Post by Jim on May 22, 2009 8:29:07 GMT -5
May 22, 2009
DIVORCE LAWYER DENIED FEES FOR SERVICES OUTSIDE OF RETAINER
A court ruling handed down Thursday should put divorce lawyers on notice that if they provide services going beyond the scope of the original retainer agreement, they may not get paid for them. A two-judge Appellate Division panel denied fees to Metuchen solo Curtis Romanowski for coaching a divorce client on a domestic violence claim work that was explicitly excluded from the original retainer but which he claimed was covered by an oral understanding. "The failure to prevail on a fee claim such as this informs both the bench and bar of the danger of supplementary oral agreements and the benefits of written retainer agreements, especially in the family practice," the judges wrote in Romanowski v. Mace, DDS No. 04-2-3895.
DIVORCE LAWYER DENIED FEES FOR SERVICES OUTSIDE OF RETAINER
A court ruling handed down Thursday should put divorce lawyers on notice that if they provide services going beyond the scope of the original retainer agreement, they may not get paid for them. A two-judge Appellate Division panel denied fees to Metuchen solo Curtis Romanowski for coaching a divorce client on a domestic violence claim work that was explicitly excluded from the original retainer but which he claimed was covered by an oral understanding. "The failure to prevail on a fee claim such as this informs both the bench and bar of the danger of supplementary oral agreements and the benefits of written retainer agreements, especially in the family practice," the judges wrote in Romanowski v. Mace, DDS No. 04-2-3895.
The article says the lawyer was denied fees for services outside of the retainer agreement. DID ANYONE NOTICE IT WAS FOR COACHING A CLIENT ON A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLAIM?
? WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO COACH A CLIENT ON A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLAIM?
