Ethics
Lawyer sued for charging client for 34.5 hours of work in 1 day
An Australian lawyer has been sued for billing a client for 34.5 hours in a single day. (Image from Shutterstock)
An Australian lawyer has been sued for billing a client for 34.5 hours in a single day.
Keith Redenbach, the principal of Redenbach Legal in Sydney, billed the city council of Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia, $10 million in Australian currency ($6.9 million in U.S. currency) after representing the group in a dispute with an architectural company, Law.com reports.
Among his charges, Redenbach claimed to work 34.5 hours on Sept. 19, 2019; 31.12 hours on Dec. 6, 2018; and 25.5 hours on April 18, 2019.
The city council sued Redenbach in the Supreme Court of New South Wales for grossly overcharging for his services, which were claims that the lawyer denied, Law.com reports. He said in court he was truthful about the time worked and attributes his long workdays to international time zones, his use of a U.S.-based billing system and clerical errors.
When asked specifically about Sept. 19, 2019, Redenbach told the court that he remembered putting in the hours from home as he recovered from surgery.
“I was on my sick bed, doing it with boxes being delivered to my home. I know all about it. I remember that time vividly,” Redenbach said, according to Law.com.
He also mentioned that it was a difficult time for him because his dog died.
Justice Elisabeth Peden said Redenbach was a “thoroughly unimpressive witness” who provided “evidence which I consider was false,” Law.com reports.
The justice found in favor of the city council and said the group was entitled to compensation from Redenbach and his law firm.
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