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Baker & Hostetler Gets Into Bar Fight Over Unpaid Legal Bills
Fish & Richardson may also be at risk of getting stiffed
New York Law Journal
October 12, 2009
Baker & Hostetler has taken the owner of a New York bar frequented by celebrities to court seeking more than $307,000 in unpaid legal bills.
The law firm is suing former client Little Rest Twelve Inc. in Manhattan Supreme Court for failing to pay for work Baker & Hostetler did in the spring to fight off an injunction blocking the use of the name "Buddha Bar" at a restaurant it operates in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.
In March, Little Rest fired Baker & Hostetler over its fees, with five partners billing at $475 to $950 an hour. "I must tell you that I am shocked by your invoice," Nina Zajic, a director of the company, wrote in an e-mail in March.
Little Rest replaced Baker & Hostetler with Fish & Richardson in April on a fixed fee arrangement. But Fish & Richardson last month asked to withdraw from the case after Little Rest stopped communicating and did not pay more than $106,875 in bills.
Little Rest in September separately changed the name of its Buddha Bar NYC to Ajna Bar. The restaurant has been known for hosting events for celebrities ranging from Sarah Jessica Parker to Lindsay Lohan, according to the New York Daily News.
Zajic was unavailable for comment. Matthew Levine, a Fish & Richardson partner, declined to comment. Baker & Hostetler did not respond to a request for comment.
The fee suit is Baker Hostetler LLP v. Little Rest Twelve Inc., 650583/2009. The trademark suit is George V Restauration S.A. v. Little Rest Twelve Inc., 602309/2007.
