In The News

L.A. Superior Court Judge Did Not Reduce Fee Request, But Refused To Award a Multiplier.      Much to the chagrin of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant awarded $101,625 in attorney’s fees against it and in favor of L.A. Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Peter Burke […]

Reason: Proposed U.S. Legislation to Cap Fee Recovery to Class Counsel.      Many of you readers may have seen the very colorful, serene television advertisements urging potentially qualified class members to phone or email in about specifics on the Cobell Indian Land Trust Settlement. Well, everything may not be serene about this settlement given recent

    Not the “Mile High” Club, But the $1,000-Plus An Hour Club Nevertheless.         Vanessa O’Connell reports, in a February 23, 2011 article in The Wall Street Journal, that leading U.S. attorneys in some big firms or specialty areas are charging as much as $1,250 an hour, even though some pioneering attorneys had

  Big Bankruptcies Result in Big Legal Fees for Debtor/Committee Counsel.      As reported by Sheri Qualters in a February 21, 2011 post on The National Law Journal (on-line version), counsel representing debtors/trustee and unsecured creditor committees in big bankruptcy cases must be doing quite well financially. She reports that the fees for attorneys and

  Employments Issues Made Up Over Half the Cases.      In an interesting article in the February 16, 2011 edition of The Sacramento Bee, Brad Branan reports that Sacramento County saw its legal costs rise 28% to $14 million in the last fiscal year.      The reason for this climb was higher claim payments, with

L.A. Superior Court Judge Orders Opponent to Return Substantial Fees/Costs He Had Paid Before Appellate Court Reversal.      In our September 9, 2010 post on Cussler v. Crusader Entertainment, we described the litigation saga between Alhambra-born adventure writer Clive Cussler and Crusader Entertainment (now Bristol Bay Productions) over the 2005 movie flop “Sahara.” The Second

CT TyMetrix/Corporate Executive Board Study Shows Client Pay More For Larger Firms and Southern City Rates Have Risen the Highest.      CT TyMetrix, a provider of online law department analysis, and the Corporate Executive Board, which offers similar advice to corporations, have come up with a study entitled “The 2010 Real Rate Report,” based on

  Fees Paid in Resolving Wrongful Termination Suit.      As reported by Paul Thissen of the Contra Costa Times in a February 9, 2011 post on the online version of The Mercury News, City of Concord has agreed to pay a $188,500 settlement to former custodial supervisor Kevin Parks in lieu of reinstating him to

Settlement Will Be the Subject of an Upcoming Hearing.      As reported by Wendy Fry in a February 3, 2011 post in the online version of The San Diego Union-Tribune, the City of San Diego has agreed to settle a lawsuit over emergency dredging in the Tijuana River Valley by the nonprofit group San Diegans

  Winner Apparently Waived Attorney’s Fees But City Agreed to Pay for Storm Drain Improvement. [Above:  Storm Drain Improvement.  Two men pour liquor into storm drain.  1921.  Library of Congress.]      In our October 3, 2010 post, we summarized the results of a lawsuit eventually concluding in a substantial compensatory damages judgment and attorney’s fees