Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn on Friday approved a plan by bankrupt law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf to foot some of the cost of destroying old client files, a bill that could ultimately reach almost $1.4 million, Reuters reported on Friday. In a written order, Judge Glenn approved Dewey's plan to chip in about $4 per box to help destroy an estimated 345,000 boxes of old records, some dating back to the 1930s. Dewey, now liquidating, filed the largest-ever bankruptcy by a U.S. law firm in May. In October it reached a $71.5 million settlement with former partners to help pay back about $260 million owed to secured creditors. The question of how to destroy files that go unclaimed by former clients has framed a difficult legal issue, pitting Dewey's fiduciary responsibility to creditors against its ethical duty to clients.
