Making money the Joe Crabb way

In case you missed Rick Casey's column from yesterday.

State Rep. Joe Crabb, like most of his GOP colleagues, has voted for legislation to limit lawsuit abuse.

But when it came to his own law practice, it took the state Supreme Court to enforce the law.

I'm not going to excerpt, because you really should read the whole thing. You want to know why lawyers have a bad name, Joe Crabb's behavior in this case makes him the poster child.

If you've had enough of that sort of thing, I recommend a hearty dose of Diane Trautman. Her response to Casey's column about Crabb's avarice is beneath the fold. And as a bonus, here's one of my favorite stories about some previous misfeasance by Crabb.

According to Rick Casey in today's Houston Chronicle, incumbent state representative Joe Crabb overcharged for his legal fees as attorney ad litem for a brain-damaged infant and even sued to demand his excessive fees. The state Appeals Court ruled Crabb was only entitled to fees of $14,300, not the $117,150 he charged.

Crabb's opponent in the November 7 election for Texas House District 127, Diane Trautman of Kingwood, said, "I am outraged by my opponent's lack of ethical behavior, especially where it concerns taking advantage of children." She said an initial search of public records at the Harris County Courthouse showed Joe Crabb has been appointed as ad litem attorney in more than 200 cases. "I'm afraid this could be just the tip of the iceberg," Trautman said.

The Appeals Court ruled that the bulk of Crabb's legal bills were for work that he was unable to show was necessary to represent his client. For example, Crabb charged $50 for reviewing any piece of paper, even if it included only one sentence. "It looks like old-fashioned 'bill padding,'" Trautman added.

Trautman is a former teacher, principal, and professor of education. She said, "I find it ironic that Crabb is not shy about charging exorbitant fees to make money for himself but pinches pennies and underfunds our children's neighborhood schools."

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 05, 2006 to Election 2006 | TrackBack