NEW YORK (AP) ? Lawyers for Refco Inc. said yesterday they could begin hearings as soon as December 15 to determine how creditors will be paid, effectively entering the final stage before it could exit from court protection.

US Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Drain approved a number of motions that move Refco toward that goal in a hearing yesterday in New York.

Lawyers in the case sought and got approval for more than $27 million in fees for attorneys and financial advisers. The interim fees cover the three months ended in September. The lead law firm in the case, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, had applied for $7.38 million in fees and about $325,000 in reimbursement of expenses.

The judge also approved three objections filed by Refco related to claims filed in the case. Among other things, the approval eliminates duplicate claims and denies priority status to about two dozen claimants who responded to Refco?s motion.

Drain also approved a motion by the lead fraud examiner in the case, Joshua Hochberg, to compel accountancy Grant Thornton LLC to turn over records related to Refco accounting, auditing and billing, and certain personnel files and employee reviews.

Among the documents requested was the personnel file of Mark Ramler, who brought the Refco account with him from Arthur Andersen to Grant Thornton in August 2002.

Refco, once the world?s largest commodities brokerage, was propelled into bankruptcy last October, after its chief executive, Phillip Bennett, was accused of hiding $430 million in bad debt. He pleaded not guilty on October 25 to charges that he, along with Refco?s chief financial officer, defrauded investors and caused more than $1 billion in losses.