Lawyers’ Squabble Over Tobacco Loot Now Public

Now we know what the lawyers are fighting about in a Springfield lawsuit. The suit, which the lawyers originally wanted to be a secret, is now public record. It’s all about an Independence law firm which was one of five firms involved in the state’s part of the national tobacco lawsuit, not getting as much of the attorneys’ fees as it thinks it should get. Attorneys’ fees total $111-million. The Independence law firm says lead lawyer Tom Strong is not being fair in the bonuses he’s handing out. Strong says the five participating firms gave him the sole authority to decide what bonuses would be paid.