A peek into the legal future for the Berniverse.

Ira Lee Sorkin

The Gist:

A former federal prosecutor and SEC regional director in New York, Sorkin took up Madoff's case and dodged concerns over an alleged conflict of interest with his client. During the trial, Sorkin was subjected to numerous personal threats, including several anti-Semitic messages.

Sorkin drew public outcry when he suggested that Madoff should get a 12-year sentence and that the victims' statements showed a desire for "a type of mob vengeance."

What's Next:

Last Thursday, Sorkin announced that Madoff would not seek an appeal. Since the trial, he's assumed a sort of PR role for the disgraced financier. In an interview with the Daily Beast's Allan Dodds Frank, Sorkin painted his client as contrite and remorseful and explained why Madoff won't appeal. Even if he could get the sentence down to 40 years, "[h]e is not going to walk out of prison at age 106."