www.heraldnews.com/opinions/x540387749 -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 12/3/2007
Last Visited: 12/3/2007
Coakley paid a premium to hire Paul F. Ware Jr., head of litigation at the Boston office of law firm Goodwin Proctor, which Coakley worked for.
...
Coakley agreed to pay Ware and his team $525 an hour, a "discount" from his usual $850 an hour, but still far more than other state agencies pay for outside legal services.
...
The contractors Ware is investigating also pay just $200 an hour for their attorneys, who, so far, have produced better results for their clients.What has the $1 million in taxpayer money bought for Massachusetts residents?Exactly one indictment - of epoxy maker Power Fasteners - that, if successful, will result in a maximum $1,000 fine.The Big Dig is the most expensive public works project in American history, which, thanks to corruption at almost all levels, came in way over budget and way behind schedule, finally producing shoddy results.Now, taxpayers continue to be bilked by the state, paying way too much for an investigation that also has thus far produced shoddy results.Coakley's office should terminate its agreement with Ware and finish the investigation in-house.