Q: How do I formally confront a lawyer who is ripping me off with email charges and using emails as a way to inflate bill?
I am 62-years old, and never had experience with using or needing a lawyer to defend me in a lawsuit. The lawyer's contract does state the charges by the hour and also states services billed by increments of the hour. Emails are charged by time spent reading and responding. This lawyer is charging me 3/4 of an hour for emails that take 1/4 of an hour to read and respond. He is now also stating that if he has to leave his other workload to read an email, this is an additional charge of 1/4 hour. The contract does not read this way. He also has used the method of communicating by email as a way to underhandedly charge. I present my position and direction in an email, and he ignores my request when it comes time to enact it, but still charges me for all the emails that stated to him my direction. He causes me to constantly reiterate my position, though I already stated such to him time and again. He got unprofessionally accusatory when I questioned this billing.
A: Suggest you look for a new lawyer, take your issues --and records--to the bar association fee dispute committee.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
