According to a claim filed in the Summary Court on November 17, 2023, two people are suing a local law firm for monies they say should be returned to them for alleged “unauthorized work” performed by the law firm.
The background of the allegation is that the clients paid the law firm a retainer, which is standard practice for most law firms before they begin an engagement. The clients claim that they were later billed for work performed on their behalf. However, they say a balance is owed to them.
The clients alleged in the claim that “The amount of $2,312.52 [was] illegally confiscated” by the law firm “without any explanation.”
They alleged further that since the law firm “charged for unauthorized work performed in [the] amount of $3,044.75 and the fact that they misrepresented their billing and legally withheld $2,312,32,” they are requesting that the “Honorable Court doubles [this] amount in [the] final decision as punishment for their illegal actions.”
The clients are also requesting the law firm pay any “additional fine for refusing to comply with [the] Honorable Judge’s Order any other remedies that [the] Honorable Court may feel fit to prevent the law firm from “repeating such conduct ever again.”
Note to readers: While this matter is only an allegation at this stage, it is an example of how clients may challenge the billing practices of any service provider. In the case of law firms, clients may sometimes also request a detailed breakdown of bills, including time spent on specific matters, which lawyers were assigned to work on such matters and the billing rate of each lawyer.
