PREACH IT! Lindsay Lohan rehabs her legal team -- for now
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
After days of attorney-flavored chaos, Lindsay Lohan has apparently found a new lawyer, Robert Shapiro; Lohan also has reportedly headed to a rehab facility founded by the famed attorney. If Lohan is lucky, Shapiro may even still be Lohan’s lawyer once she checks out. Soon after Lohan attorney Shawn Chapman Holley quit her client, Lohan’s hopes for finding decent representation seemed dim. First some lawyer named Tiffany was rumored to have taken over. Another esquire seemed interested until he actually spoke to Lohan; then he really, suddenly, wasn’t so enthused. There was also a brief moment when it seemed that Holley would have to return to Lohan’s team, on judge’s orders.
Now Shapiro has entered the mix and, per Radar and TMZ, will ask a judge to reconsider Lohan’s 90-day jail sentence. But how long will he stick around?
It’s a fair question, and not just because of Lohan’s reputed fondness for naughtily worded manicure art. Part of the problem could be Lohan’s legal budget -- or, rather, lack thereof. According to Radar, Lohan has expressed a desire to get all of her future criminal defense help for free.
But is that a reasonable request? Well, it certainly isn’t unusual in the world of celebrity, where ...
... stars are routinely sent thousands of dollars’ worth of free clothing, jewelry, services, makeup and other perks every year. Ellyn Garofalo, partner at the powerful law firm Liner Grode, tells Preach It! that there are many attorneys who do work with celebrities for free, for the exposure. ‘It happens all the time,’ she says.
That said, attorneys tell me it’s less likely that a big-time lawyer like Shapiro would counsel Lohan gratis. Usually, the attorneys willing to work for stars pro bono are just starting out or on their way up, not part of a legendary legal ‘Dream Team.’
How much money is Lindsay trying to save? Attorneys who charge hourly rates usually command $200 to $1,000 an hour. But other lawyers insist on flat rates. And some, we’re told, won’t go near a high-profile criminal case for less than $1 million.
-- Leslie Gornstein
Top photo: Lindsay Lohan and her soon-to-be-former attorney Shawn Chapman Holley appeared in court on July 6, 2010. Credit: David McNew / Reuters / Pool
Second photo: Robert Shapiro, photographed in 2003. Credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:
PREACH IT! Still feeling sorry for Lindsay Lohan? Knock it off already
Stephanie Pratt on Lindsay Lohan, the end of ‘The Hills’
Report: Lindsay Lohan’s lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley calls it quits
Lindsay Lohan’s middle finger tells the judge what she really thinks [poll]