Re: Question about Legal Ethics

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Dear Curious Attorney

It is clear what you should do. You did the work and your
parnter did not, right? Whose name is on the trust account -
his, yours or both? If your parnters name is the only one on
the trust account - then you tell your partner what has
happened - only because of the following reason:

If this old lady was a client or even a walk-in, the law
office procedure should alway be - have a client in-take
sheet. The "in take sheet" should have the persons current
address and current telephone number. The client should have
given you her current address, a working telephone number and
a contact person if she is living in an assisting living
home. Contact this old lady and have her come back in to the
office and give her back her money - cash. If you can not
locate her within a reasonable lenght of time - then the
monies will go into the trust account credited to her until
you reach her. THE MONIES WILL NOT BE PUT INTO ANY PERSONAL
ACCOUNT - TRUST ACCOUNT ONLY. Your receipt will be $200.00 -
JUST AS YOU TOLD HER. If you can't reach her by phone -
write her -explaining she gave you too much money. Have her
come into the office - then write a $100.00 check on of your
trust account - it is her monies not the firms.

AND it is that simple!

On 8/18/05, Jeep Drewitt, Attorney wrote:
> I am an attorney and I do wills. Recently I did a will for
> an old lady and charged her $200.00. When she went to pay
> me, she paid me with obviously brand new bills. After she
> had paid me and left the office, I realized that instead
> of giving me two one-hundred dollar bills, she had given
> me three, as two them had stuck together as one bill.
> Here's my questions about legal ethics: should I report
> this to my law parther, or should I just show it as a
> $200.00 receipt. I don't want to violate the rules of
> legal ethics.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jeep Drewitt, Atty.
> Jonesboro
>
>
>