Business Development

GCs Give More Scrutiny to Legal Bills, Spurring More Fee Disputes

Los Angeles lawyer Gerald Knapton’s niche is representing companies or their lawyers in disputes over legal fees. The work is good. “I’m busier now than I have ever been,” Knapton told the Daily Journal (sub. req.). Knapton says the reason is the inefficient law firm billing model that charges clients…

Aug 13, 2008 11:40 AM CDT

Trump Claims Firm Invaded Privacy By Posting Name on Website

Real estate mogul and reality TV personality Donald Trump is continuing his battle against his former lawyers, this time with a $5 million suit claiming they have violated his privacy by using his name on its website and talking about representing him during media interviews. Trump has sued again, this…

Aug 12, 2008 10:36 AM CDT

Most Plaintiffs Who Reject Settlement Offers Do Worse at Trial

The gamble of going to trial doesn’t pay off for most plaintiffs, according to a study of more than 2,000 civil suits from 2002 to 2005. Sixty-one percent of plaintiffs who turned down settlement offers ended up faring worse at trial, according to a New York Times story on the…

Aug 11, 2008 11:49 AM CDT

Kansas Settles ‘Kiss and Tell’ Teen Sex Reporting Case

The Center for Reproductive Rights and the state of Kansas have agreed to a $475,000 settlement of a lawsuit prompted by a sweeping 2003 attorney general opinion that required health clinics, especially abortion clinics, to report incidents of teen sex. In 2006, the center won a restraining order in federal…

Aug 8, 2008 2:19 PM CDT

Even After Paying Bills, Client Can Sue Reed Smith for Claimed ‘Churning’

A Pennsylvania nonprofit that claims it was overbilled by Reed Smith in a routine employment discrimination defense that was originally estimated at $50,000 and eventually racked up almost $1 million in attorney fees and costs, has been given the green light to proceed with the case. Overruling four of five…

Aug 7, 2008 9:01 PM CDT

Lawyer Fees Jumped 50% After Bankruptcy Law Change

Additional work required by a new bankruptcy law has spurred a 50 percent jump in attorney fees. The average fee in a Chapter 7 liquidation in February and March of 2007 was estimated at $1,078, compared to $712 two years before, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). In Chapter…

Aug 5, 2008 4:20 PM CDT

Heeeeeere’s Another Lawsuit! Ed McMahon Owes $275K, Law Firms Say

Adding another lawsuit to the mortgage foreclosure that entertainer Ed McMahon is facing, two New York law firms have reportedly sued the former sidekick to late-night television host Johnny Carson, contending that he owes them over $275,000 in legal fees. The lawsuit they filed in federal court in Manhattan contends…

Jul 31, 2008 3:53 PM CDT

One Lawyer on Payroll of Seven N.Y. Fire Districts

At least 14 New York special districts that provide government services such as fire protection and garbage collection have private lawyers on the payrolls. One lawyer, William Glass, was on the payroll of seven fire districts at once, Newsday reports. Two of them paid him legal fees of more than…

Jul 29, 2008 11:38 AM CDT

For Three Law Firms, Gitmo Cases Weren’t Strictly Pro Bono

Guantanamo legal challenges handled by three law firms have not been strictly pro bono efforts. The three firms received at least some fees from the International Counsel Bureau, which is partly funded by the Kuwaiti government, Washington Times reports. Shearman & Sterling received the most money—more than $1 million, the…

Jul 29, 2008 10:57 AM CDT

Judge Blasts Md. Law Firm for Seeking ‘Windfall’ Fees in Sept. 11 Cases

A federal judge in New York has blasted a Baltimore law firm for seeking “windfall” fees of 25 percent in four Sept. 11 settlements, which he also deemed to be too high. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein of Manhattan overturned the settlements negotiated by the law firm, Azrael, Gann &…

Jul 25, 2008 5:31 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Suit Claiming WilmerHale ‘Churned’ Case for Fees

A judge has tossed a lawsuit that had claimed WilmerHale “churned the representation” of the former chief financial officer of McAfee Inc. to inflate his legal fees. U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider of Tyler, Texas, dismissed the suit yesterday, the Am Law Litigation Daily reports. He found the suit failed…

Jul 25, 2008 3:15 PM CDT

Willie Gary Gives Up Dream of $10B in Damages in Motorola Suit

Trial lawyer Willie Gary had sought $10 billion in a suit that claimed Motorola stole his client’s idea for a vehicle tracking system, but he has settled for considerably less. Sources told the AmLaw Daily that Gary’s confidential settlement in the case for his client SPS Technologies was in the…

Jul 24, 2008 2:38 PM CDT

Judge Won’t Sanction Lawyer for Angry Calls, Says Fee Feud Must End

A federal judge in Philadelphia has refused to sanction a lawyer for making angry phone calls to his opponent in a fee dispute. U.S. District Judge Jan DuBois said in two opinions last week that lawyer John Peoples had not left a phone message since June 2006 so he would…

Jul 24, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Judge Holds Lawyers Accountable for ‘Tissue of Lies’ Patent Claim

A federal judge in Manhattan says a patent holder’s infringement suit was “based on “nothing more than a tissue of lies” and the lawyers who helped him sue should be held accountable. U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty said patent holder Irving Bauer and his lawyers are jointly responsible for paying…

Jul 23, 2008 2:06 PM CDT

Suit Claims WilmerHale ‘Churned’ Representation of CFO to Inflate Fees

McAfee Inc. claims WilmerHale “churned the representation” of its former chief financial officer, costing $12 million in legal fees. The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Texas earlier this year accuses the law firm of fraud, theft, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, the Recorder reports. WilmerHale “intentionally overworked…

Jul 22, 2008 10:46 AM CDT