Probate Judge Joseph Secola is quoted as saying:
He has to "get on my knees and beg lawyers to take the cases that come before his court."
"They are not getting rich on that any more than you get rich on jury duty."
Rick Green says "This is hogwash."
Connecticut has more than 100 probate judges — some earning full benefits and $40,000 or $50,000 a year for part-time work. Probate is a world where being a "court-appointed" lawyer in a case with even a meager estate can mean years of profitable legal work, including the chance to bill at hundreds of dollars an hour.
Examples:
* Margot Claus, an elderly and sick German woman brought to Connecticut by a distant relative, now back home in Germany, was recently ordered to pay for a lawyer who should never have been appointed in the first place, who didn't even support her desire to return home.
* Paul Czepiga, a lawyer who served as a court-appointed conservator in the long-running case of a Lucille Follacchio, has collected more than $77,000 in fees. There are additional pending bills for another $21,000, according to Legal Aid lawyers challenging Czepiga's fees. His fees include charges of $19 to fax letters and send an e-mail.
A Legal Aid lawyer in Hartford said:
"If you stop the gouging, you stop making this such a lucrative place for people to operate in," "You have these little old ladies … they get their little tiny stash and it gets gobbled up. You are charging attorney's fees to manage a little old lady's life when she is under lock and key."
"People are making out like bandits. It's acceptable practice."
Full Article and Source:
Probate Courts Need Reformer As Leader
He has to "get on my knees and beg lawyers to take the cases that come before his court."
"They are not getting rich on that any more than you get rich on jury duty."
Rick Green says "This is hogwash."
Connecticut has more than 100 probate judges — some earning full benefits and $40,000 or $50,000 a year for part-time work. Probate is a world where being a "court-appointed" lawyer in a case with even a meager estate can mean years of profitable legal work, including the chance to bill at hundreds of dollars an hour.
Examples:
* Margot Claus, an elderly and sick German woman brought to Connecticut by a distant relative, now back home in Germany, was recently ordered to pay for a lawyer who should never have been appointed in the first place, who didn't even support her desire to return home.
* Paul Czepiga, a lawyer who served as a court-appointed conservator in the long-running case of a Lucille Follacchio, has collected more than $77,000 in fees. There are additional pending bills for another $21,000, according to Legal Aid lawyers challenging Czepiga's fees. His fees include charges of $19 to fax letters and send an e-mail.
A Legal Aid lawyer in Hartford said:
"If you stop the gouging, you stop making this such a lucrative place for people to operate in," "You have these little old ladies … they get their little tiny stash and it gets gobbled up. You are charging attorney's fees to manage a little old lady's life when she is under lock and key."
"People are making out like bandits. It's acceptable practice."
Full Article and Source:
Probate Courts Need Reformer As Leader
Rick Green's column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at rgreen@courant.com
No comments:
Post a Comment