Lawyer Fees For Paralegal Services

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Lawyer Fees For Paralegal Services

• The Process and Options Presented By
• George Brown

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Fees and Client Funds

• In this chapter, you will learn about
• How fee arrangements are made with clients,
  including fixed fees, contingency fees, and
  hourly fees
• Alternative fee arrangements
• Factors in determining if a fee is unethically
  excessive
• Unethical billing practices
• Communication of fee agreements with clients
• Terms included in fee arrangements

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Fees and Client Funds (continued)

• Award of attorneys fees under fee-shifting
  statutes
• Inclusion of paralegal fees in fee awards
• Fee-splitting and referral fees
• Partnerships between lawyers and non-lawyers and
  trends in this area
• Client funds and client trust accounts

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Types of Fees

• Fixed fees
• Contingency fees
• Sliding scale
• Hourly fees
• Statutory/court awarded fees

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Ethics Rules about Fees

• Factors to determine whether a fee is unethically
  high
• The time and labor required, the novelty and
  difficulty of the questions involved, and the
  skill requisite to perform the legal service
  properly
• The likelihood, if apparent to the client, that
  the acceptance of the particular employment will
  preclude other employment by the lawyer
• The fee customarily charged in the locality for
  similar legal services

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Ethics Rules about Fees

• Factors to determine whether a fee is unethically
  high
• The amount involved and the results obtained
• The time limitations imposed by the client or by
  the circumstances
• The nature and length of the professional
  relationship with the client
• The experience, reputation, and ability of the
  lawyer or lawyers performing the services
• Whether the fee is fixed or contingent or the
  degree of risk assumed by the lawyer

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What a Fee Agreement Covers

• The scope of the firms services
• Responsibilities of the client and the firm
• The method of determining the fee
• Rates for different professionals if services are
  billed hourly
• Costs the client is obligated to pay and when
• Termination rights for both parties
• Disposition of client files at the end of the
  matter
• The method and time of fee payment
• The procedure for and frequency of billings

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Retainer

• A retainer is a fee paid at the commencement of
  agreed-upon work, to assure the availability of
  the lawyer to handle specified matters

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Documentation for Court to Award Paralegal Fees

• Credentials and experience of paralegals
• Detailed descriptions of the work performed,
  including the number of hours spent on each
  discrete task
• Information on paralegal compensation, overhead
  allocated to paralegals, and hourly rates
• Market data on practices and rates in the legal
  community

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Commingling

• Commingling is the mixing of client funds with
  lawyers funds.

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Client Trust Account

• A client trust account is a bank account set up
  by a lawyer in which funds are kept that belong
  to one or more clients

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For More Information

• If you want to learn more about
  Paralegal
• Services then visit
• http//georgebrown.biz or
• Contact at 416-519-2200