People who hire an attorney expect that they will be charged the correct amount for the services. Most lawyers will handle billing in the appropriate manner, but there are some that might try to milk the system.
Because of this, you should always ensure that you carefully review the bills that you get from the lawyer’s office.
Check your fee agreement
When you hire an attorney, you should receive a fee agreement. As you look over the bills that you receive, make sure that you’re being billed in accordance with the agreement. You should be suspicious of billing errors if it seems like your attorney flew through your retainer very rapidly without anything to show for it or cannot explain exactly how you are being charged.
It is unethical for an attorney to overcharge you or to charge you for things that they didn’t actually do.
Review the amount of time spent
Lawyers should only bill out for the time they’re actually working on a case. This means that they can’t claim that it took them six hours to write a one-page letter to the other attorney. You should be able to go line by line and find out what the attorney has done for your case. Double-check this against what you know has actually been done. You do have the right to question any billing points that seem amiss.
Legal malpractice must be taken seriously. If you believe that you have a legal malpractice case, speak to an attorney who handles these kinds of claims as soon as possible — before your time limit to file a case expires. You can learn more about your options when it comes to handling your complaint.