Court orders lawyers from Eaton Peabody and Baker & Hostetler to reduce fees

A US court has ruled that that lawyers from Eaton Peabody and Baker & Hostetler overcharged for legal work, inflating their charges with overstaffing and redundant work. The court determined that the fees should be reduced by 53 per cent, from around $150,000 to around $70,400. The lawyers involved are Timothy Woodcock of Eaton Peabody and four Baker & Hostetler attorneys, including election law counsel E. Mark Braden. The lawyers represented William Desena and Sandra Dunham who sued the state of Maine, Governor Paul LePage, three other state officials, and the state's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions in March 2011 over congressional redistricting. Among numerous complaints about the fees the defendants claimed that Braden's hourly fee of $595 and the fees of three Baker & Hostetler associates, which ranged from $350 to $420 per hour, were excessive based on their relative inexperience. The defendants argued that the associates only deserved to get $175 an hour, the prevailing rate in Maine for a similarly credentialed attorney.

Court orders lawyers from Eaton Peabody and Baker & Hostetler to reduce fees amlawdaily.typepad.com Fri, Apr 6, 2012