Over $8M paid out by Gov’t for services from private law firms
Many Public Officers, who have been fired, working in unhealthy environments, and whose contracts have been broken, complain that most local law firms or lawyers are reluctant to take on their cases.
Law firm raking in millions
But it might be clear why local law firms are hard to find to take cases against the government as many law firms and lawyers themselves are earning millions of tax dollars out of both Central Government and statutory bodies.
It was unearthed at the Third Sitting of the Second Session of the Third House of Assembly (HoA) on December 19, 2016 via a question posed by senior Opposition Member Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) to Premier and Leader of Government business Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) that from December 2011 to present Central Government paid out to private law firms, individual lawyers and even international law firms, some Six Million Two Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty Dollars and Eighty Six Cents ($6,286, 920.86).
While there is an Attorney General’s Chambers which is the government’s paid legal department, Premier Smith justified the millions spent on private legal services by telling the HoA “there are many reasons where this is necessary for private legal firms or legal persons to be engaged by Government….assisting in High Court matters where this is thought necessary…and in the negotiation of contracts on behalf of Government…”
Statutory Bodies also pay out big to private law firms
Not only does Central Government dole out millions of taxpayers money to private legal firms and legal persons but the statutory bodies do the same.
According to Premier Smith in answer in the HoA on December 19, 2016 some Two Million Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty Three Dollars and Twenty Six Cents ($2,580,733.26) was paid out by these government owned bodies.
This means that Government, including Statutory Boards, have spent as of from December 2011 to December 2016 some Eight Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Four Hundred and Twelve Cents ($8,867,654.12).
With that kind of monies for private legal service the National Democratic Party Administration could have had three Attorney General’s Chambers, according to a senior government official.
See links below to detailed report of Government's payout to private law firms:
22 Responses to “Over $8M paid out by Gov’t for services from private law firms”
Grace Chambers
Denjen Law
Noel, Lisa
Clive Pegus
Simons, MuirHead & Burton
PST Law
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
And the list goes on and on................
But at the end of the day, what the AG office doing. Like they need to be fired. Wha really going on here meh son?
private lawyer - they're all bought up by the very ones perpetuating the given crime. in the BVI there is also a
certain infamous bank that has done this very thing - bought up a bunch of lawyers here so that one can't sue them.
won't name names but some of these lawyers are very prominent and have family working at same bank.
Just read this article and some of the blogging and I am disgusted. These Bodies are operated outside of the Government norms, under legislation and managed by Boards, therefore they would hire their own legal adviser.
BUT, all of them have been added up. So in 2016 B&M was only owed $122,230.00 in total. Yet they counted all the following (as the bill progressed) as separate amounts:
$28,848.02
$68,617.05
$76,665.36
$84,379.89
$84,902.33
$122,230.00
This seems to have been done for a number of the overseas law firms.
If you don't double-count then the legal spend is millions lower.