I received a detailed itemized bill encompassing the 19 month process from my divorce attorney, a full 7 months after my divorced was finalized. It was for $5000. I was shocked to say the least. I did not receive any sort of up to date bill from him during the process, I had even given him a $1500 retainer at the beginning of the divorce. Is the presentation of the bill this late normal and/or ethical?
Answer
It is. The $5,000 bill does not shock me for a divorce. Depending on the property and issues involved it could have been a lot higher. You had to know the lawyer was running a bill for everything that went on in the divorce. Most people don't want to ask for a bill along the way figuring no news is good news. Most lawyers don't like intermittent billings; they take too much time to put together and then the clients are upset. Most clients make the mistake of calling the lawyer rather than obtaining counseling; lawyers are not there for therapy but most clients use their lawyer as a sounding board/counselor. So many times when the bill gets run up it is the client's fault. Now I have no idea what issues were involved in your case or how much fighting went on. Without more information I am unable to comment on the amount as being reasonable, but it would not shock me to find out the lawyer has cut their bill.
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