Judge Suggests Legal Fees Padded Due to Billable-Hour Requirement

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Judge Suggests Legal Fees Padded Due to Billable-Hour Requirement

Posted Aug 14, 2008, 06:18 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

A dispute over $64,000 in a judge’s unpaid legal fees has highlighted law firm billable-hour requirements.

Judge David French of Palm Beach County claims the Rutherford Mulhall law firm charged him for 300 unnecessary hours of work in his alimony case and suggests that law firm policies may be to blame, the Palm Beach Post reports.

In court pleadings French says lawyers at the firm are sanctioned if they fail to bill 1,800 hours a year.

Rutherford Mulhall represented French in an unsuccessful attempt to end his monthly $3,400 alimony payments to his ex-wife. The firm's suit against French suggests he decided not to pay $64,000 in fees because he lost the case.

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Posted by Accustomed - 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 18 hours, 42 minutes ago

Yes these folks can fight over their billables, but can someone tell me why in year 2008 we are so casually talking about Alimony?

People in the 18th and 19th centuries talked so casually about Slavery and no one batted an eye then either.
Posted by Dan - 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 16 hours, 51 minutes ago

$3400 a month in alimony? He should be suing his first lawyer.

I agree with the first poster, too - Why do we still have alimony? Get a job, lady.
Posted by alimony - 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 12 hours, 53 minutes ago

We still have alimony because we still have women who do not work outside the home at the request of their spouse, and then cannot get a job that pays them the same as if they had been working outside the home. Granted, 3400 is quite a bit a month, but then again, we don’t know exactly what it covers - 3400 may be a pittance compared to what she should have received.
Posted by The dude - 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 12 hours, 9 minutes ago

3400 isn’t a lot in alimony..or spousal maintenance as it’s called in my state. A doc who makes 200-400k a year with a long term marriage and stay at home wife, can expect to pay a good 3-10K a month…for life.
Posted by Accustomed - 3 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 13 hours, 25 minutes ago

“We still have alimony because we still have women who do not work outside the home at the request of their spouse”

This is the biggest myth of the modern times. In many cases cases the wife unilateraly “opts-out” of the working life, and the husband while feeling instictively uneasy about it, caves-in for the sake of chivalary. Fast forward 10 years, and when the wife files for divorce (did you know that women file for 70% of divorces?), the story gets retold as the Patriarchal Opressor of a Husband has forced the poor soon to be ex-wife to leave her promising career.

How many educated men do you know, that will originate the idea of his family’s household income to drop by half?
Posted by JG - 3 months, 2 weeks, 20 hours, 21 minutes ago

Same thing going on in the KASMAN case in Palm Beach County, Fl. Weiss & Handler of Boca Raton are billing and overbilling Mrs. Kasman for litigation arising out of a undisclosed relationship between Judge Martin Colin and Henry Handler, firms namesake. The Judge is inder investigation by the JQC and others along with Henry Handler & carol Kartagena an associate in the firm. Handler in the past has employed Colin’s Secretary Kelly D., for years. In addittion, Colin telephone since 2004 (private practice) was answered by Weiss & Handler. Not until is was exposed did Colin shut the phone off. Corruption, you be the Judge!!!!!
Posted by lk - 3 months, 2 weeks, 20 hours, 11 minutes ago

FYI. Handler has been cleared of all wrongdoing. The complainant here is her husband who is on the opposite side of litigation and who is getting his clock cleaned in the case. He doesn’t want to pay for her and the children. That is no surprise.
Posted by jg - 3 months, 2 weeks, 19 hours, 58 minutes ago

#7 BLOG—NOT TRUE! Handler has been cleared of nothing, nothing at all. Mail fraud sounds good, the firm continues to over bill Mrs. Kasman for litigation arising out of the secret undisclosed relationship between Judge Colin and Henry Handler along with Handler’s “flunkie” Carol Kartagena. Thats a crime. Further, giving referral fee’s to attorney’s NOT admitted to the Florida Bar. That’s a crime. Its only just starting for Handler & Kartagena. Handler had depleted most of Mrs. Kasman’s money, by fear and promises. One would urge Mrs. Kasman to find unbiased counsel NOW! Weiss & Handler’s only interest is to protect themselves from the ethical and criminal acts they have and continue to comitt. It is outragous that they bill Kasman for litigation arising out of Handler’s LONG term relationship with judge Colin. OUTRAGOUS - CRIMINAL!! READ THE BAEZ decision 4th DCA - See DAILY BUSINESS ARTICLE June 11th 2008 - See the Palm Beach Post dated June 28th, 2008 - its alll there. See the May 23 transcript in Colins Court in Kasman. See Colin’s letter dated May 16th, 2008 - Colin writes AFTER the news reports “OUT” him and Handler et al. You be the Judge….... Its all there and much MORE coming very soon.
Posted by lawguy - 3 months, 2 weeks, 14 hours, 46 minutes ago

Hey #5, maybe the reason women file for 70% of divorces is because 70% of the time the divorce is the man’s fault. Not too many guys file for divorce if they’re the ones cheating or being abusive or out of the house 90% of the time - they’re having their cake and eating it too; why should they want out?

And I know from personal experience that “we still have women who do not work outside the home at the request of their spouse” is not a myth. Not to mention that there are many instances where both spouses decide that it’s best for one of them to stay home. And regardless of which spouse stays home, that spouse will be entitled to alimony. I.e., alimony isn’t just for women anymore. Men can and do receive alimony payments from ex-spouses. It stems in part from a recognition of how difficult it is to reenter the job market after being out of it for many years - regardless of your sex.
Posted by jg - 3 months, 2 weeks, 7 hours, 37 minutes ago

To #9. If Mrs Kasman loves her lawyers (Handler’s firm), why should she get a new lawyer or be protected from them. Maybe it is you, Mr. Kasman who needs help; the mental type that is ( By the way, if you have Joel Weissman as your attorney, he is one of the best around so why are you whining so much)
Posted by jg - 3 months, 1 week, 6 days, 16 hours, 46 minutes ago

So sad that Kasman is now writing under the name of Nolan. FYI: There are still no active investigations against Handler. His client loves him. No crimes, no new news. All that is left is for Kasman to blog. So sad.
Posted by dlb - 3 months, 1 week, 6 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes ago

I am shocked that a group of lawyers is debating about the financials of a stay-at-home parent, stating, as #5 did, that someone opted out of making extra household income. The reality for most families is that the cost of childcare is more than someone without a (profitable) college degree can make working. Thus, financially, it is smarter for one party to stay home with the kids. The idea of alimony is to recognize the educational/career costs that this financial decision has on the partner who makes that sacrifice.
Posted by jg - 3 months, 1 week, 6 days, 8 hours, 25 minutes ago

Now Kasman is calling himself Peter. This is getting sadder all the time
Posted by jg - 3 months, 1 week, 6 days, 5 hours, 39 minutes ago

If # 18 is a PB attorney, what is your bar number. If #19 can cite the florida statute that decribes Handler’s crime, he should do it. But alas, it is all the work of Kasman who is having a tough time writing to himself. Even Gordon seems to be ignoring him. Maybe peace is taking place between him and his ex.

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