I’ll work for legal representation, electrician says in ads outside courthouse

Tapped out after paying his former divorce lawyers $45,000, a New York electrician decided to try another tactic. He posted flyers outside the new Staten Island Courthouse in St. George offering to barter his skilled work for legal representation in the ongoing case. So far, according to Anthony Davino, three…

Oct 20, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

$1B in legal fees for recovery of Madoff losses is a ‘good return on investment,’ lawyer says

Lawyers recovering money for victims of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme say total legal fees in the case could reach $1 billion. In an interview with ABC News, court-appointed trustee Irving Picard of BakerHostetler said the fees are a “very good return on an investment,” given the “context of what’s going…

Oct 20, 2015 8:23 AM CDT

City owes $117K in legal fees to critic it sued over meeting clips in his YouTube videos

A California city must pay more than $117,000 in attorney’s fees for a critic it sued over alleged copyright infringement due to government meeting footage he included in his YouTube videos. The Inglewood meeting footage couldn’t be copyrighted, a federal judge ruled in August, and on Thursday he made the…

Oct 14, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

Michigan agrees to pay $1.9 million to winning lawyers in gay marriage case

The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $1.9 million to the lawyers whose clients successfully challenged its ban on gay marriage. Carole Stanyar, one of four main lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case, said the $1.9 million was “basically the amount that we requested” from the state, the…

Oct 7, 2015 4:40 PM CDT

Small firm sanctioned nearly $282K by federal judge for pursuing frivolous case

A long-running case over Native American land rights has resulted in a steep sanction for a small Minnesota law firm. Known for its civil rights litigation, three-partner Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson was ordered Friday to pay $281,906.34 in legal bills for its opponents. A federal judge said the firm had…

Sep 28, 2015 10:00 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer Stan Chesley sues former fen-phen clients in bid to block collection of about $25M

Former Cincinnati lawyer Stanley Chesley has sued five former fen-phen clients, as well as their lawyer, in a bid to stop collection of a $42 million judgment for which he is jointly and severally liable. The lawyer trying to collect the judgment on behalf of the plaintiffs, Angela Ford, has…

Sep 22, 2015 7:24 AM CDT

Florida Supreme Court asked to decide if legislature can limit attorney fees in cases against state

The Florida Supreme Court has been asked decide whether the state legislature can constitutionally limit the amount of attorney fees awarded in cases against the state government, the Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday. The case grows out of a sovereign immunity provision of state law. Whenever a plaintiff wins a…

Sep 18, 2015 2:20 PM CDT

South Carolina paying $215K in legal fees in same-sex marriage battles

South Carolina’s attorney general recently entered a settlement for $80,000 in legal fees for a couple who challenged the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, which follows a federal judge’s order last month that another couple be awarded more than $135,000 in legal fees, the Associated Press reports. The two suits…

Sep 15, 2015 2:15 PM CDT

Lawyer admonished for email exchange with ‘Deliverance’ taunt seeks to set aside the judgment

An Arizona lawyer who was admonished in February after a fee dispute escalated into an email feud is seeking to set aside the judgment based on a declaration from the complainant, who says he was never offended. The admonished lawyer, Dennis Wilenchik, originally accepted discipline by consent, which included a…

Sep 1, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Crowdfunding can be a great way to finance your case—or destroy it

Sep 1, 2015 1:30 AM CDT

Bankruptcy trustee seeks clawback of bonuses paid before before law firm closed

A bankruptcy trustee claims a Missouri law firm paid bonuses to its shareholders and employees before a $10.5 million malpractice judgment that led the law firm’s closure in December 2014. The law firm, Green Jacobson of Clayton, Missouri, paid a total of about $3.78 million in “bonus payroll” payments after…

Aug 13, 2015 12:23 PM CDT

Lawyer who billed clients for watching true-crime shows is suspended

A “doggedly unrepentant” lawyer who billed her wrongful death clients for watching reality crime TV shows has been suspended for a year from law practice. The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the suspension of Knoxville lawyer Yarboro Sallee, who was accused of billing her clients hourly fees of more than $140,000…

Aug 13, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

GC’s fix for ‘broken’ law firm profit structure: Cut associate billing rates

Paying top dollar for work done by leading partners at major law firms doesn’t bother Brian Brooks. But paying big bucks for associates and mid-level lawyers does, the Fannie Mae general counsel tells Bloomberg BNA in a lengthy interview. As billing rates for senior partners have escalated, “I’m perfectly willing…

Aug 11, 2015 3:00 PM CDT

93-year-old judge grows weary of 44-year-old housing bias case

Forty-four years after then-U.S. District Judge Damon Keith found evidence of housing discrimination by a Detroit area community, the case still isn’t over. Keith is now 93 years old and a federal appeals judge, and he wants the case wrapped up, the Associated Press reports. Keith still oversees the case…

Aug 3, 2015 11:22 AM CDT

BigLaw firm’s alleged promises to client in hiring talks were puffery, judge says in tossing claims

A company that fired its law firm, then accepted a $4 million settlement from the U.S. Department of Defense, can’t sue the firm on the ground the settlement should have been $10 million, a federal judge has ruled. The decision (PDF) last week by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of…

Aug 3, 2015 7:19 AM CDT