"DLA Piper [3], which has repped Afghanistan on a pro bono basis for the past five years, wants some cash from its client to cover the 'critical work that lies ahead,'" reports O'Dwyers. The Afghan government will pay the law and lobby firm $10,000 per month; expenses over that amount will be waived by the firm. The document (PDF file) [4] that Piper filed with the U.S. Justice Department [5] says that the firm with "work with the Embassy and the government of Afghanistan" to strengthen U.S.-Afghanstan ties, build "new investment opportunities in Afghanistan with the U.S. business community," and increase "the knowledge base about the government of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C."