‘Man, That is a Lot of Money’: Why PG&E Spent at Least $84 Million on Lawyers
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. paid at least $84 million to four outside law firms in the year leading up to its January bankruptcy filing, court papers show, demonstrating how the embattled utility’s legal bills piled up as its challenges also mounted, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
“The vast majority of the total legal payments — $75.7 million — went to Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a New York firm that is PG&E’s lead coordinating counsel in wildfire-related matters,” writes the Chronicle‘s J.D. Morris.
The company paid Weil, Gotshal & Manges $4.7 million in the 90 days leading up to the company’s bankruptcy filing. The other firms receiving revenue from the case are Jenner & Block and Keller & Benvenutti.
“Given the importance of these issues to the board, they wanted to hire the best. And the best are very expensive,” said Jared Ellias, a UC Hastings associate law professor. “… But man, that is a lot of money.”