public will accept the completely false message as the truth. Operative Channels - operatives are used to  identify and recruit other operatives to play a role in a Machiavellian plan that will further MS/K&E's nefarious agenda.  Those engaged to commit the misdeed in the field have no idea MS/K&E are involved.  Carrot or Stick - Operatives are either coersed by threat -- e.g., "carrot": if you do as instructed, arrangements will be made to have a lucrative malpractice claimant sent your way; or the "stick": if you don't do as instructed, we will soon see to it that your other business disappears Corruption - The most relied upon operative channel involves law firms, where unlawful favors are readily bartered without detection Stonewalling - Operative attorneys are often "paid" handsomely to slow walk or just not prosecute a case Bill Padding - Operative attorneys are encouraged to demand large retainers, and unproductive "busy" work is carried out to yield negligible value  Vexation - Although care is taken to give the impression that work is being carried out in good faith, chronic delays eventually frustrate the target client; Staged Resignations - While any legal client would be justified in asking why legal fees are so high and why so little is accomplished, when such is the case; however, the operative attorney then abruptly resigns, citing an irreparable deterioration in their working relationship. Protecting The Guilty - assurances are provided to corrupted attorneys that influence exists at the disciplinary level, such that malpractice complaints go nowhere;  Timing is Everything - the aforesaid staged resignations are often geared to occur when a critcal deadline is looming to cause the most damage to the target client Circulation - word is then actively circulated among other non-operative attorneys about this "difficult" client, such that the resultant "jaundiced eye" interferes with the engagement of replacement counsel The end result is a wearing down the spirit of the targeted claimant, undermining his/her credibility by character-assassination, depleting his/her resources to pursue the claim further, or just introducing enough creative filibuster to kill the claim via operative statute of limitations.