Chafee Aims to Cut Cost of Legal Services
GoLocalProv News Team
Chafee Aims to Cut Cost of Legal Services
Chafee issued a notice to all law firms under contract with the state that he would be reducing their legal fees as of March 1 this year. The Governor also urged all quasi-public agencies to follow suit and reduce the fees for outside legal counsel by 15 percent.
“This directive is about cutting costs, reducing the projected deficit and balancing the budget,” Chafee said. “In the wake of the recession, many private clients have requested a reduction of legal fees. We are simply making the same reasonable request as these firms’ private clients. The state is a source of steady, dependable work for many law firms across Rhode Island, and if we as a state are serious about balancing the budget we must work to produce significant savings across the board. It is in our collective interest to get our state’s fiscal house in order, and as such we must all share in the sacrifice required to do so.”