how could i describe a lawyer that just takes my money

What is it really like to be a lawyer?

If you’ve been watching Law & Order reruns, you might have a slightly distorted idea of what it’s like to be a lawyer. Typical lawyers don’t spend every day making impassioned speeches in front of juries and they don’t often track down killers and accompany police on stakeouts.

How should I choose a lawyer?

When choosing whom to hire, not only should your lawyer’s practice specialty come into play, but so should your lawyer’s personal style, points out Lara Bazelon, Associate Professor of Law and director of the Criminal Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice Clinical Programs at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

What are the money secrets divorce lawyers wish you knew?

Here are the money secrets divorce lawyers wish you knew (including attorney Kessler!). Check your potential lawyer’s reputation. “Many cases are won, and lost, on the reputations of the lawyers involved,” attorney Rice tells Reader’s Digest.

What should I know about my attorney before hiring him?

Your attorney will inform you of the percentage he or she intends to collect before you decide to hire him or her. Your attorney should also let you know if he or she intends to deduct any additional costs and expenses related to your case as well, such as filing fees or report request costs.

What is it called when lawyers take clients money just to keep it?

"Client Trust" or "Escrow" Accounts An attorney is usually permitted to charge a reasonable fee for maintaining the account, but all interest earned on the account belongs to the client. No commingling of funds is allowed.

What is it called when a lawyer doesn't get paid unless you win?

In a contingency fee arrangement, the lawyer who represents you will get paid by taking a percentage of your award as a fee for services. If you lose, the attorney receives nothing. This situation works well when you have a winning lawsuit.

What is it called when a lawyer messes up?

What is Legal Malpractice? Legal malpractice is when an attorney makes a grievous error in handling a case. Lawyers are held to a general standard and codes of ethical and professional conduct.

What is it called when a lawyer doesn't do his job?

Legal malpractice is a type of negligence in which a lawyer does harm to his or her client. Typically, this concerns lawyers acting in their own interests, lawyers breaching their contract with the client, and, one of the most common cases of legal malpractice, is when lawyers fail to act on time for clients.

Can you sue a lawyer for not doing their job?

A claim of malpractice may exist if your lawyer exhibited negligence in your representation. If your lawyer's negligence caused you to suffer harm or a less advantageous outcome or settlement in your case, you may have a claim to sue your lawyer for professional negligence.

What does contingency mean in law?

Contingency fee - which is a conditional payment a lawyer receives for rendering his legal services upon successful representation of his client. Such a fee depends on the result/outcome of the dispute.

What is the most common complaint against lawyers?

Perhaps the most common kinds of complaints against lawyers involve delay or neglect. This doesn't mean that occasionally you've had to wait for a phone call to be returned. It means there has been a pattern of the lawyer's failing to respond or to take action over a period of months.

What is the best definition of malpractice?

Definition of malpractice 1 : a dereliction of professional duty or a failure to exercise an ordinary degree of professional skill or learning by one (such as a physician) rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage. 2 : an injurious, negligent, or improper practice : malfeasance.

What is it called when a lawyer overcharges you?

Examples Of Overbilling. While the act of overbilling can simply be a lawyer overcharging for services, there are numerous ways this can occur, for example: Padding a bill: This occurs when a lawyer lies about how much time was spent on a matter. By overstating time spent, the bill becomes inflated.

What should you not say to a lawyer?

Five things not to say to a lawyer (if you want them to take you..."The Judge is biased against me" Is it possible that the Judge is "biased" against you? ... "Everyone is out to get me" ... "It's the principle that counts" ... "I don't have the money to pay you" ... Waiting until after the fact.

What do you do when a lawyer won't respond?

If your lawyer does not return your call, send them a letter and keep a copy. In the letter, describe what is bothering you and what you need. Suggest meeting with the lawyer face-to-face.

What happens if a lawyer lies to a judge?

If a lawyer lies to the Judge about something that is within his own knowledge -- such as something the lawyer did or didn't do during the lawsuit, then he can be suspended or disbarred. However, it's important to distinguish what you mean by a "lawyer lying" from examples when a lawyer is not really lying.

What does it mean to be a lawyer?

I would describe a lawyer as one who reads, writes and advocates for a living. You read complex, intertwining and sometimes seemingly unrelated material and distill it into something actionable/understandable for others, you take complex ideas and write them as simply as possible for others and sometimes you advocate, negotiate and persuade using your understanding of language and how various things might resonate with others - either because of past precedent or their personalities.

What is lawyering in politics?

Lawyering is a basic path for a politician to screw the country, while getting paid to do it. Politics prerequisite seems too often to be law school. Ted Kennedy & Joe Biden paid their lawyering dues but briefly. Al Gore dropped out of law school.

What does a thesaurus do?

Properly used, a thesaurus will force a writer to consider precisely what message he/she is attempting to convey with the sentence; and often may cause a writer to attack the thought in a different manner altogether, restructuring the sentence to better stress his/her point.

What does it mean to be a great leader?

A great leader is someone who can inspire others to be better people.

What is true leadership?

True leadership is about trust, inspiration and encouraging others.

Do female lawyers have strengths?

Female attorneys have strengths that male attorneys do not . And male lawyers possess an equal amount of strengths that female lawyers do not. The law-you-need us both. A female lawyer should not try to be anyone but HERself. Your clients, other attorneys, judges and-especially-juries will trust a genuine person.

What happens when you give your attorney money?

When you give your attorney money -- or when your attorney obtains money on your behalf -- that transaction comes with legal and ethical obligations. In any kind of legal case, from a civil lawsuit to criminal proceedings, an attorney has certain fiduciary obligations when it comes to client funds or property the attorney receives in the course ...

What is the duty of an attorney?

First, the attorney has a duty to keep the client's funds or property secure and separate from the attorney's (and from the firm's) own funds and property. Second, the attorney must notify the client of the receipt of any funds or property intended for the client.

Can an attorney deposit money in a non-interest bearing bank account?

In some states, attorneys have discretion about whether to deposit client funds in interest-bearing bank accounts, but in states like New York, lawyers are not allowed to place qualifying funds in a non-interest bearing account.

Can an attorney charge a fee for a client's account?

An attorney is usually permitted to charge a reasonable fee for maintaining the account, but all interest earned on the account belongs to the client.

What to do if you turn over money to a lawyer?

Alter suggests that if you turn over money to your lawyer for any purpose - whether it is a down payment for a house, the proceeds of a business being sold or a retainer to cover future services - you should request a letter of acknowledgment. The letter should state that the lawyer has received the money and why he or she is holding it. In addition, if the money is placed in an escrow account, the letter should give the bank name and account number.

Who was the attorney who beat Lisa Steinberg?

One of the smallest awards, $400, went to a client of Joel Steinberg, the disbarred attorney who has been convicted of manslaughter for the fatal beating of Lisa Steinberg, the 6-year-old girl he was raising.

Does the disciplinary fund reimburse clients?

While the fund will not normally reimburse clients until disciplinary proceedings against a lawyer have been completed, it will sometimes disburse money in an emergency. In March, for example, it approved the immediate payment of $166,000 to three small Long Island construction companies whose attorney had purportedly made off with down payments from several potential buyers of the companies' homes.

Is it necessary to use a lawyer to seek reimbursement from the fund?

Assistance is also available to document losses. While it is not necessary to use a lawyer to seek reimbursement from the fund, people are encouraged to consult with one because they often face other legal problems associated with their losses. Continue reading the main story.

Do lawyers fleece clients?

Yet occasionally, disreputable attorneys will fleece clients. They will make off with the down payment on a house from an escrow account, surreptitiously settle a personal injury case and steal the settlement or misappropriate the funds in a child's trust.

2 attorney answers

I would be more direct - ask the attorney for your money back, you never know, some attorneys will refund fees if a client is dissatisfied and then use the money to hire a new attorney. Otherwise, in a situation like this, you should get a new attorney in any event.

Jonathan H Levy

Your question doesn't really specify what the attorney did/failed to do for your boyfriend. His is a fairly common situation. People end up having children they didn't know about and have to pay back support on them. Your boyfriend didn't have a lot of options for his lawyer to work with. What has happened is not far from the norm.

Is Florida attorney fee refundable?

It is not true that fees are non-refundable. In fact, in Florida fees are earned upon the rendering of services. Since you refer to a plaintiff, I am assuming that this is a civil case, therefore, the lawyer is required to put the fee into his trust account and only "pay himself" as he earns the fee as represented in (monthly) billing. You can Google and read the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct about billing and trust accounts...

Can a lawyer file documents until he has investigated the case?

Depending on the complexity of the case, it may not be prudent for your lawyer to file any documents yet until he has fully investigated the case. If there are not any statutory time limits ticking, the lawyer is always best advised to line up all his "ducks" in a row...

How to get a good lawyer to take your case?

“If you want to improve your chances of securing the best lawyer to take your case, you need to prepare before you meet them,” advises attorney Stephen Babcock. “Get your story, facts, and proof together well before your first meeting.” This not only ensures that you understand your own needs, but it helps a good lawyer to ascertain whether he or she can actually help you. “We want the best clients too. Proving you’re organized and reliable helps us.”

When should you hire a lawyer?

When disputes arise, a person’s first inclination is often to call a lawyer, attorney Randolph Rice tells Reader’s Digest. But there are many situations in which hiring a lawyer is the last thing you should do. Says Rice, ideally, everyone would resolve disputes without lawyering up. “Getting lawyers involved can escalate tensions and delay resolution, all at great time and expense.” Take it from an attorney—before hiring one, consider if there are other ways to resolve your dispute. Maybe start by checking out these hilarious lawyer jokes.

What is a potential money pit?

When hiring an attorney, a potential money pit is “expenses” outside of the lawyer’s billable hours. Expenses include everything—copying and faxing costs, hiring expert witnesses, and even traveling via private jet, points out attorney Justin C. Roberts. Some lawyers don’t just pass the charges along; instead, they charge an additional percentage fee. Whatever their method, you need to know it up front so there won’t be any surprises when the bill arrives.

Why is it important to approach a lawyer with honesty?

“ Winning cases can be lost because of a client who lies or exaggerates just as easily as because of a lawyer who tells the client what the client wants to hear instead of what is true.” So when dealing with attorneys, don’t just look for honesty—be honest.

Should a lawyer stay out of court?

In fact, a lawyer should try to stay out of court. “In my experience, a good lawyer always finds every opportunity to keep a case from being decided by a judge, and only relents on trying a case before the bench when all alternatives have been exhausted,” attorney, Jason Cruz says.

Do you need a lawyer to write a demand letter?

On reading a demand letter, the other person will often say, “this isn’t worth the trouble” and they quickly settle. But here’s a secret from Knight: You don’t need a lawyer to write a demand letter. You can do it yourself. Just make it look as formal as possible, and you may find your dispute goes away—no charge to you.

Do most cases settle outside the courtroom?

In choosing your attorney and your plan of action in resolving a dispute, it’s important to consider that despite what you see on television, most cases never see the inside of a courtroom. Typically, they’re settled outside the courtroom because of the time and expense involved, according to attorney Darren Heitner, author of How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know.

What happens if you pay upfront for a lawyer?

Anytime you pay an upfront fee, you risk the lawyer not doing much or any work.

Why do law firms charge high billing rates?

Sometimes, law firms use high billing rates to stick clients with unnecessarily expensive bills for research, secretarial work, and other low-level tasks.

How much did Vick's lawyers charge for his bankruptcy?

Faced with a $2.66 million fee for a bankruptcy case, Vick learned that his lawyers were charging for extensive overhead expenses. As Am Law Daily noted, these included the cost of running air conditioning during the weekend; taxi rides home for employees working late; and $1,200 for plane tickets from New York to Kansas.

How much did the attorneys charge for the Ponzi scheme?

Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme recovered only $81 million. According to the AP, the attorneys charged $27 million for three months of shoddy work.

Is it justifiable to spend big bucks on litigation?

Like a sick person, a company facing litigation is willing to spend big bucks to get out of a trouble. It's entirely justifiable, and lawyers are only too happy to oblige, billing clients for every minute worked, and then some.

Do lawyers squeeze money out of clients?

Like all consultants, some lawyers find questionable ways to squeeze money out of clients. Some are legal, some aren't, but all will make a CFO's blood boil.

Is it legal to bill two clients for the same hour?

Billing two clients for the same hour of work is dubious legally and ethically. That doesn't mean it's uncommon.