Sorted by Commenter - Ethics - State of California
Sorted by Commenter - Ethics - State of California
Sorted by Commenter - Ethics - State of California
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RRC – Rule 1.5 [4-200]<br />
E-mails, etc. – Revised (6/1/2010)<br />
Attached:<br />
RRC - 4-200 [1-5] - Rule - DFT12.1 (05-26-10)RD - Cf. to DFT11 (12-14-09).doc<br />
May 26, 2010 KEM E-mail to RRC:<br />
A few points and questions in response to Randy's fine work:<br />
1. I generally agree with Randy's approach but wanted to point out that it will fall flat in<br />
addressing the policy issue the criminal defense bar has raised, i.e., that if the fees are not<br />
viewed as earned upon receipt, then they will be subject to seizure. The "earned upon receipt,"<br />
while magic words and meaningless if the facts don't support it, nevertheless provides the<br />
criminal defense lawyers with some comfort and a defense against the government's attempt to<br />
seize the client funds that were used to pay the fee.<br />
a. I'm not sure how to deal with this in light <strong>of</strong> the S.Ct.'s 5/11/1995 letter. In essence, we<br />
have been saying in former (e)(2) (i.e., pre-Randy's proposed modifications) that the fee is<br />
earned on receipt, . . . unless it is not. We don't say it quite that way; rather we achieve that <strong>by</strong><br />
expressly stating that the flat fee is earned on receipt but then caution that the lawyer must<br />
explain in the fee K that the client might be entitled to refund if it turns out the agreed upon legal<br />
services were not completed. The "earned upon receipt" language addresses the seizure issue;<br />
the refund language -- and a refund can only be measured after the services have been<br />
provided or not -- addresses the client protection issue and S.Ct. concerns that a fee is not the<br />
lawyer's until earned.<br />
b. Here is how Arizona has addressed the issue. Perhaps that is an approach we can take:<br />
(d) A lawyer shall not enter into an arrangement for, charge, or collect:<br />
* * *<br />
(3) a fee denominated as "earned upon receipt," "nonrefundable" or in similar<br />
terms unless the client is simultaneously advised in writing that the client may<br />
nevertheless discharge the lawyer at any time and in that event may be entitled<br />
to a refund <strong>of</strong> all or part <strong>of</strong> the fee based upon the value <strong>of</strong> the representation<br />
pursuant to paragraph (a).<br />
I think an important point in the Arizona language is the client's right to discharge the lawyer.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the key rationales in New York's Cooperman opinion that rejected the concept <strong>of</strong> a nonrefundable<br />
fee was that it interfered with the client's absolute right to discharge the lawyer<br />
(sure, the client can discharge the lawyer, but if the client has already paid a multi-K nonrefundable<br />
fee, can the client afford to do so?) Accordingly, I also think that the "unless the<br />
lawyer withdraws" language in the form fee agreement and cited to <strong>by</strong> the criminal defense bar<br />
is wrong. The issue is not whether the lawyer "withdraws," the issue is the client's right to<br />
discharge the lawyer. The client should be entitled to a refund whether the lawyer withdraws or<br />
the client fires the lawyer before the lawyer has completed the agreed upon services.<br />
c. As I mentioned in an earlier e-mail, we seem to be dealing with a condition subsequent, an<br />
event that might occur to discharge a previously-incurred obligation (e.g., no work done<br />
discharges the client's obligation to pay). We seem to contemplate this concept in the second<br />
sentence <strong>of</strong> our paragraph (b), which provides:<br />
RRC - 4-200 [1-5] - E-mails, etc. - REV (06-01-10).doc -145-<br />
Printed: June 2, 2010