What is the best way to handle a lawyer who has padded my bill in a very big way? -

A family law attorny has caused me to have a bill about 5 x higher than it should be. What should I do? What is the likelihood I ll have success working with the Texas bar pursuing an ethics or malpractice breach? I think there s nothing weighty that would be considered malpractice except that he s lied a few times (I have that 2x on audio tape) and also he represented a fictitious amount when testifying about the how much he d billed me. (He was too embarassed to tell the court the real amount which was double what he stated.) He s a horrible person and I was a fool. He has a reputation for gouging.

If it really is important to you, try and nail him for it through the TX bar. But you re fighting an uphill battle on this one....you learned the hard way that most lawyers are complete sharks. I can garuntee that he exploited every legal loophole he knows to get that much money from you. Good luck....stick it to him!

And thank you so so so SO much to Alan S. Report Abuse

In Texas, contact the TEXAS LEGAL BAR GRIEVANCE DEPT., in Austin !!! I have had problems with lawyers, many years ago, and used to carry the forms around with me, and passed them out, freely and readily !!!!!! GO TO IT, GAL, EAT THAT LAWYERS LUNCH !!!!!!!!!( FOR BREAKFAST) !!!!!

Tell him that you think that he substantially overcharged you. Tell him what you think is a fair amount for his services and that this is what you would be willing to pay. I would make this amount lower than what you think you owe, so there is some room to negotiate. For example, if he charged you $10,000 and you think you owe $2,000, say you ll pay $1,000, and be willing to negotiate up to $2,000. If he agrees to take the reduced amount as payment in full, make sure you first get a revised bill with the corrected amount before paying. Also write quot;Payment In Fullquot; on the check if you pay by check. You can t take his word for anything. If he refuses the reduced amount, tell him you won t pay a cent until you receive an itemized bill detailing all of the dates and hours worked, who did the work (maybe it was someone else in the firm), and what was done. If he refuses to correct the bill or provide an itemized bill, threaten a malpractice suit. If you get an itemized bill and he overcharged you, this should be useful evidence in a malpractice suit or if he tries to collect and you sue over the bill (not malpractice). For example, maybe he said he did something on a certain date but he was really on vacation. Also, if he lied in court about how much he billed you, that is perjury. I think he could lose his law license for that. The court would have a record of this, since they have stenographers that type up transcripts of the proceedings. You should be able to use this in your discussions with him to your advantage.

I ve tried to work with the Bar Association before but it seems like they side with the attorney...Try speaking to a judge and asking for advice...Maybe contact the Attorney Generals office in your state and ask them for some advice...