A recent Law 360 story by Aaron Keller, “Paul Hastings, Others Seek $9.9M in Kwok Ch. 11 Case Fees”, reports that Paul Hastings LLP and six other law firms and professional services organizations have filed applications seeking more than $9.9 million in fees and expenses in the global Chapter 11 saga of Chinese exile Ho Wan Kwok, leaving the cost of the two-year-old case at well more than $30 million.

Leading a recent spate of interim expense requests is one for $6.9 million for services rendered between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, by Paul Hastings LLP, where Chapter 11 trustee Luc A. Despins and most of his team of attorneys are partners, of counsel or associates.  Paul Hastings is also seeking $718,000 in expenses in the Kwok case over the same period.

The lead attorneys' fee request, filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut, adds to the nearly $21.8 million in combined fees and expenses Paul Hastings has already been paid to litigate the complex case.  "Given the vast network of companies affiliated with the individual debtor, and the fact that these companies or their assets are located around the world, the trustee's investigation was, and continues to be, extensive," the firm noted in its application.

Despins recently told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Julie A. Manning that Kwok's financial empire and myriad challenges filed by Kwok's associates and relatives have slowed his asset recovery operation and added significantly to the cost of the case.  Local and conflicts counsel at Connecticut law firm Neubert Pepe & Monteith PC filed a recent bid for close to $1 million in fees and nearly $35,000 in expenses, citing more than 2,470 hours of work on the case between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31.

Neubert Pepe attorneys played a key role in Despins' recent blitz of approximately 200 avoidance actions in the Kwok case, and the firm's work on those filings, which hit the docket before a Feb. 15 deadline, is not fully included in its recent application.  Previous asset recovery maneuvers, such as the sale of a luxury yacht connected to Kwok, helped pay for additional investigations that led to the clawback claims, Despins has said.

Its hourly rates in the $500 and $600 range, as indicated in the filings, are a fraction of the rates in the $1,675 to $1,975 per hour for lead attorneys at Paul Hastings, a key reason why Despins said in a recent court hearing that the firm's assistance in the case would result in significant savings for the Kwok estate.