Legal Ethics
Bickel & Brewer Disqualified in H.L. Hunt Trust Squabble
Posted Sep 8, 2008, 07:59 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The law firm of Bickel & Brewer won’t be allowed to represent one of the heirs of oilman H.L. Hunt in a squabble over control of two multibillion-dollar family trusts.
U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor of Dallas ruled the law firm could not represent Al G. Hill III because it had formed an attorney-client relationship with his father in another lawsuit, the Dallas Morning News reports.
"The court finds that disqualification of B&B is appropriate given the appearance of impropriety and risk of public suspicion of the justice system were B&B allowed to continue," the judge said.
The story says the fight involves hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Bickel & Brewer had contended in court papers that the motion to disqualify was "transparently tactical." Name partner Bill Brewer issued a statement saying he was disappointed in the decision and “evaluating options for moving forward.”