Re: Attorny Ethics

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On 2/05/07, Pat wrote:
> My questions are 1. do I have to pay what seems to me to be
> Extortion. 2. what vehicles are available to me to defend
> myself. 3.Does making a complaint with the BAR do any good?
> I have no intension of paying this, and can only assume that
> I will be hauled into court. I have kept good records mostly
> email communication that show how this Transpired. Any
> assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in
> advance for your cooperation.

I'll try not to be biased. The way this is expected to be
handled is that you demand a fee arbitration. Most County
Bar Associations have a Fee Arbitration Panel. The Attorney
is required by State Bar Rules to submit to a Fee
Arbitration, the Client is not. The Arbitrators (usually a
panel of Two Attorneys and one Non-Attorney) will look at the
fee charged, the work done, the Retainer Agreement, the
Results, etc. etc. and determine if the fee is "reasonable",
and if not, what would be a reasonable fee. If you were to
make a Bar Complaint, the Bar would do an investigation.
Depending on what they find, the Attorney may be punished. If
the Bar finds nothing but a fee dispute, they would tell you
to initiate a Fee Arbitration.