Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New Jersey

Re: Lawyer's fee

It depends. In situations like that, I usually am guided by what seems fair. If he (or she) told you that he might be late because of some other commitment, which happens frequently, then it would have been your responsibility to be in court on time and tell the judge that your lawyer was on his way. That happens all the time and judges understand. If, he did not tell you that he might be late nor call the court, then I think that it is unfair to ask you to pay to have the situation corrected.

I think that most lawyers would agree with me on that. If you are getting a different result, ask your lawyer why. Perhaps you haven't explained everything at issue.

In New Jersey we have a very effective system of fee arbitration. Your lawyer knows that. If a genuine dispute arises, you can request arbitration. Most of the time a phone call to your lawyer is sufficient.

See also: http://info.corbettlaw.net/lawguru.htm