London High Court orders full assessment of WilmerHale invoices after judge flags “charges so high as to raise concern”
A Brazilian billionaire is pushing back on a jaw-dropping $35 million legal bill from BigLaw heavyweight WilmerHale and one eye-popping detail has caught the court’s attention: a partner who logged more than 19 hours in a single day.
$162K in a Single Day
Alberto Safra, who enlisted WilmerHale to fight for his slice of his late father Joseph Safra’s colossal $23 billion estate, hauled the firm into London’s High Court in 2024 demanding a closer look at its invoices.
The numbers are staggering. According to Law.com, the court heard that WilmerHale billed Safra more than $162,000 in just one day. Top partners were charging $2,095 per hour — a cool $265 more than the rate Safra had originally agreed to.
130 Hours Billed in 24 Hours? Do the Math.
In his March 24 ruling, Judge Colum Charles Leonard didn’t mince words, noting that “throughout all of the invoices, there are charges which are so high as to raise concern.”
The judge zeroed in on Washington D.C. partner John Trenor’s billing entry showing 19.3 hours worked in a single day. He also flagged another 24-hour period where nine fee earners somehow managed to bill a combined 130.2 hours.
Stealth Rate Hikes
Adding fuel to the fire: WilmerHale quietly implemented two rate increases without telling Safra, bumping attorney hourly rates by 14%.
“Rate increases may be commonplace, but in circumstances where the agreed rates were already so high, the need to raise them further (so quickly, and by so much) calls for an explanation,” Leonard wrote.
Hard Work — But at What Cost?
The judge acknowledged that WilmerHale’s team “worked extremely hard, under substantial pressure” and that the marathon hours were “commensurate with the scale of work” involved in the high-stakes inheritance battle.
Still, he ordered a full assessment of the firm’s bill — a rare and potentially embarrassing outcome for one of the world’s most prestigious law firms.
The case puts a spotlight on BigLaw billing practices and raises uncomfortable questions about transparency, client communication, and just how many hours actually exist in a day.
