Over $45K for one day of legal work? What we learned from Central Bucks legal bills

The day the Central Bucks School District unveiled its five-month investigation into allegations of anti-LGBTQ discrimination against students, the law firm conducting the probe was still working on its report and presentation, according to new billing records.

Seven attorneys with Duane Morris LP billed for work described as finalizing the presentation, report and exhibiting and preparing for the April 20, 2023 public meeting, according to a final set of billing records obtained through a Right to Know request.

Besides the lead investigators, William McSwain and Michael Rinaldi, two additional firm partners, who charged $780 and $1,290 an hour, were among those who worked in the 11th hour on the report and presentation, records show.

The bills for attorney services alone for the day of the presentation was $46,682, making it the most expensive day in the most expensive month following the November 2022 hiring of Duane Morris to represent the district and investigate anti-LGBTQ complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Education.

A Duane Morris spokeswoman previously declined comment on billing or personnel matters.

Here is what else analysis of the final months of legal bills found:

What a legal review of legal bills shows Early review flagged $1.75M legal bills as 'seriously inflated.' Here is the reason why

10 different attorneys worked on Central Bucks report

The final legal bills confirm that the largest portion of the $1.75 million  Duane Morris charged the district involved attorney fees for the internal investigation, which produced the 150-page report, 105 exhibits and a two-hour PowerPoint presentation.

The internal investigation involved 45 interviews, roughly half with district employees, and more than 123,000 documents and electronic media including emails and social media posts, according to Rinaldi. Billing shows that 10 different attorneys worked on the internal district investigation.

The investigation, which has been criticized as one-sided, concluded no evidence existed of widespread unaddressed discrimination against LGBTQ students. It also found the administration appropriately addressed student complaints.

In each of the months leading up to the April presentation, at least seven attorneys worked on the report and presentation, according to records. Those attorneys, which included senior partners, charged hourly rates ranging from $465 to $1,290 an hour.

In April alone, at least four, and as many as nine attorneys plus a paralegal, billed for performing similar work on the investigation and presentation on the same day 13 times, according to billing records.

Of the more than $440,000 spent in April 2023, all but $34,369 went for attorney services that included review, revision, redaction and preparation for the internal investigation report and presentation.

The firm's agreement with the district required it to make an effort to have attorneys or legal assistants, “at lower rates” handle “appropriate tasks.”

Paralegal services were used only 15 days in March and April at a total cost of less than $24,000, records show.

McSwain spent roughly 112 hours in April working on the internal investigation, and preparing for the board presentation, according to his time entries. Rinaldi billed for roughly 58 hours for work specifically on drafting and revising the final report.

In the six days before the April 20 meeting, attorneys charged more than $125,00 for work on the internal investigation that included proofreading, reviewing, revising, fact-checking and redacting the report and associated elements,according to the bills.

The day after the board presentation, Rinaldi billed the district $340 to “coordinate access to exhibits and related issues; an associate attorney also billed $139 for work developing “alternative means” for the public to access the exhibits and report.

However. all information involving the final Duane Morris report and the video of the two-hour presentation are no longer available on district-maintained websites. The items, however, were removed in March 2024 under an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by a district middle school teacher who was named in the report.

More on Duane Morris CBSD investigation Lawyers charging hefty sum call Central Bucks school probe by ACLU 'a fishing expedition'

What happened with attorney bills after the April public presentation

Following the April presentation the number of attorneys working on the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights investigation dropped to no more than four each month, records show.

The attorney bills also dropped dramatically. The final six months of bills totaled a combined $92,764.

The time entries for work performed were typically vague and descriptions repetitive. They frequently referenced "strategy" involving the Office of Inspector General or the Office of Civil Rights. Some time entries simply stated "attention to strategy" and "review key documents," and "consider strategic issues."

There were also time entries suggesting the firm was involved in reviewing documents involving Right to Know requests.

More on CBSD legal bills How much will the Central Bucks probe into LGBTQ discrimination cost taxpayers? We know now.

The final bills, which cover services provided between April 1, and Oct. 27, 2203, appear to support the findings in a previously undisclosed review of Duane Morris legal bills performed last year. The review by an outside attorney who reviewed of Duane Morris legal bills performed last year.

The review of two sets of earlier bills concluded that too many attorneys performing similar tasks resulted in excessive duplication of work that “ seriously inflated” billable hours.

Jo Ciavaglia is a reporter at the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She can be reached at jciavaglia@couriertimes.com 

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Review of final Duane Morris legal bills submitted to Central Bucks