1 /5 PJ: One of the more unethical lawyers Ive run across. As a 25-year practicing attorney and chair of a district grievance committee I was appalled to see this lawyers conduct. She charged fees to an estate that were completely unreasonable and had no relation to the work that was required or necessary. It also appears the lawyer is engaging in practice in areas in which she has little to no experience. I hope she will review the relevant rules and not engage in such practices again.
The following portion was added after the owners response:
The owners response unfortunately reinforces a lack of ethics and experience on her part. First, she knows her fees were paid and received by her before my review and well before her response. Nonetheless, she suggests the issue is about the payment of her fees rather than her inappropriate and egregious fees for ministerial work performed.
This lawyer has little if any experience in this area of the law. It also appears she is a novice lawyer that relies on court appointments to supplement her practice. While this is typical for young inexperienced lawyers, it is not an excuse to abuse the system or charge clients egregious fees.
Based on a review or her invoices, it is clear she overcharges for work that is not necessary. Worse yet, it appears she has non-lawyers perform the work and bills as if it were her. That is not appropriate in any circumstance.
Her comment that the judge signed an order approving her fees is partially correct. The judge did sign an order. The judge, however, did not review or approve the appropriateness of her fees. The reason there was no objection to her fees is because she slipped her billing records in without disclosing them to all parties first.
A subsequent review of her billing records indicates the fees were inappropriate and the work charged for was not even performed by a lawyer.
While many young and in experienced lawyers rely on court appointments to obtain business and make ends meet, it is never an excuse for overcharging clients or abusing the system. Again, I hope this lawyer will eventually grow out of this before it becomes a habit from which she cannot recover.
