[DrJones]

http://www.thestar.com/article/588503

Here's a story that should do wonders for the reputation of my profession.

Outside lawyers billed the Ontario government and taxpayers up to $850 an hour for work in the province's long-running civil case concerning corruption allegations at its real estate arm, court filings reveal.

Top lawyers at WeirFoulds, which represented the government in litigation involving Ontario Realty Corp., charged between $250 and $850 an hour in ringing up a bill of more than $52,000 on a single motion during 2007, according to the firm's own submissions.

The submissions disclosed four lawyers and three other staff members worked almost 115 hours in preparation and attendance on what one judge called a "straightforward" motion.

...

The Star reported last week that the government spent more than $23.4 million for outside assistance, but won just $3.5 million plus compound interest in a judgment after a recent trial. The costs do not include what the government spent internally when it took over the case in late 2007.

...

WeirFoulds even filed a fee totalling $1,640 for preparation of the final bill. It took seven hours of staff time to compile the figure, the schedule showed.


Bet you are all regretting you didn't go to law school now, eh?
lol.

What a joke. I can't believe the government would pay this. Talk about pissing away taxpayer dollars. Where is the accountability and oversight?

[martin14]

DrJones wrote:

What a joke. I can't believe the government would pay this. Talk about pissing away taxpayer dollars. Where is the accountability and oversight?

Run by people who arent lawyers

[Yogi]

[quote="DrJones"]]


Bet you are all regretting you didn't go to law school now, eh?
lol.

True. There are times when I regret dropping out of law . I took a year of 'pre-law' and actually got to assist a couple of times in a courtroom. Life certainly does look different when 'you're the one 'in' the docket'!

[DrJones]

martin14 wrote:

DrJones wrote:

What a joke. I can't believe the government would pay this. Talk about pissing away taxpayer dollars. Where is the accountability and oversight?

Run by people who arent lawyers

Except McGuinty is a lawyer, and so is the Attorney General, Chris Bentley!

How could they tolerate this nonsense? Isn't anyone reviewing the bills as they come in?

[Brenda]

DrJones wrote:

martin14 wrote:

DrJones wrote:

What a joke. I can't believe the government would pay this. Talk about pissing away taxpayer dollars. Where is the accountability and oversight?

Run by people who arent lawyers

Except McGuinty is a lawyer, and so is the Attorney General, Chris Bentley!

How could they tolerate this nonsense? Isn't anyone reviewing the bills as they come in?

Because people are just soooo f*ckin stupid...

Everybody thinks "it's another ones job" to check and double check...

Isn't anyone shopping anymore? Of course not, it's taxpayers money, who cares eh?

[karra]

No surprise here - just lawyers looking after lawyers - all on the taxpayer, natch. . . .

[commanderkai]

DrJones wrote:

How could they tolerate this nonsense? Isn't anyone reviewing the bills as they come in?

You expect too much. This is the government after all. Next you'll be asking for balanced budgets, reasonable expenditures, and honesty.

[SprCForr]

DrJones wrote:

Bet you are all regretting you didn't go to law school now, eh?
lol.

Nope. I have no desire to be first against the wall when the revolution happens.