DLA Piper settles fee-dispute case that brought 'churn that bill, baby!' email to light
DLA Piper has reportedly settled, on confidential terms, a case over a disputed $675,000 in legal fees in a corporate bankruptcy case that brought embarrassing email to light when the client counterclaimed and discovered 250,000 pages of documents.
In particular, a “churn that bill, baby!” comment captured the attention of observers, and the firm apologized for what it called “an inexcusable effort at humor.” However, it said its billing standards were entirely appropriate, responding to what the defendant former client, Adam H. Victor, contended was “a sweeping practice of overbilling.”
A lawyer for Victor said the Manhattan Supreme Court case settled Tuesday, but declined to discuss the specifics, and a spokesman for DLA Piper did not respond to requests for comment, the New York Times’ DealBook blog reports.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “‘Churn that bill, baby!’ email surfaces in fee dispute with DLA Piper”
ABAJournal.com: “DLA Piper: ‘Churn that bill’ email was ‘inexcusable effort at humor’”
ABAJournal.com: “‘Churn that bill, baby’ email highlights unfortunate billable hour system, ex-BigLaw partner says”
