In the state of California, inflation of legal bills or demanding unjust payment for legal services is reaching unprecedented heights. A majority of attorneys are known to deliberately inflate their bills, through carrying out unnecessary tasks, block-billing, overbilling or through pushing over high turn-over costs to their client. With unreasonable attorney fees becoming common and clients being unaware of the legal charges they are paying for, the importance of attorney fee audit has risen to the forefront.
A violation of the fiduciary duty present between the client and the attorney, the act of intentionally misquoting charges or refusing to pay attorney fee for any delivered legal services can all become a reason for an attorney fee dispute. Thus, no matter the scenario, clients must carry out an ‘attorney fee audit’ of the bills that are sent over by their attorney. Without the presence of an attorney fee audit, both clients and attorneys can be pushed into settling for unfair compensations.
What Is The Purpose Of An Attorney Fee Audit?
The overall objective of an attorney fee audit is to save money for a client. Attorney fee auditing comprises analysis of the expenses and time contained in legal bills and an analysis of whether the time and expenses mentioned are adequately billed, accurate and reasonable. Following are the common reasons for an attorney fee audit:
- When there is a dispute between a law firm and a client;
- When a court requires assistance in evaluating legal fees presented to the court for reimbursement;
- When an insurance company is liable to pay a party’s fees on all or some claims in litigation;
- When the losing party has to pay the winning party’s legal fees in litigation.
To eliminate the possibility of an attorney fee dispute, clients should take the initiative of keeping the legal costs as low as possible. To do so, clients can complete certain tasks on their own, as otherwise third-party expenses will be lumped together in their billed legal expenses.
- Gather all information together in sequential order;
- Assemble all addresses and telephone numbers of all relevant witnesses and individuals (if necessary);
- Make photocopies of each document and evidence provided to the Attorney;
- Write a written statement of their legal issue and the legal counsel they required from their Attorney.
How Does Cooper Law Help In An Attorney Fee Audit?
An experienced law firm, Cooper Law has over 40 years of experience in analyzing and resolving attorney fee disputes. A firm known for providing personalized legal representation, Cooper Law uses a step-by-step approach for efficiently protecting their client’s rights.
Well-versed with all state and federal laws, their team has provided expert testimonies for both supporting and opposing attorney fee claims. Using the Lodestar Method, their team ensures their client pays and receives a compensation they’re eligible for. Equipped with the relevant skillset, they assess each case from a balanced perspective. Nationally recognized for the professionalism they incorporate in their legal services, Cooper Law has worked with a variety of firms spread all across the US.
