Can an attorney bill his hourly fee, and then bill extra hourly fees for member of his staff doing his paper work
2007-11-12 09:32:27 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Yes. It normally works in your favor by the way. If the lawyer meets with you for an hour and then has his staff complete some paper work that takes an hour you pay 1 hour at his rate and 1 hour at staff rate which is normally lower. Otherwise you would pay 2 hours at his rate.
2007-11-12 09:37:37 · answer #1 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. You should have signed a contract for the fees. If you did, then go back and look at it. It should set out the attorney's hourly rate, a lesser rate for a paralegal, and a still lesser rate for a secretary/clerk.
If you didn't sign a contract, then you are kind of stuck. The practice in the world is that each worker is billed out separately at an hourly rate. However, a lot of attorneys don't bother to bill out staff time. You'd have to look at what the practice is for that attorney in order to determine if you are being dealt with fairly. That might be hard to do because of attorney/client privilege.
** Note: This is a general discussion of the subject matter of your question and not legal advice. Local laws or your particular situation may change the general rules. For a specific answer to your question you should consult legal counsel with whom you can discuss all the facts of your case. **
2007-11-12 17:42:27 · answer #2 · answered by scottclear 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to work at a law firm, and yes, attorneys can and do bill this way. Usually, if the lawyer is ethical, you're not paying double time. The attorney bills the time he/she actually spends on the project and then the legal assistant will bill for the "paperwork," which often takes a skill of its own to complete. The good news is, having the legal assistant do the "paperwork" means that you're paying less per hour for these things.
2007-11-12 17:42:04 · answer #3 · answered by IrishGaby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they can. They(assistants) do a lot of the work. They do almost all research, filing and subpoenas,ect. I know it doesn't seem right but, it's just the way it is.
2007-11-12 17:41:24 · answer #4 · answered by just me 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes he can, it sucks that he does it but he can do this.
2007-11-12 17:40:33 · answer #5 · answered by bluepinkbeaner 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋