Monday, November 30, 2009

Attorney Fees Reduced

I thought you would be interested in reading Todd Lightly's article published by the Chicago Tribune regarding the reduction in legal fees paid as a result of the current oversupply of lawyers.  Here is the article:

"William Shakespeare famously suggested in "Henry VI, Part II" that, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."


Well, maybe not so fast.

The recession has led to a glut of unemployed and underemployed lawyers, and that could benefit city taxpayers.

Mayor Richard Daley's top lawyer, Mara Georges, told aldermen during a budget hearing that she tries to keep in-house as many legal cases as she can. But Georges added that she often has to hire private lawyers to handle cases, many of them involving complex legal matters in federal court.

Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, was concerned about the cost to taxpayers. He asked Georges if she has been able to take advantage of the abundance of lawyers looking for work during the current economic crisis.

"We've been capitalizing on that opportunity," Georges said.

For example, she said, the city's maximum hourly rate for the most difficult cases is normally $295. She said the city has been able to get that reduced to $250 per hour.

The city so far this year has paid $14 million in fees to private lawyers but did not offer figures for how much was saved.

A couple of aldermen told Georges not to get too cheap with legal fees, with one cautioning, "You get what you pay for."  "
 
Warmest Regards,

Bob Schaller


Your Bankruptcy Advisor Blog
By: Attorney Robert Schaller (Bob's bio) of the Schaller Law Firm.
Click for Bankruptcy Lawyer Job Opportunities.

Bob is a member of the National Bankruptcy College Attorney Network, American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.

I encourage you to SUBSCRIBE to this blog by completing the box to the right of this post so you will automatically receive future blog postings. Next, you can review past and future blogs at any time by clicking the "archive" link in the column to the right of this posting. Plus, you are invited to submit a question by utilizing the "question" box in the column to the right of this posting.


For information about Chapter 7 bankruptcy Click Here

For information about Chapter 13 bankruptcy Click Here

You are invited to contact Attorney Schaller at 630-655-1233 or visit his website at http://www.schallerlawfirm.com/to learn about how the bankruptcy laws can help you.

NOTE: Robert Schaller looks forward to the opportunity to talk with you about your legal issues. But please remember that all information on this blog is for advertising and general informational purposes only. Please read Bob's disclaimer.

I recommend that you review a few other blogs that may be of interest to you. These blogs are identified in the right column and are set forth below: bankruptcy issues blog; bankruptcy and family law issues blog; bankruptcy and employment issues blog; and bankruptcy and student loan issues blog.

No comments:

Post a Comment