City Council approves contract addition for Denver law firm after scrutiny on billing rates, tell me about this news today

The Denver City Council approved a contract amendment increasing funding for outside legal representation with the prominent Denver law firm Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell (WTO) to approximately $970,000.

Denver Gazette

The decision followed sharp scrutiny and public debate over the firm’s billing rates and spending oversight:

• The Rate Controversy: The city agreed to pay rates as high as $800 per hour for WTO attorneys defending Denver in employment-related lawsuits, as well as $375 per hour for paralegals. Critics and legal analysts noted this is far above standard averages in Colorado, pointing out that even junior associates with only a few years of experience were being billed at the top rate.

  CBS News

• Cost Overruns: An initial contract capped at $470,000 quickly saw expenditures exceed $850,000 within just a few months of litigation, necessitating the City Attorney’s Office to request the formal amendment and cap increase from City Council.

• Council Debate: Critics on and off the council questioned paying premium private rates from taxpayer fundsespecially while Denver faces budget pressuresand raised concerns over past affiliations, as City Attorney Miko Brown is a former partner at the firm. Supporters argued that switching firms mid-case would cause greater delays and far higher expenses, maintaining that WTO’s trial expertise was required to effectively mitigate significant legal liabilities for the city.