Legal Question in Consumer Law in New Jersey

Re: Billing Practices

Usually, the reason for a long delay is that the work that was being done did not warrant a regular statement. Some matters just fade away. Even so, this seems to be an extremely long delay.

The statute limiting suits on services in NJ would give the firm six years to collect.

Assuming that you don't dispute the charges, it may still be worthwhile if you call the firm and protest the delay. I don't like to give my clients nasty surprises like that and I would be surprised if your lawyer didn't feel the same way. I am guessing that the firm will take a fraction of the fee in exchange for payment. It doesn't hurt to ask.

If you do dispute the charges or genuinely don't know whether they are appropriate or not, you have the right to have the matter heard by the District Fee Arbitration Committee in your County. You might be surprised to learn that, even though the committees are staffed and run by lawyers, they tend to be very hard on lawyers expecially over administrative matters. The process helps to keep the profession on the straight and level and we all benefit from that. Although nobody likes to be questioned, in the last analysis, no lawyer should be reluctant to have a bill examined by one of his peers. That's what the Committees do.

I hope that helps.