On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Wisconsin Senate passed Assembly Bill 27, which provides transparency when the State of Wisconsin hires private plaintiff attorneys’ on a contingency fee basis. The bill passed on a bipartisan basis, 23-10, and will be sent to Gov. Scott Walker for his signature.

“The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council applauds the Senate for passing this important piece of legislation,” said Bill G. Smith, president of the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council (WCJC) and Wisconsin Director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

“We especially would like to thank the authors of the bill, Rep. Mike Kuglitsch and Sen. Glenn Grothman, along with Sen. Fred Risser, who gave an excellent floor speech explaining how AB 27 will protect Wisconsin taxpayers from oversized contingency fee contracts to plaintiffs’ attorneys,” added Smith.

In addition to requiring the State to make a written determination that hiring private plaintiffs’ attorneys on a contingency basis is cost effective and in the best interests of the State, AB 27 also places caps on the amount of money plaintiffs’ attorneys can receive when representing the State.

AB 27 provides transparency by requiring the State to post contingency fee contracts on the Government Accountability Board’s website.

“By capping future attorneys’ fees and providing transparency, AB 27 will go a long way in protecting Wisconsin businesses from private plaintiffs’ attorneys seeking to make huge profits through contingency fee contracts,” said Scott Manley, Vice President of Governmental Relations for Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Secretary of WCJC. “We thank the Senate for passing this pro-business legislation,” added Manley.

AB 27 passed the Assembly earlier this year and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Walker.