But these proposals have run into sharp opposition from business lobbyists in Washington - primarily the Business Roundtable, which represents chief executives.

Most corporate leaders favor national testing, said Susan Traiman, a director at the Business Roundtable, a group that represents corporate executives.

The 0.2 percent represented, presumably, power company stockholders and executives.

An executive agent is a type of agency that represents executives seeking senior executive positions which are often unadvertised.

Mr. Weingarten, who has also represented former executives of Enron and Tyco International, said he expected the trial to last about eight weeks.

Such golden hellos are not new, but lawyers representing executives at the negotiating table are constantly coming up with quirky ways to make clients whole.

The case has attracted wide attention within the record industry, where Mr. Grubman represents both executives and artists.

Her organization represents the presidents and chief executives of 100 corporations, including some of the world's largest.

The center represents 200 college presidents and senior executives of major corporations.

A former federal prosecutor, he is known for representing numerous prominent Wall Street companies and executives, particularly since the 2008 global financial crisis.