Ask-A-Lawyer

Q. If I think a bill from my lawyer is too high, what should I do?

A. You should start by talking to your lawyer and explaining your concerns. If the two of you cannot resolve the issue by yourselves, you can use the services of a fee-arbitration program in most states. If that option is unavailable or fails to produce a resolution, you can simply refuse to pay the full amount, and wait for your lawyer to commence a legal action to recover the fee. In that lawsuit, you can argue to a judge that the lawyer’s fee was unreasonable.

Barbara Atwood, Professor
Mary Anne Richey Professor of Law at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ