Business Development

9th Circuit Says Court Can Consider Ability to Pay, Orders Rehearing re $360K Attorney Sanction

Before imposing a financial penalty that a lawyer might not be able to pay, a federal district court can consider the impact on the attorney, a federal appeals court has ruled, giving a California lawyer—who said he made less than $20,000 annually—another chance to make his case for a reduction…

Jul 23, 2012 7:18 PM CDT

9th Circuit Refuses to Bite on Mini-Wheats Settlement and a Provision to Feed the Needy

A federal appeals court has refused to approve a settlement involving charitable donations in a class-action suit that alleged Kellogg Co. made false advertising claims about Frosted Mini-Wheats. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the deal because of high attorney fees and cy pres provisions calling…

Jul 17, 2012 2:08 PM CDT

Defense Lawyers Say They Get Less Than Minimum Wage for ‘Token Representation’ Under New Fla. Law

A new Florida law that went into effect on July 1 is intended to cut the cost to the state of court-appointed public defenders. But the new flat fees it imposes for all cases except first-degree murder and racketeering means that defense attorneys can get less than less than the…

Jul 16, 2012 3:44 PM CDT

‘Indigent’ Defendants Must Prove Financial Status and Tap Retirement Accounts, Top Mass. Court Rules

In a series of rulings, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has ratcheted up the requirements for obtaining a taxpayer-funded defense in criminal cases, the Associated Press reports. It is up to the defendant to prove his or her indigent status, by a preponderance of the evidence, the court held…

Jul 13, 2012 7:54 PM CDT

Ogletree Deakins Made 299 Billing Errors, Maricopa County Alleges; Firm Disputes Error Claims

Updated: Arizona’s Maricopa County says it has identified 299 billing errors by its former law firm Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart—and they may be “only the tip of the iceberg.” In a proposed second amended complaint filed on Monday, the county detailed the alleged 299 billing errors by the…

Jul 11, 2012 10:29 AM CDT

Weil Gotshal Seeks OK of $431.6M Legal Bill for Lehman Bros. Bankruptcy, Won’t Seek Fee Enhancement

Weil Gotshal & Manges has asked a federal bankruptcy judge in Manhattan to OK more than $430 million in fees for representing Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in a record-breaking bankruptcy case over a period of three-and-a-half years. During that time, lawyers and staff billed approximately 747,000 hours in the largest…

Jul 9, 2012 10:49 PM CDT

BigLaw Firms Are Among Creditors of Hedge Fund that Filed for Bankruptcy

Some of the nation’s top law firms are listed as creditors of a hedge fund that filed for bankruptcy protection last week. Proskauer Rose is the top unsecured creditor of the fund run by Alphonse “Buddy” Fletcher Jr., the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. The firm has a claim…

Jul 6, 2012 12:37 PM CDT

Stroock Seeks $261K in Attorney Fees from Ex-Partner Who Sued for Retirement Pay

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan is asking a New York court to enforce an arbitration ruling and award at least $261,000 in attorney fees spent litigating a dispute over a former partner’s retirement benefits. The New York arbitrator ruled on June 18 that former Los Angeles partner Michael Perlis is…

Jul 3, 2012 11:37 AM CDT

Picking a Winner: How to Identify Great Contingency Cases

Podcast Transcript: This ABA Journal podcast is brought to you by WestlawNext, the most advanced technology combined with market-leading content and West’s history of trusted editorial excellence. Helping legal professionals save time is what they’ve been doing for over 125 years. Learn more at WestlawNext.com. Stephanie Francis Ward: If you…

Jul 2, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Post Dot-com Crash, Silicon Valley Law Firms Still Want Start-Up Clients, But Take New View on Fees

Back in the late 1990s, when Silicon Valley start-ups were booming, law firms eager to obtain their business often agreed to perform work for simply an equity share in the company. But the subsequent dot-com crash made many rethink this arrangement, as the value of client companies plummeted. Now a…

Jun 27, 2012 10:31 PM CDT

Lawyer for John Edwards Hits Failed High-Profile Prosecutions, Seeks Accountability

The lawyer who represented former Sen. John Edwards in his trial for campaign fraud says prosecutors need to be held accountable for bad judgments. Jurors acquitted Edwards last month on one charge and deadlocked on five other counts. The Justice Department won’t retry the case. Edwards’ lead lawyer, Abbe Lowell…

Jun 27, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

5th Circuit OKs $30K Sanction for Law Firm’s Accidental Distribution of Opposing Side’s Secret Info

A federal appeals court has upheld a sanction of nearly $30,000 against a plaintiff’s firm in a products liability case for accidentally distributing material it was required to keep secret under a protective order. The $29,667.71 covers fees and costs to the defendant, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., as it…

Jun 21, 2012 9:52 PM CDT

Lead Bankruptcy Law Firm for Dewey & LeBoeuf Seeks Court OK to Charge Up to $935 Per Hour

On the eve of a Tuesday afternoon conference call at which former partners of Dewey & LeBoeuf will learn more about the financial issues they face in the law firm’s ongoing New York bankruptcy case, another significant expense could be looming. In a Friday filing, the firm’s lead bankruptcy counsel,…

Jun 18, 2012 10:10 PM CDT

7th Circuit Nixes ‘Feeble’ Sears Class Action, Says Its ‘Only Goal’ Is Fees for Plaintiffs Lawyers

Saying that a shareholder derivative suit’s “only goal” appeared to be generating fees for the plaintiffs counsel, a federal appeals court on Wednesday not only held that a federal district judge had erred in refusing to permit an objector to intervene in a shareholder derivative suit but directed the judge…

Jun 14, 2012 4:42 PM CDT

Should Law Grads Be Billed as Associates Before Passing Bar? Issue Raised in Ogletree Suit

Updated: Maricopa County has taken a new tack in its billing dispute with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart. A counterclaim (PDF) filed by the county is a would-be class action filed on behalf of any public sector clients that have been overbilled by the firm. According to the countersuit,…

Jun 13, 2012 12:50 PM CDT