Wage Law

Several years ago, we had a wage and hour lawsuit against a very, very famous celebrity. Indeed, we would go so far as to call him a historical figure. If they still have Jeopardy on TV in the year 2305, most contestants will know this man's name. So we were at a settlement conference, and we got to the point where we had agreed on everything except the total dollar compensation. We were $10,000 apart.

Exasperated, our client blurted out "This is bullshit. [Greedy Famous Employer] could make $10,000 just by signing his autograph a hundred times." "Oh well," came the response, "he's not putting another dime on the table."

"What if he didn't put another dime on the table," we suggested, "but he signed his name a hundred times for us on something marketable." Everyone at the table, including our client, cocked their heads like dogs hearing a strange noise for the first time.

About thirty minutes later, we had a deal. Our client insisted that our fee from the autograph portion of the settlement be taken in autographs. Eventually, we donated most of ours to charity, but kept one for each lawyer's office as a trophy.