Neither the Coudert Brothers’ estate nor Baker & McKenzie can pursue a contingency fee claim for lobbying work the firms said helped secure a $59 million tax refund for Peabody Energy Corp., a Southern District judge has ruled.
In a dispute with their former client, the law firms said they were entitled to 15 percent of the recovery, about $9 million, in accordance with an engagement letter with the coal company that directly refers to pursuing the refunds through the IRS or in litigation, but not lobbying.
