The PHA spent more in 2009, $11.2 million, than it did over two years in 2002 and 2003.
In 2002, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development expressed "growing concern over the escalating cost of legal services" at PHA.
The authority said Tuesday that none of the legal fees paid to outside firms since 2007 went to represent Greene in four sexual harassment complaints that have been settled by the authority's insurer.
But the documents detailing the $33 million in legal spending merely list amounts paid to 15 firms and do not describe the services provided.
The authority defended the payments, saying the increase can be attributed to new and complex legal problems confronting public housing agencies.
It's not uncommon for housing officials to encounter technical environmental issues and complex financial transactions, not to mention complex federal regulations and requirements, said Kirk Dorn, a PHA spokesman.
"The work of any housing authority is not what it once was," Dorn said, adding that the authority's legal bills might seem high unless they were considered in context.
The authority decided years ago to reduce its number of staff attorneys and turn increasingly to outside experts, he said.
Dorn said the money was now well spent on outside counsel and that it enabled the authority to attract private investors, who look at legal competence as an assurance that their funds are protected.
Abraham Reich, cochairman of Fox Rothschild, said his firm's work with PHA was focused on environmental issues, such as problems arising from ground contamination.
Reich said the firm significantly cut its rates for PHA because of the public service nature of the housing authority in serving low-income Philadelphians.
"We have considered it a privilege to represent PHA," he said.
