Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

Hello! This is not a question related to law per say. However I do have a question about lawyer practices.

I have been with a firm for probating an estate for about 9 months. I have been having issues with the bills that my lawyer has sent me. I have paid them, but have written letters expressing my concern for the fees.

I have written a letter to my lawyer expressing my distaste for his billing practices and how much I have been charged and said I did not expect to be charged for him reading my letter. I find on my next bill that I was charged .7 hours to read a one page letter which equated to $199.95! Not only did he charge me, but he did not respond to my letter either and address my concerns. I wrote another letter after receiving my next bill, and got no response, indicating I expected to hear back in a few days and that I would take this to the Fee Dispute Program if we could not resolve this. Still no response. I even sent a copy of this letter to the managing partner and he did not respond as well.

So my question is, is this normal? Is this professional? Should I just walk into their office and demand to discuss my concerns or directly call him? I do not wish to be charged again for being upset with my bill, seeing as that is pretty ironic. Should I just take this directly to the Fee Dispute and forget trying to get in contact with my lawyer about it? And what exactly would be the best thing to include in this letter to the Fee Dispute Program?

Thank you very much.


Asked on 12/21/11, 4:06 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Miriam Jacobson Retired from practice of law

Since the firm is ignoring your letters, try insisting on talking to the head of the firm, your designated lawyer or the firm manager, and discuss your concerns about charges for communications between you that do not related to the legal issues.

You should realize that a client always has the right to terminate the lawyer-client relationship.

You may want to call the county bar association and ask if they have a committee that handles fee disputes and also if the behavior by the lawyer and law firm are ethical.

THIS RESPONSE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, SINCE I DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED, AND I DO NOT HAVE A REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT WITH YOU.

* If the answers to your question confirm that you have a valid issue or worthwhile claim, your next step should almost always be to establish a dialog with a lawyer who can provide specific advice to you. Contact a lawyer in your county or township.

* Another reason for contacting a lawyer is that it is often impossible to give a good answer in the Internet Q&A format without having more information. The unique circumstances of your situation and things that you may not have thought to mention in your question may completely change the answer. If you want to be sure that you have a complete answer to your question and an understanding of what that answer means, establish a connection with a lawyer who practices in the area of your concern.

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Answered on 12/21/11, 5:38 pm


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