Weil: would it really bill for breathing?

Weil Gotshal & Manges was left searching for a rock to crawl under after being forced to admit that its lawyers “don’t communicate”.

The rather embarrassing admission came about after US bankruptcy judge Judith Fitzgerald questioned why Weil was charging client Armstrong World Industries for sending a lawyer to observe a hearing in another bankruptcy case in which the firm was also advising.

Prodded about the ‘double dip’, Weil associate Joshua Sussberg was forced to admit in court that the bankruptcy and restructuring teams don’t talk to each other.

One could question why Weil even bothered to try to wangle the extra $29,000 (£16,000) when the firm had already billed Armstrong $849,000 (£457,000), but hey, if you don’t ask...

Fitzgerald did, however, shed some light on what the firm should expect to bill for in future, saying: “Not everything that people do outside of bankruptcy, including breathing, is billable.”