A recently convicted former engineer at Analog Devices Inc. has spoken out against a request from prosecutors that he pay over $600,000 to cover the legal expenses of his previous employer, incurred from firms such as WilmerHale and Quinn Emanuel. His objections to these costs stem from what he describes as their “staggering” rates. This includes an hour-by-hour rate of $1,685 incurred by the formerly acting U.S. Attorney William Weinreb for his participation during the month-long trial.
The ex-engineer was found guilty of trade secrets theft, a crime that carries considerable penalties and has triggered this debate over liability for legal fees. With a fluctuating landscape of trade secret violation and litigation, this case adds another dimension to the discussion among legal professionals over the equity of cost-bearing in instances of employee misconduct.
A detailed examination of this case can be found at Law360.