Quinn Emanuel Justifies Huge Fee With $384,000-Per-Hour Returns

Quinn Emanuel has new ammunition in its?fight?for a $185 million fee award, saying that every hour its lawyers worked on an Obamacare-related case generated about $384,000 in returns, Roy Strom writes in his latest Big Law Business column.

Harvard Law professor William Rubenstein , hired by Quinn Emanuel to analyze its fee request, found that figure showed the firm’s work in the case was perhaps the most efficient ever performed by attorneys in a large class-action.

'Epically productive' or windfall? Quinn Emanuel’s lawyers worked relatively few hours on the case—9,630, to be exact. In the 13 large class-actions Rubenstein compared to the case, no firm had worked less than 37,000 hours. "Does that figure show Quinn Emanuel lawyers were, as Rubenstein argued, ‘epically productive?’ Or does it prove they’re getting a windfall?" Roy writes.? That’s the question the judge overseeing the fee award legal fight will have to consider.

Lewis Brisbois Founder Steps Down After 100-Plus Lawyers Exit

In the latest on the shakeup at Lewis Brisbois , founder Bob Lewis is stepping down as chair and the firm is disbanding its executive committee days after more than 100 attorneys left to form a new boutique.

“Recent events” pushed the firm to “change our management team,” it said in a statement Thursday.

A group of California-based partners, led by employment practice leaders John Barber and Jeff Ranen , informed Lewis Brisbois leaders April 27 they were leaving to launch a new firm. At least 125 Lewis Brisbois lawyers, primarily based in California, have signed on to join the boutique, Barber said May 2.

Big Law Attorney Billing Rate at 15-Year Low. More Layoffs to Come?

Big Law firms face pressure to downsize as attorneys bill hours at a historically low rate, a? 富国银行 survey of 66 of the largest US law firms shows.

The first quarter data shows attorneys billed at an annual pace of less than 1,600 hours, the lowest figure in at least 15 years, said Owen Burman, CFA managing director of the Wells Fargo legal specialty group.

Firms including? Cooley LLP ,? Gunderson Dettmer ?and? Goodwin have already laid off lawyers this year, and “I would not be surprised to see more announcements of that sort,” Burman said.

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