The National Rifle Association (NRA) has taken legal action against Dallas attorney William Brewer and his firm, Brewer Attorneys & Counselors. In a filing with the Dallas County District Court, the NRA demands repayment of roughly $200 million in legal fees and additional damages, alleging that the firm’s representation over a six‑year period constituted egregious legal malpractice.

Allegations of conflicted representation

The NRA’s complaint asserts that Brewer and his team breached professional and fiduciary duties while representing the gun‑rights group. According to the filing, the firm “systematically subordinated their client’s interests to their own,” resulting in “catastrophic financial and reputational harm” to the NRA.

Brewer was retained in March 2018 for a narrow engagement to guide the NRA through a single insurance‑regulatory inquiry. The NRA claims that the scope quickly expanded into a sprawling, nationwide representation that “came within a breath of destroying the organization it was retained to defend.”

Specific claims cited by the NRA

The lawsuit lists five matters in which the NRA says the Brewer Firm acted negligently:

• Providing advice that led the NRA to terminate its long‑time public‑relations firm, Ackerman McQueen, and to file multiple suits seeking an estimated $100 million.
• Recommending a $16 million settlement to Ackerman McQueen on the eve of trial, after the NRA had already incurred nearly $20 million in fees for that litigation.
• Advising the NRA to sue its then‑president, Lt. Col. Oliver North, over an internal power struggle, a move that later resulted in North filing his own lawsuit against the NRA.
• Engineering a secret Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that a federal bankruptcy court dismissed as not filed in good faith and condemned as “shocking.”
• Allegedly having actual knowledge of executive misconduct that placed the NRA in regulatory peril, yet choosing to conceal and disregard that misconduct to protect the firm’s own interests.

The filing states that the failed bankruptcy filing cost the NRA tens of millions of dollars in out‑of‑pocket attorneys’ fees, including more than $5 million paid to the Brewer Firm, and caused additional reputational and economic damages.

Legal process and representation

The NRA is seeking to compel an arbitration panel with Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services to hear its complaint. The organization has hired Greenberg Traurig partners Michael Gruber and Brian Mason to represent it. Both attorneys previously represented Ackerman McQueen in litigation against the NRA while at Dorsey & Whitney.

Efforts to obtain comment from William Brewer or his firm were unsuccessful.

Context for Dallas readers

While the dispute involves a national organization, the lawsuit was filed in Dallas County, highlighting the city’s role as a venue for high‑profile legal battles. Local attorneys and firms may find the case illustrative of the importance of clear fiduciary duties and transparent client communication, especially when representing organizations with significant public and political exposure.

As the case proceeds, the NRA’s demand for arbitration and the substantial financial claims underscore the potential risks for law firms that take on complex, multi‑jurisdictional matters without maintaining strict conflict‑of‑interest safeguards.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.