Estate Lawyer's Fee, $1,050 per Hour

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

An attorney from a politically connected law firm is charging more than $1,000 an hour to perform legal services for the estate of Glen Campbell, the famed singer and songwriter who passed away a little over two years ago.
A fee request filed in Davidson Probate Court in Nashville shows Jay L. Cooper of the Greenberg Traurig LLC (GT Law) has been charging $1,050 per hour for the services performed for the estate. The details were included in a six-page filing this week.
The motion seeks total payments of $221,793.85 and includes billings for Cooper, his son Todd and other Greenberg Traurig lawyers and support staff. Jay Cooper's hourly rate was $980 in 2017 when he first was assigned to the case. He has charged $1,050 since 2018. His son's fee was $650 per hour.
The bill covers services provided by the firm from June 8, 2017 through Oct. 23 of this year.
The fee approval request was submitted by Campbell's widow, Kimberly Campbell, who is also the administrator of the estate.
Although the filing includes an itemization of the services provided, many of the details were redacted. A footnote states that if the judge requires additional information, a non-redacted version will be submitted "in camera," meaning that it will not be available to the general public.
The filing states that Cooper's skills were needed because the work relating to the estate's interests "involved complicated legal issues related to entertainment law and intellectual property law."
The motion also cites the fact that Cooper had served as an advisor to the late singer for more than 30 years and is "familiar with Mr. Campbell's career, assets and legal issues."
The motion specifically cites divorce agreements from prior marriages and indicates that a divorce agreement mandates that certain royalty payments be made to unnamed third parties.
The itemization refers to a "life" film and a museum agreement and efforts to develop "potential income generating projects for the estate."
Cooper's assigned duties include overseeing "copyright, royalty interests and licensing Campbell's name, likeness and image. The fees, the motion adds, were consistent with those charged by other Los Angeles attorneys.
The Greenberg firm is based in Miami area but Cooper works out of their West Coast office. The firm once employed Jack Abramoff who was indicted and convicted for mail fraud, conspiracy to bribe a public official and tax evasion. He served 43 months in federal prison and was released Dec. 3, 2010.

Campbell Estate Fees Approved

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Nashville probate judge has approved fees totaling more than $80,000 incurred in the estate of the late Glen Campbell and the bulk of the payments go to the late singer's one time business manager.
Approved by Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy were payments of $32,262 to the firm of Gursey Schneider and $41,055 directly to Stanley Schneider.
Also approved was $8,043 to Nashville attorney Blaine Smith for estate work he performed.
The fee requests had been submitted by Campbell's widow, Kimberly Campbell, who also is executor of the estate.
Schneider's firm, Gursey Schneider, was hired to prepare tax returns for the estate. A tax return was filed on Nov. 8 of last year.
Schneider also was appointed as interim administrator. The $41,055 payment was for his services as interim administrator at fees of up to $450 an hour.
Campbell died in 2017 following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Campbell's will excludes three of his children and they initially moved to challenge the will, but later withdrew the effort amid hints of a settlement.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

Campbell Estate Costs Mount

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

After months with little action, a series of claims have surfaced in the estate of the late singer Glen Campbell who died a little over two years ago after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.
In a series of filings in Davidson Probate Court, Kimberly Campbell, the singer's widow, has sought court approval for fees totaling about $80,000. Two of the requests involve services provided by Stanley B. Schneider and his firm Gursey Schneider.
Schneider has served as an interim administrator of the estate and also was charged with estimating the value of the estate and also the filing of a federal tax return.
One filing seeks payment of $32,262 for tax preparation fees. A tax return, according to the petition, was filed on Nov. 8 of last year, but a copy was not filed in the estate case.
The petition states that the fee was more than usual "for many reasons," including the fact that many of those assets are "entertainment related and can be difficult to value."
In addition the petition states that many of the late singer's assets are "community property with different individuals."
"Finally Mr. Campbell owned interests in several businesses, some of which are no longer active," according to the filing.
Schneider is also seeking payment of $41,055 in fees for acting as interim administrator of the estate. The fees range from $160 an hour for support staff to $450 an hour for services provided by Schneider himself.
The claim calls for a total of $15,862 for 35.25 hours of service by Schneider himself and 201 hours by support staff for a total of 236.25 hours.
The itemized billing statement filed along with the claim shows numerous billings for monthly updates on royalties credited to the estate. Other entries include references to Campbell's various business interests including a stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team.
A third claim filed recently seeks payment of $8,043 in legal fees by the Nashville form of Bass, Berry and Sims with hourly fees ranging from $295 to $460.
The most recent estimate of the value of the Campbell estate is $1.229 million, according to court filings.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com