In December, the state solicited proposals for outside securities-litigation services for North Carolina's various pension funds.

WSJ: New York Attorney General Candidate Donated to Campaigns in States Where His Then-Firm Sought Work

Ms. O'Keefe, chief executive of Dancel, a provider of litigation-support services for attorneys, uses SpectorSoft to help track time spent on client projects by all employees, either in the office or at home.

WSJ: 'Working From Home' Without Slacking Off

But when both sides agreed to the litigation, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the courts decided that all fresh claims should be put on hold until the legal issues were resolved.

BBC: Crunch time for bank charges case