MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The state of Alabama is under scrutiny for paying over $42 million in legal fees to a Huntsville law firm, Butler Snow, led by attorney William “Bill” Lunsford. The payments, made from 2020 to 2025, are linked to ongoing lawsuits against the Alabama Department of Corrections and the state, according to records from the State Department of Finance.
Representative Chris England raised concerns during a recent contract review committee hearing, questioning the Attorney General’s Office about the prolonged litigation. “We’re paying Lunsford more money than some government agencies,” England said. “At some point, the state needs answers. How do we pull ourselves out of perpetual litigation?”
The legal fees have been accumulating, with Lunsford billing the state $3.6 million in 2020, $4 million in 2021, $7 million the following year, and $14 million in fiscal 2025. Despite being sanctioned by a federal judge for using artificial intelligence to cite fabricated cases in a legal filing, Lunsford is being considered for another $200,000 contract…