Tag Archives: Fee Disputes

Yet Another Cautionary Tale

Posted on May 21, 2016 by The Legal Reformer

In 2000, Elizabeth Berardi hired New York law firm Phillips Nizer to help negotiate and draft a post-nuptial agreement with her husband.  According to a May 17, 2016 article on abajournal.com titled, “Judge OKs malpractice suit over law firm’s successful … Continue reading →

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If It Can Happen To 50 Cent . . . It Can Happen To You

Posted on December 6, 2015 by The Legal Reformer

Rapper 50 Cent’s legal bills are under scrutiny by a Connecticut bankruptcy court.  50 Cent filed for bankruptcy after losing an invasion of privacy case for posting a woman’s sex tape online, in which the jury awarded her $7 million.  Now, … Continue reading →

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Widow’s Estate Ordered To Pay Lawyers $44 Million For Five Months Work

Posted on November 1, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

New York’s highest court ruled this past Tuesday that the Estate of Alice Lawrence must pay Manhattan law firm Graubard Miller $44 million in contingency fees as a result of a $111 million settlement reached five months after the dispute … Continue reading →

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“Is Your Lawyer’s Bill Too High?”

Posted on April 12, 2014 by The Legal Reformer

We have written about HALT.org (Help Abolish Legal Tyranny) in previous posts and its work for transparency in attorney discipline and reporting on state bar associations’ secrecy in the handling of attorney ethics complaints.  HALT also has a number of self-help brochures … Continue reading →

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Manhattan Judge Rules For The Legal Consumer

Posted on July 19, 2013 by The Legal Reformer

Manhattan Civil Court Judge Frank P. Nervo recently ordered attorney Ronny Buni to repay his former clients, Gerald and Vivian Klienerman, over $21,000 of the $22,000+ in fees they paid him, plus interest.  Attorney Buni had filed a civil suit … Continue reading →

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“Churn That Bill, Baby!”

Posted on March 29, 2013 by The Legal Reformer

So wrote a lawyer from DLA Piper, a prominent international law firm, in an email to another firm lawyer celebrating the assignment of “random people working full time on random research projects in standard ‘churn that bill, baby!’ mode . . .” … Continue reading →

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Reasons Big Corporations Fire Law Firms – Consumers and Law Firms Take Note

Posted on October 13, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

Aric Press of The American Lawyer recently reported on a survey released by Acritas, a U.K.–based market research firm, detailing the reasons thousands of blue-chip corporations have fired their outside law firms.  Acritas cited four recurring reasons: too expensive (21 … Continue reading →

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Attorney Disbarred for Fee Ultimatum to Clients

Posted on September 21, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

The New Hampshire Supreme Court disbarred an attorney this week for giving an ultimatum to his clients in February of 2006: agree to his $2 million fee or he would not represent them in the mediation taking place that same … Continue reading →

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Caveat Emptor – Corporate Clients Need to Beware, Too

Posted on August 31, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

A corporate client filed a legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit on August 27, 2012 against the law firm and attorneys representing it in several securities class action litigations.  The lawsuit includes allegations that the firm and attorneys … Continue reading →

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Legal Consumer Tip #1 – Take Notes

Posted on July 13, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

Dear legal consumers, We ran across a very interesting blog post by Eric Cooperstein, a Minnesota lawyer who defends attorneys facing ethics complaints and fee disputes.  On Lawyerist.com: (law-yer-ist) n. The lawyering survival guide, Mr. Cooperstein posted Avoid Ethics Complaints by … Continue reading →

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