The litigators at Williams & Connolly are known for being a hard-charging bunch. So it’s probably not a wise idea to dare them to make your day — because they probably will.
From the BLT:
It’s not uncommon these days to see law firms suing former clients over unpaid legal bills (see, for instance, McDermott Will & Emery’s recent $606,000 case). Still, this latest bit of legal fee litigation seems remarkable: Williams & Connolly is taking a former client to court over $2 million after the company practically invited the firm to sue.
According to the complaint, Williams & Connolly and its ex-client, IDT, worked out a payment plan for $3 million in legal fees. IDT made the first $1 million payment, but then stopped paying on the debt.
So what happened next?

[E-BOOK] 5 AI Productivity Hacks To Save Time And Streamline Your Law Firm
Discover five practical ways to harness AI and eliminate busywork—so you can focus more on your clients and less on repetitive tasks.
Williams & Connolly then received a visit from Shmuel Jonas, the son of IDT founder and chair Howard Jonas. The younger Jonas allegedly informed Williams & Connolly that his father had no intention paying the balance of his company’s legal bills.
The complaint states that Jonas “acknowledged that Williams & Connolly would win in court if Williiams & Connolly filed a lawsuit to enforce the agreement.” But according to the complaint, Jonas also “explained that his father had concluded that IDT ‘could harass Williams & Connolly for a couple of years and then settle out of court for a reduced amount.'”
Refusing to pay a debt, knowing that you can settle for less than the face value, is not uncommon. But it’s tacky to be so brazen about it.
And it’s probably not a wise strategy to employ against Williams & Connolly, which didn’t even bother hiring an outside law firm to chase after the money. As noted by the BLT, “Apparently Williams & Connolly is pretty confident in its chances too. An associate, Beth Stewart, is the only lawyer listed on the complaint.”
Fee Fight: Williams & Connolly Sues Ex-Client for $2 Million [Am Law Daily]
Williams & Connolly Sues Client for $2 Million [The BLT / Blog of the Legal Times]