A trove of public records detailing the legal expenses of the Central Florida Oversight District, home to Disney’s theme parks, recently came to light. The documents reveal a steep increase in attorney billing rates over the past five years, especially among those specialising in labor and employment law.
The district, previously a ward of Disney, has been enlisting the services of Greenberg Traurig, BakerHostetler, Carlton Fields, Eversheds Sutherland, and FordHarrison since 2018. These firms continued to invoice the district even after Governor Ron DeSantis assumed its control in 2023. The records left in the wake of this engagement provide a snapshot of how some partners, and even paralegals, have been significantly boosting their billing rates with time.
According to the invoices from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, labor and employment attorneys had markedly increased their rates, with other areas of practice following suit albeit in a less dramatic fashion. The billing firms included FordHarrison, BakerHostelter, and Greenberg Traurig. This trend showcases more than just the specific dynamics within the Central Florida Oversight District. It offers an important insight into the evolution of attorney fee structures in general and the steady rise of billing rates across the legal sector.