The former federal judge assigned to review the materials seized by the FBI from Michael Cohen, the personal attorney to President Trump, billed nearly $50,000 for her first six days of work.
Barbara Jones, a former U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan, tallied approximately 68 hours of work between April 24 and April 30, charging between $670 and $700 per hour, according to an invoice filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York.
U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood formally announced on April 26 that Jones would oversee reviewing the materials seized by the FBI on April 9 from Cohen’s home, office, and hotel, and would determine what falls under attorney-client privilege.
The legal fees are split between the federal government, Cohen, Trump, and the Trump organization, per an agreement reached earlier this month.
According to Jones, neither side objected to her first bill, which totaled exactly $47,390.
Though Cohen has not yet been charged, he is under federal criminal investigation. His defense team has argued that a majority of the materials seized are subject to attorney-client privilege and thus cannot be used by prosecutors.
Cohen and his defense team will be in court on Wednesday, when Wood hears an update on Jones’ review.
Michael Avenatti, an attorney representing Stormy Daniels, has argued that he should be allowed to intervene in the case.
Avenatti claims that some of the materials relate to the $130,000 payment Cohen made to Daniels last year to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump in 2006.
Since 2013, Jones has worked at Bracewell LLP, where she “focuses her practice on corporate monitorships, compliance issues, internal investigations and arbitrations and mediations.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was part of the firm from 2005 — when it was known as Bracewell and Giuliani — until he left in January 2016. Giuliani is currently Trump’s attorney handling legal matters relating to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
