WSJ Editorial on AGs Outsourcing Legal Work

Yesterday's WSJ includes an editorial, "Lawsuit, Inc.," which addresses the practice of state attorneys general outsourcing lawsuits to private plaintiffs' attorneys.    The editorial notes that the Mississippi Senate recently passed a bill that would require competitive bidding on such contracts of more than $500,000.   But, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood reportedly is trying to block passage of the bill in the state house.

The WSJ reviewed various documents from the Hood's office, and found that "Hood retained at least 27 firms as outside counsel to pursue at least 20 state lawsuits over five years."  The WSJ further found that "these 27 law firms -- or partners in those firms -- made $543,000 in itemized campaign contributions to Mr. Hood over the past two election cycles."

- SBS