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The ethics of the legal profession requires lawyers to inform their clients “at the outset of the representation” just how they intend to bill for fees and costs and, just as importantly, the basis or how those fees and other charges are going to be determined.  See American Bar Assoc. (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct...

Getting involved in a billing dispute with a lawyer can be a long and drawn out process. And you legitimately may be wonder if you ask your lawyer questions about his legal bill or get into a prolonged discussion with him about his charges if you will not just be digging yourself into an even deeper financial...

Here’ something very important to know about resolving legal bill disputes that maybe your lawyer does know. In any dispute over a legal bill with a client, the ethics of the legal profession as well as “black letter” law very clearly provide that the “burden of proof” is squarely on the attorney.  See Restatement (Third)...

Finding good as well as economical attorneys can be difficult, but certainly not impossible. You may think that the term “good, economical attorney” is an oxymoron.  But in my legal bill review work for corporations, I very often see examples of economical attorney who get good results.  When I do, I always take the time to...

One influential legal commentator called it the legal profession’s “not so hidden shame.”[1] An American Bar Association president called it the intersection of “many of the profession’s contemporary woes.”[2]  And the ABA’s Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility termed it a “major contributory factor to the discouraging public opinion of the legal profession.”[3]  The...

Many law firms today are moving away from hourly billing and going to "alternative fee arrangements" in which clients pay a single fee.  While this certainly eliminate disputes over hourly billing issues, many types of alternative fee arrangements also have the potential for disputes. That is, while alternative fee arrangements seem simple, they are not always as simple...

According to the Comments to Rule 1.5 in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (6th ed.), here are some ethical “no-no’s” that lawyers can be disciplined for when it comes to billing for their services: Bill Padding Double Billing Fees for Doing Nothing Fees for Doing Very Little Doing Way Too Much Doing Remedial Work Too...

Does deception in legal billing invariably lead to deception in other areas? The answer to that question may be “yes” according to Prof. Lisa Lehman. In her law review article, Lying to Clients, 138 U. Pa. L. Rev. 659, she writes how easy it can be for one deception to lead to others. If an attorney “accepts the...

In shopping around for a new lawyer, you may have noticed that many lawyers proudly advertise that they have been awarded the "Super Lawyer" designation.  As a matter of fact, with each new listing of Super Lawyers, more and more lawyers in the U.S. are being named Super Lawyers.  In fact, it might seem that before too...