Ferguson Hires Lawyer for $1,335 an Hour to Litigate Reforms

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Summary: Ferguson hires Winston and Strawn lawyer at $1,335 an hour to litigate reforms.

While Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson got off the murder wrap for fatally shooting unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, a highly politicized case that has fed into the latest fervor connecting police with racism, the town of Ferguson itself is far from being done with the issue. They have hired Chicago lawyer Dan Webb, head of Winston and Strawn, and are paying him nearly double the highest attorney billing rate of last year in Missouri: $1,335 an hour. They expect him to litigate the sorts of reforms the Justice Department has suggested in their report of this case.

  

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“The city wanted somebody who could try the case if necessary if they had to. But they don’t want to do that,” said Webb. “And it’s clear to me that the Department of Justice doesn’t want to do that. I have resolved a lot of cases in my time.”

So resolution is the gist of their wish. And they seem willing to pay for it, despite that the city faces a $2 to $3 million deficit for the fiscal year ending in June 30, and will likely face the same next year, not including these lawyer fees.

For not only will they be paying Webb, but also other lawyers and paralegals from his office who may also work on the case.

Webb is a solid prosecutor and defense attorney whose clients have included Philip Morris, Microsoft, and the New York Stock Exchange.

And as a federal prosecutor, he led the Operation Greylord investigations into judicial corruption in Cook County.

The Justice Department, after looking into this Ferguson case, claimed to have uncovered racial bias and social profiling in the Ferguson Police Department, leading the city’s manager, police chief and municipal judge to resign.

With Webb’s help, they hope to reform the city to make offenses, as the death of Brown is believed to be, less likely to occur.

News Source: Chicago Tribune