Ohio law firms lined up for IRS employees

CINCINNATI (AP) — The federal government has hired two major Cincinnati law firms to defend Internal Revenue Service employees in one of the lawsuits arising from targeting of conservative groups.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported today that the firms of Taft Stettinius & Hollister and Squire Sanders have been retained at taxpayer expense for up to $200 an hour plus costs to represent 19 employees being sued in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.

The Justice Department says it is a long-standing policy to provide representation for federal employees being sued for conduct performed as part of their jobs.

“No one would be willing to take these jobs at places like the IRS if the government wasn’t willing to help protect them from legal suits like this,” said Donald Tobin, a law professor at Ohio State University and a former Justice Department attorney.