From 2022 to 2025, Pennsylvania lawmakers spent $9.9 million in taxpayer money on private lawyers despite having attorneys on staff.
Over a three-and-a-half year period from 2022 to mid-2025, Pennsylvania lawmakers spent $9.9 million in taxpayer money on private lawyers, despite having dozens of attorneys on staff.
A recent analysis of 897 pages of engagement letters and expense reports found that the state Senate was responsible for most of the legal bills, spending more than $9.3 million over that period.
The state House spent $559,000 on private lawyers over the same period.
According to the analysis, most of the Senate expenses were for lawsuits on issues that included public school funding, the environment, pension fund documents, and elections.
The records for unknown legal expenses were found to be either redacted or gave vague descriptions such as “individuals in litigation in federal and state court,” or “employment matters.”
Local reporters reached out to all 64 senators, private lawyers, and individuals mentioned in obtained records. Most did not respond to requests for comment from local reporters.
Through Right-to-Know requests, sources obtained records showing Senate Democrats spent over $2.6 million on private attorneys, while Senate Republicans spent $6.4 million from 2022 to mid-2025. The hourly rates of the attorneys ran from $240 to $695.
Under state Senate policy, payment is allowed for outside legal service only for certain situations that arise from an employee’s official duties. The policy says that the amount paid must also be “reasonable for the services provided.”
Senator Mastriano used $395,500 for a criminal defense attorney “in his individual and official capacity” in connection with a January 6 grand jury investigation by the Department of Justice.
Legal experts also questioned the ethics of $143,400 being expensed to fight journalists’ appeals of public records request denials, as well as $133,700 on matters involving workplace harassment.
The most expensive cases included $1.8 million spent by Senate Republicans after state leaders were sued over how the state funds public schools, $1.4 million for Senate Republicans who intervened in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative lawsuit under former Governor Wolf’s administration, and $1.2 million spent by Senate Democrats after Senator Katie Muth sued the state Public School Employees’ Retirement System for financial records.
Several members of the General Assembly also accepted campaign donations from law firms, including Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, Representative Joanna McClinton, Senator Joe Pittman, and Representative Matt Bradford.
