The famous Beverly Hills courthouse, home to many an appearance by Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities, is slated to close alongside 9 other regional courthouses as a result of budget cuts.

The powers that be in the gilded city aren't too happy about that.

The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce this week asked the county to reconsider:


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A letter from the chamber to local state Sen. Ted Lieu, Assemblyman Richard Bloom and L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky notes that the 90210 is a statewide hub of legal activity:

Letter from the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce regarding the local court closure by

Beverly Hills is home to a large number of law firms and has the fifth largest Bar Association in the state with 5,600 members. This Courthouse is centrally located within the Westside of Los Angeles and the estimated 18,000-20,000 legal professionals who practicing law here. We fear that the shuttering of all the courtrooms will have a negative impact upon a legal community that has been a traditional cornerstone of

the City's economy.

The court closures, which could save the county $80 million in much-needed cash, were expected to take place by summer.

The chamber says forcing Westside cases to be heard downtown is bad for business and legal efficiency. The Beverly Hills facility is home to “250,000 visitors and 70,000 filings annually,” according to the organization.

Closing the courthouse will do more harm than good, it argues.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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