1 week ago
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Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has rejected a legal invoice totaling more than one hundred eighty-three thousand dollars submitted by Senator Glenfield Dennison for services rendered on behalf of the Belize Communication Workers for Justice (BCWJ). The invoice, addressed to BTL’s Legal Counsel Kileru Awich, has raised eyebrows, particularly as some observers were under the impression that Dennison had been acting primarily as a supporting activist rather than in the formal capacity of legal counsel for the BCWJ. According to the invoice dated February 24, Dennison billed BTL for professional legal services connected to negotiations between the company and the BCWJ. The document outlines several categories of work, including legal advice and strategic consultation, drafting of legal analysis and opinions, legal research and briefing, and legal assistant support.
Under the breakdown, Dennison charged for 61 hours at $900 per hour for legal advice and strategic consultation, totaling $54,900; 73 hours at $900 per hour for drafting legal analysis and opinions, totaling $65,700; 42 hours at $900 per hour for legal research and briefing, totaling $37,800, and 47 hours at $100 per hour for legal assistant support, totaling $4,700. The subtotal came to $163,100, and with GST at 12.5 percent, the final total reached $183,487.50. Love News understands that in deliberations at BTL, there was a strong pushback. The company reportedly view both the hourly rate and the number of hours claimed as “disproportionate and exaggerated,” noting that no formal claim had been filed and no court process commenced in the BCWJ matter. BTL further argued that the $900 hourly rate for a junior counsel with under five years post-qualification experience was excessive when compared to prevailing local rates. The company pointed out that senior counsel in Belize typically command between $1,000 and $1,300 per hour, and said it currently pays another junior attorney with significantly more experience $500 per hour on active court matters. It is also noteworthy that the Caribbean Court of Justice ruling in the broader dispute did not order BTL to cover legal costs. Nevertheless, Love News understands that parties aligned with the BCWJ maintain that it is only fair for BTL to compensate Dennison for his legal representation during the negotiations. The matter now appears to be shaping up as a new point of contention between the telecommunications company and the workers’ advocacy group. We will keep following this story.
English (US) ·