Q: I am adopting my step daughter and we hired an attorney. We discussed the prices via email and agreed
on 2500 involuntary and 1500 voluntary, no prices were put in our contract but we hired the firm and our lawyer quit right after she filed the documents with the court. She passed us off to her partner and her partner is now saying even tho my daughters father voluntarily gave up his rights hes still going to charge us 2500. i feel that the 1500 should be honored as agreed upon in the email with his previous partner. He is saying he has to charge us the 2500 because of a filing error on our attorneys part. i dont see how that is our fault. i dont know what our options are and need advice. this is supposed to be a special moment for me and my family and it has been nothing but a nightmare and stressful.
A: If the attorney told you the lower price in an email, the firm should be bound by it. I'd discuss this further with the partner, providing him a copy of the email. If you can't work it out, you could contact your county's bar association - some counties will mediate fee disputes. You could also complain to the Disciplinary Board, which regulates lawyers. 437 Grant St Suite 1300, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (412) 565-3173
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