OR: A Lawyer's Personal Touch at $600 an Hour

You can't say attorney James Berrien wasn't devoted to Geraldine and Ned McMurtry.

In December 2008 -- a fairly typical month, best I can tell -- Berrien tended to the elderly siblings' affairs on 21 different occasions, including Christmas Eve. He frequently dropped by their 135-acre Newberg property, made arrangements to install a new furnace, bought Ned a shaver and signed checks for their caregivers.

Heck, according to his fastidious records, the Hillsboro attorney even lent his shoulder to "extracting" the McMurtrys' car from a snow drift.

So, yes, Berrien was devoted to Geraldine -- 92 at the time -- and her 89-year-old brother.

And he billed them accordingly. The bill for December 2008 came to $24,415, including $1,200 for each "visit" with his clients, $720 to check-in on Ned at his rehab center and $25 each time Berrien signed a check.

Between 2003 and 2010, when Berrien had total control of the McMurtrys' finances, he billed the siblings more than $1,084,000 in attorney fees at his austere hourly rate.

"We have multiple documented charges of $600 an hour," said Kateri Walsh, spokeswoman for the Oregon State Bar.

Source:
Steve Duin: A Lawyer's Personal Touch at $600 an Hour