Friday, November 5, 2021

Campbell Estate Fees Near $500,000

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Tennessee judge has approved another $61,462.50 in fees to the law firm representing the estate of Glen Campbell, pushing the total of fees to the firm to more than $400,000.
Davidson Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy this week approved the payment to Sherrard Roe Voigt and Harbison. The payment had been requested by Kimberly Campbell,the late singer's widow and the executor of his estate.
"Given the circumstances of this case, the time records and requested fees and expenses of $62,333.55 are reasonable and appropriate in these proceedings," Kennedy wrote in the brief order.
The $428,997 collected so far by the Sherrard firm includes $123,888 in fees and $5,341 in expenses the firm was paid separately for legal work when three of Campbell's children contested the will filed by Kimberly Campbell. The challenge was ultimately dropped.
In addition to the Sherrard fees the late singer's estate has recently paid $194,488 in fees to the Greeenberg Traurig law for work on royalties and related issues.
Greenberg lawyer Jay Cooper has billed at a rate of up to $1,120 per hour.
Accounting fees of $92,898 were also recently approved.
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Monday, October 11, 2021

Campbell Estate Law Firm Seeks $62,333 in Fees

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The law firm representing the estate of Glenn Campbell is seeking another $62,333.55 in fees pushing the total billed thus far by the Nashville firm to $305,284.29.
The fee request for the firm of Sherrard Roe Voight and Harbison was submitted to the Davidson Probate Court by Kimberly Campbell, the late singer's widow and the executor of his estate. If interested parties object, a hearing will be held on Oct. 29 before Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy.
The largest share of that bill is earmarked for Carolyn Schott who billed for $36,237 at her hourly rate of $470. The highest hourly rate, $725, was billed for William Harbison. The billings cover services provided between Nov. 1, 2020 and Sept. 23 of this year.
The eight-page itemized list attached to the motion refers only in legal shorthand to the subject matter of the charges.
The firm also billed for legal research on "sealed files."
A March 23 item for $423 states, "Review information related to stock transfer."
A March 12 entry for $217.50 states "Review receipt and plan for delivering assets to Horton Frank." Frank represents Debbie Campbell Cloyd, one of Campbell's children.
And an April 28 entry for $188 states "Meeting with Horton Frank to deliver tangible personal property."
The firm also billed for correspondence with California lawyer Jay Cooper, who also has billed the estate for work on intellectual property, royalty rights and related issues. Payment of $194,488 to Cooper's law firm, Greenberg Traurig, was approved in May.
Also recently approved was an $92,898 accounting fee to Gursey Schneider, Both the accounting firm and Cooper had done work for Campbell prior to his 2017 death.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

More Campbell Estate Fees Approved

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Yet another set of fees for the estate of Glen Campbell have been approved by a Davidson County probate judge.
Judge David "Randy" Kennedy today approved accounting fees of $92,898 to the firm of Gursey Schneider, a company with long term ties to the late singer.
The approval comes less than a month after Kennedy approved $191,200 in additional legal fees to the Greenberg Traurig law firm.
Jay L. Cooper, the lead attorney on the estate work also has longtime ties to Campbell. His fees have ranged up to $1,120 per hour.The firm's charges related to work on intellectual property issues.
In approving the accounting fees Kennedy wrote that the services were "necessary and beneficial" to the estate. He added that the "circumstances of the case and complex accounting" issues justified the fees.
With previously approved payments the accounting firm has collected a little over $185,000 for work on the late singer's estate.
Campbell died in 2017 following a long time battle with Alzheimer's disease. His will was disputed by three of his children, but they ultimately dropped that challenge.
Contact: wfrochejr9999@gmail.com

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Campbell Estate Legal Fees Approved

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Nashville probate judge has approved the payment of some $191,200 in legal fees incurred by the estate of Glen Campbell, but many details of those billings have never been made public.
Judge David "Randy' Kennedy approved the payments this week to Greenberg Traurig LLP for their services regarding entertainment and intellectual property issues.
Calling the issues complex, Kennedy wrote in a one-page order that he was satisfied the services were "necessary and benefitted the estate."
As Kennedy noted the complete billing records were submitted "in camera" meaning they were not available to the public. A heavily redacted version was posted on the court's web site. The order also approves payment to Greenberg of $3,288 in legal expenses.
The request for payment was submitted by Kimberly Campbell, the singer's widow and the executor of his estate.
The billing and court records that were made public show that Greenberg's lead lawyer on the estate work is Jay L. Cooper, a onetime neighbor and friend of Glen Campbell. Cooper billed at rates of up to $1,120 per hour.
Kennedy's order states that "the circumstances of this case and the complex legal issues" justified the payments.
Still pending before Kennedy is a request for payment of $185,415 in accounting fees.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Campbell Estate Seeks Accounting Fees

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The estate of the late singer Glen Campbell is seeking approval for another $92,989 in accounting fees which would push the total paid to Gursey Schneider, a California firm, to $186,415.
The fee request was submitted this week in Davidson Probate Court in Nashville, Tenn. The accounting fee comes as the court is also considering a request for $194,488 in legal fees and expenses to the Greenberg Traurig firm.
Both firms had served the singer during his lifetime. In fact the Gursey Schneider billings refer to services provided after Campbell had been placed in a conservatorship. According to the filing the conservatorship has yet to be closed.
Campbell died in August of 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimers Disease.
The fee petition was filed in behalf of Kimberly Campbell, Campbell's widow and the executor of his estate.
If the fees are contested, a hearing will be held Aug. 20 before Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Campbell Estate Legal Fees Escalate

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Legal billings reaching $1,120 a hour are boosting attorneys fees for the estate of Glenn Campbell to nearly $325,000 from just one firm and the details of the legal services provided remain largely unknown to the public.
In a series of filings stretching over a month and a half, Kimberly Campbell, the late singer's widow and executor, has sought court approval for billings of a California lawyer, who was the entertainer's lawyer, neighbor and friend.
Heavily redacted Court documents filed and approved in mid-May were only made available to the public this week. Those include a May 14 order by Davidson County Probate Court Judge David "Randy" Kennedy approving fees of $130,400 to Greenberg Traurig Law or GT Law.
The same California law firm today (Monday) submitted a request for an additional $198,488 in fees and expenses with much of the total atrributed to the services of Jay L. Cooper, the Los Angeles lawyer who says he has represented Campbell for the past 30 years.
According to Kimberly Campbell's filing, the GT law firm has provided essential legal services on such issues as intellectual property, royalty rights and preserving the value of the entertainer's assets.
All of the services were for the benefit of the estate, Kimberly Campbell's petition asserts.
In a 111-page attachment, Cooper provided a highly redacted listing of the services provided to the estate from Nov. 1, 2019 to March 31 of this year. During the course of the litigation Cooper's hourly fee has risen from $980 an hour to $1,120 and hour.
"The rates are reasonable and consistent" with fees charged by other attorneys, the filing states.
Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, Campbell died in 2017. The filing of his estate and will followed a year later triggering a will challenge from three of his children who were specifically excluded from any inheritance.
Though that challenge was eventually abandoned, challenges to the estate expenses continued. Earlier this year a probate master ordered the estate to provide the court with an unredacted version of the legal billings.
Those details, however, were to be filed "under seal," and only available to the court, not the public.
The 111-page filing made public this week is peppered with large back boxes often excluding what was being discussed or with whom the discussion or correspondance was taking place.
An entry for May 22, 2020 lists a telephone conference with BLANK. Another entry lists a charge for a Jan. 13, 2020 correspondence.
"Review correspondence re assignment from BLANK," another entry states.
An Oct. 19 entry lists a charge of $315 for "a telephone call with BLANK." A $1,504 billing is listed to review a "museum agreement."
The filing even blacks out the address of the Campbell Family Trust, the sole beneficiary of the estate, according to court filings.
Kennedy already has approved other legal and related expenses including $20,187 in accounting fees.

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Court Orders Campbell Estate to Produce Billing Details

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A probate master has ordered the estate of Glen Campbell to produce the unredacted billing records submitted by Greenberg Traurig LLC for work done on intellectual property and related probate matters.
In a one-page ruling Probate Master Elizabeth Johnson wrote that the unredacted billing records were required before the overall $211,533 fee request could be thoroughly reviewed. "Accordingly the estate shall submit the unredacted invoices of Greenberg Traurig LLC within 30 days for in-camera review by this court," the order states.
Court records submitted in-camera are not publicly disclosed.
The highly redacted billing statements were submitted to the Davidson Probate Court late last year. The billing statements show the attorney overseeing work for the estate raised his houly fee to $1,050.
Johnson's order comes after one of Campbell's children dropped her challenge to the estate's legal fees.
Debbie Campbell Cloyd withdrew her objections just before a scheduled hearing in Johnson's court room.
In withdrawing the objection Campbell Cloyd disclosed the Campbell Family Trust had agreed to pay her a bequest from the late singer.
Prior court filings indicate the bequest was for $250,000.
In additiion to ordering the estate to submit the unedited billing records, Johnson referred the case back to Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy.
Campbell died in 2017 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Another Campbell Estate Battle Settled

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Another court fight in the Glen Campbell estate case has been settled with the payment of a cash bequest to one of his daughters.
In a filing in Davidson Probate Court the lawyer for Debby Campbell Cloyd stated that with the payment of the unspecified bequest, Campbell Cloyd was dropping her challenge to legal fees incurred by the estate. Prior court filings indicate the bequest was for $250,000.
A hearing had been scheduled for tomorrow before a probate master to determine whether the $211,533 fees to the GT Law Firm should be paid.
The fee dispute is just the latest in a series of challenges to the estate of the late singer who died in 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimers disease. Three of Campbell's children challenged the will filed by Kimberly Campbell, the executor of her late husband's estate.
The challenge was ultimately dropped.
In the latest dispute Campbell Cloyd charged that the fees charged by GT Law were excessive. They included a billing rate of $1,050 per hour for the lead attorney, Jay Cooper.
In a filing last week Kimberly Campbell disclosed that Cooper wasn't just Glen Campbell's longtime lawyer but also a neighbor and personal friend for decades.
According to the filing this week by Campbell Cloyd's attorney Horton Frank, the cash bequest was paid by the Campbell Family Trust, the sole beneficiary of the late singer's estate.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Final Plea for Campbell Estate Legal Fees

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

In a final plea prior to a key hearing lawyers for the estate of Glen Campbell have disclosed that the attorney whose fees are in dispute was also a neighbor and personal friend of the late singer.
In a four-page filing Wednesday in Davidson Probate Court, the estate lawyers argued that Campbell's daughter, Debby Campbell Cloyd's objections to the $211,533 legal bill is just another one of her "baseless objections."
The filing comes exactly a week before a hearing to finally resolve the issue, which has been festering since 2019. Probate Master Elizabeth Johnson is set to hear arguments from both sides in a 9 a.m. Wednesday session.
Campbell died in August of 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Campbell Cloyd is specifically objecting to legal fees submitted by GT Law and its lead attorney in the case Jay Cooper, whose hourly fee rose to $1,050 while working on the Campbell case.
The filing states that Cooper was Campbell's "neighbor and good friend" after Campbell moved to Los Angeles in 1960.
"Even after he (Campbell) moved to Nashville in 2014, all legal work related to his music career remained with Mr. Cooper in Los Angeles," the filing states.
Stating that the estate case "has presented complex entertainment and intellectual property law related issues," the filing argues that the fees are competitive with other entertainment law firms in Los Angeles.
In addition to being familiar with Campbell's professional career, the motion states that Cooper was also familiar with the singer's divorce obligations from prior marriages.
Filed in behalf of Kimberly Campbell, the singer's widow and executor of the estate, the motion disputes claims by Campbell Cloyd that some of the GT law firm's work did not benefit the estate.
"Simply because GT Law's services may have indirectly benefitted Mrs. Campbell's community property interests does not mean that this work disadvantaged other interested parties," the filing states.
Progress on finalizing the estate, the filing concludes, "is hindered by Ms. Campbell Cloyd's continued baseless objections."

Monday, February 8, 2021

Hearing Set on Campbell Estate Legal Fees

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A March hearing date has been set on disputed legal fees incurred by the estate of singer Glen Campbell.
Under an order approved by Davidson Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy a probate master, Elizabeth Johnson will hold a hearing on the $211,533 fee request on March 31 at 9 a.m. Because of pandemic restrictions the hearing will be virtual.
At issue are fees from the GT Law firm, formerly known as Greenberg Traurig which include the lead attorney's hourly fee of $1,050.
Kimberly Campbell, the executor of her late husband's estate, has stated that the fees are justified because of complex legal issues involved in protecting the late singer's assets.
One of Campbell's children, Debby Campbell-Cloyd, has charged that the fees are excessive.
Meanwhile other legal and accounting fees incurred by the estate have been quietly approved. Last month Kennedy approved fees of $64,398 to the law firm of Sherrard Roe Voigt and Harbison LLC and $20,107 to the accounting firm of Gursey Schneider.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com