Judge rejects nearly $30,000 attorney fee to disabled man’s trust

Eric Rakowski quoted in San Jose Mercury News, July 31, 2012

Bondonno’s rulings awarding Desmarais six-figures in the Reed case are questioned by some legal scholars. “It seems crazy on the face of it,” said UC Berkeley law professor Eric Rakowski, who specializes in trusts and estates, and called the award “absurd.” “It’s completely unreasonable for a (trustee) to spend more money defending a fee request than the amount of the fee itself,” Rakowski said.