A Washington, D.C., law firm cannot recover nearly $680,000 in 2002 legal fees it claims it is owed by New York’s Nassau County because it billed “extraordinarily high hours” for “very minimal legal work,” an arbitration panel has ruled.
Joseph Zorc and Judith L. Chase, the two principals of Zorc & Chase, “made no court appearances, participated in limited agency appearances or external meetings, submitted no briefs or memoranda of law, and prepared and/or submitted very few letters” on behalf of the county, according to the Oct. 17 decision by the three arbitrators. However, the firm sought $1.3 million in legal fees and nearly $192,000 in other fees.
