Rupert Murdoch assembles US legal team over phone-hacking scandalAppointment of litigation veteran Brendan Sullivan suggests News Corp boss is readying for bitter legal battle in AmericaRupert Murdoch is assembling a team of US lawyers with expertise in fighting large federal criminal cases, suggesting he is readying himself for a bitter legal battle in America as a result of the phone-hacking scandal.At the centre of the team is Brendan Sullivan, one of America's most experienced lawyers, who over 40 years in litigation has acquired a reputation for taking on difficult and sensitive cases. He represented Oliver North, the US marine corps officer, in congressional hearings over the Iran-Contra affair.At the time of the hearings in 1987, Sullivan was described by the Washington Post as "the legal equivalent of nuclear war". A fellow lawyer said: "He asks no quarter and gives no quarter."Sullivan describes himself as a specialist in "high-profile criminal litigation", whose typical clients include major companies involved in "criminal investigations, litigation or government regulatory matters". He is the author of Techniques for Dealing with Pending Criminal Charges or Criminal Investigations.Sullivan was probably brought on board by Murdoch last week on the recommendation of Joel Klein, the former US assistant attorney general who the News Corporation chief has entrusted with leading its internal investigation into the phone-hacking scandal.Klein's wife, Nicole Seligman, who is now the top lawyer at Sony, used to work for Sullivan's firm, Williams & Connolly, in Washington.The appointment of Sullivan – revealed last week by the New York Times's Dealbook blog – is being seen as an indication that Murdoch is preparing for the worst. In the UK, News International has already set aside about £20m in preparation for compensation payments to victims of its phone-hacking activities, and pressure is now building in the US for criminal and civil legal action.The FBI has already launched an investigation into allegations that News of the World journalists tried to obtain phone records of 9/11 victims, and several prominent members of Congress have called for an inquiry into News Corp under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that penalises US-based firms for bribery abroad.more