As a long-established and proven legal malpractice law firm that exclusively represents aggrieved clients of California attorneys, we cut straight to the chase concerning lawyers’ billing duties.
In doing so, we note at Glickman & Glickman that the answer to today’s above-posed blog headline is both clear and direct.
To wit: A client of a California attorney has a legitimate right to question retained counsel’s billing practices and fees whenever he or she harbors any concerns at all relevant to charges for professional services.
That often equates to gut instincts. Although it is often the case – and understandably so – that a lay person is hard pressed to comprehensively understand all the details forthcoming in an attorney’s billing statement, a feeling that something just isn’t right is often both perceptive and accurate.
We have spotlighted problematic attorney billing before on our website, most recently in our July 20 blog post from last year. We noted therein that a California client should routinely be able to assume that legal counsel “is dealing ethically and accurately concerning case fees and expenses.”
Critically important trust is lost when certainty surrounding billing is clouded. Invoices marked by ambiguous, superfluous and/or inflated entries can instantly alarm a client. Understandably, we note in the above-referenced blog entry, “Billing-linked contention is often at the heart of attorney-client disputes.”
Experienced malpractice attorneys are specially trained to closely scrutinize questionable billings and to act effectively on behalf of a client when they rise to the level of actionable legal malpractice.
We welcome contacts to Glickman & Glickman from individuals seeking further information on this important legal matter.