Skadden, Mayer Brown wait on Clinton to pay up

Even former presidents have trouble paying their legal bills, as Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have discovered.

The two firms, along with Washington DC-based Williams & Connolly and Arkansas firm Wright Lindsey & Jennings, were owed up to $6.5m (£3.9m) by Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton following the White-water and Lewinsky sandals.

In a disclosure filed by the former first lady detailing assets and liability, a requirement now that Rodham Clinton is a senator, the Clintons were found to owe the sum in 2001.

From the time Clinton left office, the couple have racked up income of around $40m (£23.9m) between them. While it is understood that their legal debts have been significantly reduced, lawyers are still waiting to be paid between $1.7m (£1m) and $6.5m (£3.9m).

The disclosure shows that Skadden was owed $1m (£600,000), while Mayer Brown was waiting on $250,000 (£150,000) from the couple. In contrast, Williams & Connolly was owed $5m (£3m), while Wright Lindsey expected $250,000 (£150,000).

It has been reported that the Clintons are hoping to have $3.5m (£2.1m) worth of legal fees covered by US taxpayers. However, no decision has been reached by the courts.

Much of the Clintons' income since leaving office has been generated by the former president through numerous speaking engagements.

While Bill Clinton gave 70 speeches without pay, the 60 engagements he was paid for generated total earnings of $9m (£5.4m) last year.