In a controversial legal case, justices of the Illinois Supreme Court are currently considering whether two attorneys should receive almost $1.7 million in attorney fees, given that they were found to have violated ethics rules prior to their termination. The ongoing case is stirring up debate and drawing significant attention in legal circles across the globe.
The case revolves around lawyers Andrew Levenfeld and Stephen Schlegel, who were hired to aid Maureen V. O’Brien and her nephew Daniel O’Brien III in gaining a part of their family’s wealth. Despite an agreement to work on a contingency basis, the O’Brien family chose to terminate their services just 19 months in.
Despite the termination, an Illinois circuit court awarded Levenfeld and Schlegel the disputed fees. The O’Briens’ new lawyer, John Fitzgerald, from Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC, has since appealed to the higher court to reverse this nearly $1.7 million fee award.
According to court documents, Fitzgerald and the O’Briens are arguing that the fees shouldn’t be paid because the original lawyers breached ethics rules, and the clients saw no benefit during their representation.
The ruling on this case could potentially impact how legal fees are evaluated and awarded when there are allegations of ethics violations, highlighting the critical importance of maintaining high standards of ethics in the profession.