Four Ways Lawyers Cheat Their Clients

The sky is blue. The grass is green. Heat rises. And lawyers cheat their clients. It is an unfortunate fact of American life. Many lawyers treat their bar cards as licenses to steal. And many of them, if not most, get away with it. The only thing you, as a client, can do is be vigilant and know what to look for. Here are four ways in which lawyers cheat their clients.

One. Overbilling. This is probably the most common way lawyers cheat their clients. And unfortunately, it also the most difficult practice to detect. Overbilling occurs when a lawyer abuses his time sheet. This is most prevalent when lawyers at large firms are billing big businesses, but it occurs in law firms across the boards, and to clients of all shapes and sizes. Lawyers round up when counting their billable hours. They bill for phantom phone calls and meetings that never took place. When two lawyers in the same firm get together to discuss your case, they bill you for both their time - even if half that time was spent discussing the latest acquisitions by the New York Mets. Overbilling is, of course, a serious offense, and if you suspect that it is occurring you should not hesitate to bring it to your lawyer's attention, or if need to be, to the attention of the state bar. Legal fees are high enough as it is; you don't want to spend more money for hours never put into your case.

Two. Hidden fees. Read your retainer agreement very carefully. Some lawyers take advantage of the boilerplate language and charge clients for costs they never anticipated paying. In most cases, you should not be paying your lawyer's Westlaw bill, and most lawyers don't charge for photocopies and faxes. Make sure you know precisely what expenses you will be paying to your lawyer prior to entering into your contract.