Wisconsin Law firms earned $3,032 an hour.
07/13/99
Three law firms that represented Wisconsin in its lawsuit against the tobacco industry earned $3,032 an hour for each of the 24,733 hours they worked, newly released documents show.
The state attorney general's office released the information yesterday in an attempt to end an open records lawsuit filed by three newspapers seeking to learn details on work the firms performed in winning the state a $5.9 billion settlement with cigarette makers.
The tobacco lawsuit was settled in November as part of a multistate agreement that would give Wisconsin $5.9 billion over 25 years.
The attorneys had resisted releasing their records, citing ``ethical issues,'' but agreed to release them to Attorney General James Doyle, who then gave them to reporters.