$700K Client Comp Case in Wash. State Ups Annual Fee Ante for All Attorneys

In the largest compensation claim ever paid by the Washington State Bar Association's client protection fund as a result of misconduct by a single lawyer, clients of former attorney Barry Hammer are to receive $700,000.

Hammer, 62, has surrendered his license and was sentenced to three years in federal prison in a wire fraud case. It was related to his practice of convincing clients to invest in a real estate scheme that actually funneled some of the money to him personally and resulted in the bankruptcy of his law firm, reports the Everett Herald. Awards ranging from $3,800 to $40,000 will be paid to 26 of Hammer's former clients, for a total of $700,000.

As a result of the payout, a mandatory $15 fee imposed on the state's 30,000 attorneys to provide money for the client protection fund will be increased to $30 next year. The fee increase must be approved by the state supreme court before it is finally adopted.