Lawyer collected $1.6 million from exonerated Texas men

A lawyer in Lubbock, Texas, may be disbarred for collecting $1.6 million in fees from two men who were wrongly convicted of rape and spent years in prison for the crimes.

The State Bar of Texas wants to discipline attorney Kevin Glasheen for what it describes as exorbitant and illegal billing, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Over the years, he has collected about $5 million from 15 exonerated former inmates, keeping $3.5 million for his practice, according to the AP. The rest went to Jeff Blackburn, the chief counsel for the Innocence Project of Texas.

But two of the men he represented said they only had to sign a one-page government form waiving their right to sue to get the compensation. They're suing Glasheen for overcharging them.

Glasheen says the men knew how much his fee was and that he is owed credit for successfully lobbying the state Legislature to increase the amount of money paid out to wrongly convicted people to $80,000 for every year spent in prison. It was formerly $50,000 for each year.

One of the attorneys filing the suit against Glasheen says his clients didn't hire a lobbyist, and shouldn't have to pay for one.

"When lawyers are charging million-dollar fees for completing one-page applications for guaranteed compensation, then the need for protection of the public is at an all-time high," Bob Bragalone told the Dallas Morning News. "It is truly sad that the noble profession of law has been reduced to a money grab. This is a case that cries out for justice."