Law firm Duane Morris is currently facing heavy scrutiny after leaked emails allege the firm to have produced ‘seriously inflated’ bills for a suburban Philadelphia school district. This comes in the wake of the firm’s investigation into accusations of rampant bullying against LGBTQ+ students within the district. The affair underscores the necessity for a higher level of communication between law firms and their public-sector clients.
The firm’s legal work began to attract attention following a 151-page internal investigation report for the Central Bucks School District. The team, led by partners Bill McSwain, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Michael Rinaldi, compiled the report in April 2023. The findings ultimately dismissed the American Civil Liberties Union’s allegations from 2022 claiming that the school district fostered an unfriendly atmosphere for its queer students.
The case provides a clear example of the risks that arise when there is a lack of alignment between large law firms and their public clients. As Marci Taylor, founder and CEO of Mantra Partner, emphasizes: “With public sector clients, you’re frequently dealing with people who aren’t lawyers.” Such interactions must be conducted with full awareness that the contents of invoices submitted are very likely to be made public.
Further details regarding this developing story can be found at Law.com.