A recent Law 360 story by Kevin Penton, “Cognizant Says Firm Overbilled It In Ex-CLO’s Bribery Case,” reports that a small New York law firm is facing allegations that it overbilled Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. for representing the technology consulting company's former chief legal officer in several underlying cases related to an alleged foreign bribery scheme. Jeremy Bohrer and his namesake firm charged Cognizant $23.3 million for representing Steven Schwartz from January 2019 to last April, outpacing co-counsel Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP's nearly $20 million bill for the same period, despite the smaller firm lacking expertise in white collar defense and having a total of four lawyers, according to the complaint by the company in the Southern District of New York.
The complaint says that Bohrer and his firm, Bohrer PLLC, charged Cognizant a 600% markup for document reviews conducted by contract attorneys, that the attorney hired vendors in which he has an ownership stake to work on the Schwartz cases without disclosing the conflict, and that Cognizant was charged millions of dollars for work that was either not performed as invoiced or that was performed at a fraction of the cost of what was billed, according to the complaint.
Cognizant told the court that it was contractually obligated to pay Bohrer and his firm after Schwartz retained them in July 2018 to work together with Paul Weiss — and later Gibbons PC — on several related matters connected to the alleged scheme. But Cognizant has balked at the fees charged by Bohrer and his firm, noting that they are nearly double the $13 million that Jones Day and a smaller firm charged Cognizant for representing Gordon Coburn, the company's former president and Schwartz's co-defendant in the criminal proceeding.
"Defendants' conduct is unethical, unconscionable, criminal, and has caused Cognizant significant harm," the complaint read. "Even though Cognizant was contractually required to advance fees and costs for Schwartz's defense, Bohrer and Bohrer PLLC took advantage of that obligation in the extreme."
Federal prosecutors in February 2019 accused Schwartz and Coburn of conspiracy and multiple Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations for allegedly approving a $2 million bribe to secure a construction permit for the IT company's campus in Chennai, India, in 2014.
Cognizant wants the Southern District of New York to order Bohrer and his firm to repay all the money they have charged the company, according to Wednesday's complaint. The company is also seeking punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, and its attorney fees and costs, according to the complaint.
In a statement, Bohrer blasted the legal action. "This is a malicious lawsuit filled with outrageous and false allegations and represents another attempt to interfere with Mr. Schwartz's defense against a prosecution that should never have been brought," Bohrer said in a statement. "Bohrer PLLC is honored to represent Steven Schwartz and will remain focused on his defense."