Q: Does every phone call I make to the attorney cost me for the answering machine to pick up the call?
Elected official on my mother's probate owes money to the IRS and I think it may have been taken from my mother's estate money. I can't get the probate attorney to return my calls. Can she charge me for every time her answering machine picks up my call?
A:
Maybe. It depends on what your retainer agreement says. Every time you leave a message, your attorney or someone else at the law firm has to listen to your message. When they listen to that message, they are spending time on your case, which may be billable time. Some attorneys may charge for this, others may not. It depends on the attorney, and what your retainer agreement says about how the attorney bills for their time.
If you are concerned about the cost, it might be best to not leave any more messages until you hear from the attorney. Or, if it has been more than a reasonable time depending on the type of question (a few business days, a week, two weeks, etc.) and the attorney still has not responded to you, maybe you should look for a new attorney. If nothing else, your attorney should acknowledge your calls and let you know when they will get back to you.
As always, you get what you pay for. Be sure to talk to a qualified attorney about your specific situation before choosing to rely on any information you get from internet discussion boards, such as this one.
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