The Business Journals [paywall]: “Boston-based Ropes & Gray partner Douglas Meal, one of the most sought-after data privacy and cybersecurity attorneys in the country, typically charges $1,550 an hour for his services, according to a recent court filing. The filing offers a rare public glimpse into what some of the attorneys at Boston’s largest law firm bill on an hourly basis. It was made last week in a landmark case before a federal appeals court over the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to punish businesses for consumer data breaches. Ropes and other firms that worked on the case are asking the court to require the U.S. government to pay their attorneys’ fees, which is sometimes allowed in cases involving the government. Ropes’ client, an Atlanta medical laboratory named LabMD, is now out of business because of the litigation brought against it by the FTC [added link to FTC case summary, timeline and filings/documents], according to the firm. The appeals court sided with LabMD and against the FTC in the case. Ropes disclosed the typical hourly rates of Meal and other attorneys to show the court that they are offering to take a significant discount for their work on the case…” [h/t Pete Weiss]