Ex-partner awarded $550K in law firm dispute loses appeal; firm says he now owes $200K
Last year, Kirk Willis was awarded $550,000 by a Georgia jury, minus a $105,000 counterclaim, in litigation against his former law firm. But earlier this month, the onetime chief of the Dallas office of Atlanta-based Helms & Greene had a reversal of fortune.
Willis, who was also awarded attorney’s fees in the legal dispute with his former firm, had additionally sought some $250,000 in reimbursement of his legal costs. However, a Georgia appeals court has determined the trial court’s jury instructions were in error. Now, under the terms of a post-trial settlement, Willis will not only lose the $550,000 and the $250,000 reimbursement, but must also pay $200,000 to Helms & Greene, partner Steven Greene told the Daily Report (sub. req.).
However, a lawyer for Willis filed a motion for reconsideration (PDF) on Monday with the Georgia Court of Appeals and says he hopes the Fulton County Superior Court case ultimately will be resolved in Willis’ favor.
At issue is whether Helms & Greene failed to pay Willis bonuses and incentives that he claimed were contractually owed to him, and whether Willis breached his fiduciary duty and duty of loyalty to the firm by allegedly using Helms & Greene as a platform to market his own legal services. Willis was hired in 2009 as the managing member of the firm’s Dallas office, and left abruptly in 2012. He then formed the Willis Law Group, taking many former Helms & Greene lawyers and clients with him.
An earlier Daily Report article (sub. req.) provides additional details.
