4 ms·

Those are fairly standard fees for a big law firm defending these kinds of cases. It's why most companies settle rather than fight cases.

middleclick 11y ago
Out of curiosity, is this the fee for just one lawyer or there are more than one?
- Sanddancer 11y ago
  A case like this, you'll have several doing research, poring through contracts, writing motions, etc. It's part of the reason why the judge gave such a big award. The other being that judge's really don't like being jerked around, and withholding evidence like this is just wasting everyone's time. Had Acacia provided the documents when they were requested, the case would have been settled years ago.
- eru 11y ago
  Each partner hour costs you 1 kUSD. If you have two partners working one hour each, or one partner working two hours doesn't matter.
- rhino369 11y ago
  Each attorney billes their rate. So ona conference call with 5 attorneys you might get billed 3k an hour. M Junior and mid level associates (400-650 an hour) do most of the heavy lifting. Partners are more supervisory, but will be do a lot for depositions, hearings, negotiations and trials. Even a relatively small case against Acacia costs like 1.5-2 mil.
- ericd 11y ago
  Think of them like AWS instances, with a partner being an XL and an associate being an M. Big firms can spin up a lot at once to hammer the other side with legal paperwork, but it starts costing you quite a lot per month. Sometimes there are jobs you really need an XL for for maximum concentrated firepower (like negotiating in person, where someone even slightly better can be worth millions/hr in outcome), but oftentimes a M can be a better fit for the task (paperwork, legal motions, almost everything else).
monochromatic 11y ago
$310 seems high for a paralegal, even at a big firm.
- enraged_camel 11y ago
  That's what the paralegals are billed at. The firm keeps most of that as profit.
  - goodcanadian 11y ago
    Well, there are also a lot of real costs over and above salary. Benefits, office space, computers, telephone, utilities, toilet paper, expenses of all sorts, really.
  - bro-stick 11y ago
    Exactly, that's the most profitable line-item. Paralegal's take-home pay varies considerably, between $15/ and $30/hr, with a few commanding much more. And do most of the work and get paid the least.
    - ccvannorman 11y ago
      But someday, you'll make partner! does the downward cowboy arm swing fist thing
- monochromatic 11y ago
  Oh, I know how that works. I'm a lawyer, although not at a big firm, so I'm not sure how much they bill their paralegals out at.
bro-stick 11y ago
I'll second that. MBB consultants run significantly more.

middleclick 11y ago

Out of curiosity, is this the fee for just one lawyer or there are more than one?

Sanddancer 11y ago
A case like this, you'll have several doing research, poring through contracts, writing motions, etc. It's part of the reason why the judge gave such a big award. The other being that judge's really don't like being jerked around, and withholding evidence like this is just wasting everyone's time. Had Acacia provided the documents when they were requested, the case would have been settled years ago.
eru 11y ago
Each partner hour costs you 1 kUSD. If you have two partners working one hour each, or one partner working two hours doesn't matter.
rhino369 11y ago
Each attorney billes their rate. So ona conference call with 5 attorneys you might get billed 3k an hour. M Junior and mid level associates (400-650 an hour) do most of the heavy lifting. Partners are more supervisory, but will be do a lot for depositions, hearings, negotiations and trials. Even a relatively small case against Acacia costs like 1.5-2 mil.
ericd 11y ago
Think of them like AWS instances, with a partner being an XL and an associate being an M. Big firms can spin up a lot at once to hammer the other side with legal paperwork, but it starts costing you quite a lot per month. Sometimes there are jobs you really need an XL for for maximum concentrated firepower (like negotiating in person, where someone even slightly better can be worth millions/hr in outcome), but oftentimes a M can be a better fit for the task (paperwork, legal motions, almost everything else).

monochromatic 11y ago

$310 seems high for a paralegal, even at a big firm.

enraged_camel 11y ago
That's what the paralegals are billed at. The firm keeps most of that as profit.
- goodcanadian 11y ago
  Well, there are also a lot of real costs over and above salary. Benefits, office space, computers, telephone, utilities, toilet paper, expenses of all sorts, really.
- bro-stick 11y ago
  Exactly, that's the most profitable line-item. Paralegal's take-home pay varies considerably, between $15/ and $30/hr, with a few commanding much more. And do most of the work and get paid the least.
  - ccvannorman 11y ago
    But someday, you'll make partner! does the downward cowboy arm swing fist thing
monochromatic 11y ago
Oh, I know how that works. I'm a lawyer, although not at a big firm, so I'm not sure how much they bill their paralegals out at.

bro-stick 11y ago

I'll second that. MBB consultants run significantly more.