 In 2000, Thompson Coburn attorney Michael Lazaroff admitted that he had charged clients for "$380,651 worth of entertainment and gifts they believed were free", using falsified bills that inflated costs for telephone and fax charges, witness preparation and courier and legal services.The Associated Press reported that Lazaroff left Thompson Coburn and would surrender his law license.Thompson Coburn's chairman John Musgrave said that according to an independent audit, Lazaroff had improperly billed around 50 clients, and no other lawyer besides Lazaroff was involved in the billing irregularities.