Taxpayers to Pick Up FCPS Legal Fees, Bill at 106K and Counting

Taxpayers will pay $425 an hour in legal fees in the current court battle between Fairfax County Public Schools and a Clifton resident.

FCPS was billed $106,130.52 in January by the McLean law firm defending it and the Fairfax County School Board in a Virginia Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by Jill Hill.

In the lawsuit, Hill accuses FCPS and Fairfax County School Board members of and open meeting laws. E-mails starting July 1 and leading up to the July 8 meeting, the night the Board voted to close Clifton Elementary School, reveal a divided Board gauging each others' . The e-mails get contentious at times when board member Tina Hone tries to postpone closing the school.

Attorneys hired by FCPS argue that the e-mails do not constitute "meetings," which are required to be public by law.

Law firm Hunton & Williams billed FCPS for 251.25 hours in January at an average hourly rate of close to $425 an hour. Hourly billing rates typically vary depending on the experience of a lawyer or staff member.

FCPS receives a 15 percent discount on its legal fees with Hunton & Williams, saving them $18,554.81 on the bill.

It's likely that Hunton & Williams will bill for more hours in February and March, leading up to the evidentiary hearing held in Fairfax County Circuit Court March 2-3 before Judge Leslie Alden.

Attorneys for both FCPS and Hill will file post-trial briefs later this month with the court.