Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a potential class action lawsuit on behalf of court-appointed lawyers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The City of Philadelphia hires attorneys to work court cases in exchange for timely compensation. Under Philadelphia’s city code, payments that take more than 60 days are considered late. Additionally, the city must pay interest on all late payments. It has been alleged that the City of Philadelphia fails to timely compensate lawyers, and lawyers are forced to wait several months to over a year to receive payment. It is further alleged that attorneys do not receive interest on late payments.
“The city’s refusal to timely pay counsel fees and legally mandated statutory interest is pervasive for court appointed attorneys in Philadelphia,” a lawyer reportedly wrote in his motion to compel the city to fulfill its payment obligations. “This practice is unfair to both attorneys and clients, undermines the effective assistance of counsel, as well as the administration of justice.”
Experience Matters
Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $500 million on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have significantly impacted the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022. Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. The National Trial Lawyers Association has also selected our attorneys as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
We Want to Hear from You
If you are a court-appointed lawyer in Philadelphia and have not been paid in a timely manner, contact the attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page.