Tiny Calif. City that Paid Its Attorney $1.65M Also Has a Big Budget for Law Firms
The tiny California town that paid its officials six-figure salaries—and $1.65 million to its one-time city attorney—has also been generous with its outside law firms.
The city of Vernon, with a population of less than 100 residents, paid the law firms more than $54 million over a five-year span, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Am Law Daily noted the story.
Since 2005, Vernon had 34 law firms doing its legal work, more than the 26 households in the city, the Times says.
Among those earning fees was Latham & Watkins, which was paid $14 million, and K&L Gates, paid $7.6 million. Loeb & Loeb earned $2 million and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, $1.6 million. Latham and a newly hired law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, are now representing the town as it fights a bill that would force it to disincorporate.
City officials said the legal help was necessary because it owns a power plant and natural gas distribution system.
