Columnist Jeff German: Lawyers, lawyers everywhere

Friday, March 5, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

For those of us who love lawyers, it's been hilarious watching the former partners of Mainor & Harris -- once a big-time personal injury and construction defect law firm -- fighting in court over millions of dollars in legal fees.

The firm's namesakes, Randall Mainor and Richard Harris, are suing each other over the assets of the firm as a result of last summer's nasty breakup, which has been compared to a bitter divorce.

At the time of the breakup, the firm had 16 lawyers and was expected to take in an estimated $20 million in legal fees for the year.

These days, however, Mainor and Harris and their former associates have gotten a taste of what it's like to be on the other end of a big legal tab. They've been forced to hire lawyers to represent them in the high-stakes court battle.

At a hearing Thursday before District Judge Lee Gates, who has been trying to sort out this mess, lawyers nearly filled the courtroom. There were lawyers as plaintiffs, lawyers as defendants and lawyers as lawyers. There even were lawyers in the gallery observing the lawyers in action.

Up for grabs in this fight is more than $50 million in future attorneys fees that will have to be distributed among the former members of Mainor & Harris.

It has been an ugly fight.

You name the allegations -- sexual misconduct in the office, illegal bugging, theft of case files, diverting of profits, threats of bodily harm -- and you'll find them in sworn affidavits in this case.

Last fall, when tempers were at their height, Harris and his wife purchased the Internet domain of Mainor's new firm just to mess with Mainor. A federal later judge forced the couple to give up the name.

Court records show Mainor and Harris not only have fought over legal fees and the rights to clients, but also the furniture and equipment in their office and who should be able to take credit in Yellow Page advertising for winning past large judgments.

In court Thursday, George Swarts, the special master Gates appointed to help bring about a settlement, said Mainor and Harris still are fighting over who should be paying the rent at the downtown building that once housed the law firm. Only Harris and his new firm now occupy the building.

Gates said he was tired of "farting around" with the case, and he gave both sides 60 days to work out an agreement or he would take the case to trial and appoint a receiver to take control of the firm's assets.

"I want to put this to bed," Gates said. "At some point, we're going to have to move on."

Afterwards, Harris and one of Mainor's new partners, Robert Eglet, said they were hopeful a settlement could be reached soon.

They said much of the animosity has passed and that both sides regret things that were said and done earlier.

But the fighting is far from over.

Lately Mainor and Harris actually have gotten together and have set their sights on a former colleague, Nancy Quon, who they contend stole millions of dollars worth of construction defect business from them when she left in the middle of the breakup to open her own firm.

Quon has responded by hiring her own lawyers to battle Mainor and Harris, bringing still more high-priced legal talent into this case.

If this keeps up, the lawyers in town will be too busy charging each other exorbitant fees to charge us. Miracles can happen.