Business Development

Lawmaker is federally indicted over $3.7M in claimed payments by law firms

Updated: A longtime New York state legislative leader was federally indicted Thursday on fraud and extortion charges concerning some $3.7 million in payments that he allegedly received from two law firms. In addition to serving, until recently, as the speaker of the New York Assembly, Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, also is…

Feb 19, 2015 4:50 PM CST

Judge OKs $178M in Detroit bankruptcy professional fees; Jones Day gets $58M

A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved $178 million in professional fees for Detroit’s record-breaking Chapter 9 case, including $58 million to Jones Day. The award to Jones Day for what Judge Steven Rhodes described as a “singular and extraordinary contribution” followed a $17.7 million reduction by the law firm…

Feb 12, 2015 3:55 PM CST

Still battling code-theft case, former Goldman Sachs programmer sues bank for legal fees

A former computer programmer for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ultimately prevailed in a federal prosecution over claims that he stole source code from his employer. But Sergey Aleynikov is still battling Goldman to obtain reimbursement for some $3 million he says he has expended in legal defense fees, reports Reuters.…

Feb 10, 2015 3:50 PM CST

Top NY lawmaker prosecuted over $3M asbestos-case referral fees exits speaker post and law firm role

After the announcement of criminal charges that he took millions of dollars in kickbacks under the guise of legal fees in exchange for misusing his government influence, a longtime New York Democratic legislative leader is stepping down from his role as speaker and taking an unpaid leave of absence from…

Jan 28, 2015 1:55 PM CST

Pennsylvania county mails capital defense lawyer’s checks to another person with same name

A Pennsylvania county intending to pay a lawyer for capital defense work sent two checks for more than $40,000 to the wrong person. Luzerne County sent the checks to Pittston mason Bernard Brown rather than Carbondale lawyer Bernard Brown. The Citizens’ Voice, the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader and the Associated Press…

Jan 21, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Indian tribe, lawyer ordered to pay more than $1 million in sanctions for frivolous claim

A Florida tribe and its lawyer have been ordered to pay more than $1 million in sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit against three Miami attorneys. In an order Friday, U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke said the allegations against the three lawyers were based on “no evidence or only patently…

Jan 20, 2015 4:15 PM CST

Beastie Boys seek $2.4M from Monster Energy to cover legal fees in copyright case

Lawyers for the hip-hop group Beastie Boys have asked a federal judge to make Monster Energy Company drink pay millions in legal fees in a copyright case, saying the defendant’s tactics before, during and after trial unnecessarily ran their legal fees beyond the $1.7 million jury award, the Associated Press…

Jan 20, 2015 12:47 PM CST

Lawyer’s personal assets, bank accounts at risk as opponents seek to collect $1M sanction

Lawyers for a cancer patient’s family are seeking to collect a $1 million sanction imposed on a Pennsylvania lawyer for allegedly allowing an improper reference in a medical malpractice case. The lawyers filed a writ of execution in an effort to obtain assets from the sanctioned lawyer, Nancy Raynor of…

Jan 14, 2015 7:38 AM CST

$5.4M in legal fees awarded by judge to inmates’ attorneys in jail-brutality case

A federal judge has awarded more than $5 million in legal fees to lawyers representing five inmates at a Los Angeles County jail who alleged brutality by deputies, the Los Angeles Times reports. The inmates themselves won a jury award of $950,000 in damages last February. The jury award included…

Jan 7, 2015 11:52 AM CST

Billable hour rates rise, but who’s paying full price?

Billable hour rates have gone up by 10 percent in the past four years, but those prices may often be offset by things like fee caps, discounts and alternative fee plans, the National Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. According to the publication’s billing data from the 40 firms that reported…

Jan 5, 2015 5:12 PM CST

Did damage caps discourage suits that could have spotlighted GM ignition defect?

After a 2006 fatal Chevy Cobalt crash was linked to a defective ignition switch, families of two teens killed in the Wisconsin accident decided to sue. The families, however, were unable to find contingency lawyers to take the case. The reason: a $350,000 damages cap in WIsconsin, the New York…

Dec 30, 2014 8:59 AM CST

Lawyer sued ex-client for fees, then served himself on ex-client’s behalf, ethics officials say

California ethics officials are recommending disbarment for a Fresno lawyer who obtained a default judgment in his fee suit against an ex-client by serving the court papers on himself, on the ex-client’s behalf. The lawyer, Warren Paul Felger, obtained a default judgment of more than $35,000 against the former client,…

Dec 29, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Vaccine court is profitable for some lawyers, who get paid win or lose

Private lawyers have been paid more than $60 million for cases they lost in a national vaccine court that hears vaccine compensation claims contested by the federal government. The system pays lawyers with vaccine court cases whether they win or lose, creating an incentive to overfile, the Associated Press reported…

Dec 23, 2014 10:44 AM CST

‘A flourishing industry’ pairs plaintiffs lawyers with state AGs in contingency suits

Plaintiffs lawyers working behind the scenes are encouraging state attorneys general to file lawsuits against businesses with the aim of helping consumers—and padding the private lawyers’ pockets. The private lawyers search for potential cases where a state or consumer is harmed, and then seek to sway usually Democratic attorneys general…

Dec 22, 2014 6:45 AM CST

En banc 1st Circuit ruling nixes state-funded sex-change surgery for prison inmate

Reversing a federal district judge and a three-judge appellate panel, an en banc federal appeals court on Tuesday said Massachusetts does not have to pay for sex-change surgery for a prison inmate serving a life term for a domestic slaying. Rejecting an argument that refusing needed medical treatment for Michelle…

Dec 16, 2014 2:45 PM CST