The city's law department identified approximately 1,500 suspicious invoices using a 10-hour-per-day threshold but reduced payments on only 139 of them—roughly 9 percent. The remainder were approved in full. During one trial period alone, the city recorded 162 instances of 10-or-more-hour billing days without systematic challenge. Last fall, Chicago's law department began piloting third-party bill review services and new compliance protocols to address the problem going forward.
Attorneys handling police misconduct defense work for municipalities should note that Chicago's experience reveals significant gaps in invoice oversight even when flagged entries exist. The city's low reduction rate—9 percent of flagged invoices—suggests that identifying overbilling and acting on it are separate problems. For in-house counsel managing outside counsel relationships, the case underscores the value of independent bill review, particularly on high-volume litigation where daily hour totals exceed realistic thresholds.