Erin Brockovich's multi-million dollar contract with Shine Lawyers revealed
20 April 2012
It has been revealed that crusading paralegal Erin Brockovich is being paid a hefty $2m by Shine Lawyers for her consultancy work.

Brockovich, who became a household name after Julia Robert's Oscar-winning, brassy depiction of her in the eponymous film, has been on the books of the personal injury law firm since 2010. She was taken on as a brand ambassador, to assist with Shine's promotional and marketing activities. And she's certainly being well-remunerated for it. A Firmspy report reveals that Brockovich is being paid more than US$2.1m over her 10 year contract. The breakdown is as follows:

• US$1m sign on bonus
• US$100k annual retainer
• US$10k appearance fee for each trip to Australia
• Free business class flights, 5 star accommodation and travel costs for her and her husband on each Australian trip

Not bad work if you can get it and her contractual commitments are hardly onerous. Shine is allowed to use Brockovich's name and pictures on their marketing materials and she must make a trip to Australia at least once a year to deliver lectures, visit Shine's offices and appear in cheap-looking adverts for the firm. But maybe that's the going rate for an international celebrity endorsing an Australian personal injury firm.

Life's less of a struggle with US$2m in your back pocket

It does seem a fairly hefty commitment for the firm, where partners pocket considerably less cash for rather more work. But then Brockovich was signed on just before Shine was given a public, judicial kicking for "an intolerable rapacity", after billing clients $300 an hour for secretarial work which included wrapping chocolates to send to a medical expert. So maybe her fees were pocket change at the time.