Attorney Fees
King & Spalding to Be Paid Up to $520 an Hour to Defend Marriage Law
King & Spalding will be paid up to $500,000 to defend the federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriages.
Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives hired the law firm after the Justice Department declined to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court challenges, Politico reports. Former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement will lead the defense, according to Politico and The BLT: The Blog of legal Times.
The contract pays the law firm a blended rate of $520 an hour for lawyer time. It specifies a $500,000 cap, absent an agreement to raise the amount.
President Obama has concluded that the law is unconstitutional, and the administration will assert it is an equal protection violation.
