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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: legal fees

legal fees stories: 16 news summaries

 Judge Fines Orly Taitz $20K 

Birther queen's misuse of court is 'breathtaking'

Oct 13, 09 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - US District Judge Clay Land has had it with Orly Taitz. He slapped the birther leader with a $20,000 fine today for her constant stream of frivolous lawsuits and motions. In a scathing 43-page order, Land writes that Taitz willfully misused the court, and “as an attorney, she... More »

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judge • frivolous lawsuits • legal fees • federal judges • fine • birther • Orly Taitz

(Newser) - Brooke Astor's son owes his lawyers nearly $5 million in legal fees, and he's apparently having trouble paying up. Attorneys for Anthony Marshall—convicted this week of fleecing his philanthropist mother on her deathbed—filed papers saying he owes $4.7 million, a figure that could double in the appeals... More »

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Brooke Astor • legal fees • Anthony Marshall • Charlene Marshall

Knox's Family Has Spent $1M on Defense

Father 'mortgaged everything' for Italian murder trial

Oct 9, 09 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Amanda Knox’s trial has taken more than an emotional toll on her family—it’s all but bankrupted them. “Between Amanda’s mother and myself, we have spent over a million dollars so far,” her father tells ABC News. “We have literally mortgaged everything and used... More »

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Italy • murder trial • legal fees • Meredith Kercher • Amanda Knox • Raffaele Sollecito • Edda Mellas • Curt Knox

(Newser) - Sarah Palin says she's drowning in a rising tide of frivolous ethics complaints, the AP reports. Most of the 18 complaints have been dismissed, but Palin's office says she's $500,000 in legal debt and facing accusations that "have been politically or personally motivated." Rallying to her side,... More »

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ethics • Alaska • legal fees • Sarah Palin • complaints

 Minnesotans 
 to Coleman: 
 Concede 

Both candidates low on cash

Apr 16, 09 8:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - A whopping 63% of Minnesota voters want Norm Coleman to concede the Senate race to Al Franken, with only 37% supporting more appeals, according to a new survey from Public Policy Polling. Another 59% said they want Gov. Tim Pawlenty to certify Franken’s victory. “It appears that most... More »

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poll • Norm Coleman • Minnesota • Tim Pawlenty • Al Franken • legal fees • poll numbers • recount

(Newser) - Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy filing is a gold mine for lawyers. One New York firm asked a bankruptcy judge this week to authorize a $55 million payment—the largest quarterly fee ever for a bankruptcy case, the Wall Street Journal reports. When all is said and done, this firm alone—Weil,... More »

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bankruptcy • Lehman Brothers • legal fees • law firm • banking industry

GOSSIP ROUNDUP

 Jade's Funeral Date Set 

Plus, Rihanna house hunts, and more

Mar 24, 09 10:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - The funeral for Jade Goody, the British reality star who died of cervical cancer, will be held April 4, the BBC reports. A funeral procession will go from her house to a nearby church. Elsewhere:
  • Rihanna was spotted house-hunting yesterday in the Hollywood Hills, the Sun reports.
  • Struggling-for-cash
... More »

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television • Britney Spears • reality TV • Angelina Jolie • California • Hollywood • taxes • cervical cancer • Lindsay Lohan • celebrity • death • lawyer • funeral • Britain • Kiefer Sutherland • legal fees • Rihanna • estate • TV series • law firm • Maserati • Marcheline Bertrand • Jade Goody • back taxes

Palin May Create Fund
to Pay $500K in Legal Bills

Guv may start a legal fund to handle costs

Mar 21, 09 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin has racked up more than $500,000 in lawyers' bills defending herself against ethics complaints and may create a legal fund to help pay them off, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The Alaska governor calls the complaints “baseless” and chalks them up to "political blood sport.... More »

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ethics • Alaska • debt • governor • legal fees • Sarah Palin

 Downturn's Latest 
 Victim: the Billable Hour 

Long a legal standard, clients are saying no to lengthy litigation

Jan 30, 09 11:58 AM CST
(Newser) - Might the billable hour—long the standard of measure for legal services—be on its way out? Law firms are rethinking their business models as the economic crisis makes clients more demanding, the New York Times reports. Firms are experimenting with alternative payment methods such as flat fees and percentages... More »

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legal fees • attorney • trial lawyers • legal action • financial crisis • economic downturn

'Friends of Amanda' Throw Benefit for Accused Killer

Family aims to raise $500K for legal fees

Jan 26, 09 1:51 PM CST
(Newser) - She’s been called a femme fatale, but for the people who came to her legal defense benefit in Seattle this weekend, Amanda Knox is a victim. “Amanda would be amazed at this overwhelming turnout of support,” her mother tells the West Seattle Herald. About 120 people showed... More »

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murder • murder trial • legal fees • Perugia • Meredith Kercher • Amanda Knox • media bias

$500K in Legal Bills May Have Motivated Blago

Guv could have hoped Senate seat could bail him out of debts

Dec 11, 08 4:26 PM CST
(Newser) - Disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich owes a Chicago law firm more than $500,000, the Wall Street Journal reports. In intercepted conversations released as part of the current complaint against him, Blagojevich repeatedly mentions his poor financial situation; earlier this year, he stopped paying Winston & Strawn, which had counseled... More »

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corruption • Illinois • governor • legal fees • Rod Blagojevich • political scandal • Winston & Strawn

 Spears
 Custody Circus
 Price Tag: $700K 

Britney must pay ex K-Fed legal fees

Aug 19, 08 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Britney Spears' recently resolved custody battle with ex Kevin Federline will cost her $716,000 in legal fees—and she didn’t even get custody of the kids. The struggling pop star must pony up $466,000 for her two legal eagles and another $250,000 for Federline’s attorneys,... More »

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Britney Spears • Kevin Federline • Los Angeles • legal fees • custody battle • celebrity parents

GLOSSIES

Corporate America Tries to Chip Away at Lawyer Bills

With first $1B legal charge on horizon, companies create new fee structure

Jul 15, 08 8:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - With corporate legal fees skyrocketing to unprecedented heights—the median amount big companies forked over per outside lawyer in 2007 was more than $600,000—firms are moving to exert some measure of control, Portfolio reports. Some of America’s biggest businesses are taking dramatic steps, like trading long-term agreements... More »

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business • lawyer • business intelligence • legal fees

Roger Clemens Takes Swing at Used-Car Sales

Beleaguered ex-big leaguer hawks his Bentley to pay bills

Jun 18, 08 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - It’s hard to imagine, but apparently Roger Clemens is a little short this month. The former pitcher has sold his Bentley to Bret Michaels to help pay his legal fees, the New York Post reports. “Clemens is apparently selling his lavish goods,” an insider said. “Bret... More »

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Roger Clemens • legal fees • baseball • cars

Lawyers to OJ Publisher: See You in Court

Attorneys sue If I Did It mastermind for cut of News Corp. settlement

Mar 4, 08 3:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Foiled If I Did It publisher Judith Regan's lawyers say she didn't do it—cough up their agreed-upon payment, that is. And they want their money, Reuters reports. The lawyers represented Regan in her case against News Corp., which canned her in the uproar surrounding the OJ Simpson confessional. She... More »

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Rupert Murdoch • OJ Simpson • lawsuit • If I Did It • HarperCollins • Judith Regan • settlement • legal fees • News Corp

Spears Slapped With K-Fed's Legal Fees

Judge cites income disparity, orders Spears to cough up $120K

Nov 7, 07 3:07 AM CST
(Newser) - In a major insult on top of the injury of losing her kids, pop princess Britney Spears has been ordered to pay nearly all her ex-husband's legal fees in their ongoing custody battle, according to court papers filed yesterday. Spears must cover $120,000 of Kevin Federline's $154,000 legal... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Britney Spears • Kevin Federline • court • joint custody • legal fees

16 Stories


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