Legal and ethics experts on Tuesday were largely critical of a once-highly respected lawyer who helped hire investigators employing questionable tactics to stop the Harvey Weinstein sex abuse allegations from coming to light.

The latest explosive New Yorker story by Ronan Farrow reveals how David Boies, a high-profile trial attorney and partner at the law firm of Boies, Schiller and Flexner, signed off on a contract with a London-based investigative agency, Black Cube, to employ an agent named “Anna” who tracked accusers as well as journalists attempting to uncover the story.

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“I think it’s inappropriate for a lawyer to hire oppositional research on a current client; isn’t that what this is in essence?” asked Deborah Rhode, a Stanford Law professor and legal ethics expert.