Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/21/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  When I asked for a breakdown of the attorney's bill, and explanation as to why he charged in 15 minute increments, rather than industry-standard 6-minute increments, why he charged me lawyer rates for paralegal services, and how he could justify billing me $87.50 to forward an email to someone who already received the email, the attorney's response was to refuse to respond and to serve me an attorney's lien. Even though I paid the monies owed in full, under dispute, he has still refused to justify all the above.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2022

  I am an attorney.  The Complainant, ****************************** is a law school graduate with the limited right to practice in ******.  He was a client of mine from June 9, 2022 to September 1, 2022.  I served as local counsel for him in a trial held in August 2022.  ******************** friend Mr. ******************** served as trial counsel.  **************** paid every invoice I sent to him until after the trial concluded.  Once trial concluded, my representation was no longer needed and I withdrew.  I sent **************** an invoice.  It was not paid in 30 days' time as required.  On September 14, 2022 I again asked him for payment and informed him that if not paid I would be compelled to file an attorney's lien.  Only then did I receive any objections to billing entries.  I served an attorney's lien for my final invoice upon **************** as the invoice was not paid and I did not receive any response from him why it was not paid.  **************** then paid the invoice in full satisfying the lien and I consider the matter closed, however in the interest of full resolution I will respond to ******************** BBB complaint.  **************** objects to being billed in 15 minute increments, but had no problem paying for billing entries that were billed in 15 minute increments in prior months' invoices.  Moreover, **************** would have been billed for more time if billed at a 6 minute increment as the billing entries were rounded down.  He was certainly not billed for paralegal tasks at lawyer rates.  Indeed, all paralegal tasks performed by me were billed at the agreed rate of $100 per hour rather than my attorney rate of $350 per hour.  As for the billing entry he refers to of $87.50, that was an email that I was required to read and respond to that had legal information that is privileged.  It was not overbilling.  Last, the nail in this coffin is ******************** trial counsel **************** reviewed my billing entries and found them to be eminently reasonable and disagreed with *****************  See the attached email from *****************  I believe **************** does not make this complaint in good faith and does this merely to vex me.  He could have challenged the lien, but chose not to do so.  He could have asked for a review by a fee dispute committee but did not do so.  Please disregard this complaint. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/15/2022

   
  Complaint: 18115191
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I still do not have a breakdown of the work he claimed he did for the amount he charged.

  His arguments are complete rubbish, especially the one where he had to forward a document for $87.50 to an attorney who already received the document directly from the Court. Not sure why he believes a court order is privileged, and even it had to be forwarded. And even if it was privileged, the privilege extends to his paralegal.

  When I asked Mr. ******************** for a breakdown of his costs, that is when he filed the lien, putting me in a compromised situation as I was in the middle of buying a house and such a lien could have compromised my ability to get a mortgage. I told Mr. ******************** I would happily pay his bill once I received a breakdown of the work he had done, to which he refused to so supply (and he has since not supplied).

  All one needs to do is look at Mr. ********************'s social media feedback from other people who have dealt with him to know he does not deserve the A+ rating of the BBB. **************** had recommended Mr. ********************, and I was very wrong to have listened to ******************** advice.

  I strongly recommend the BBB revoke ******************** and Assoc.'s BBB A+ rating. Not to do so puts the BBB's reputation at risk.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2022

  Per BBB bylaws, this dispute has been resolved by " ... previous court action ... between the parties."  I represented ****************, the complainant, in trial as local counsel.  His trial attorney was Mr. ************************** My ****** had zero issues with his initial attorney's fee invoices from my office.  He then did not timely pay his last invoice after his trial concluded without any stated reason.  Payment was requested, it was not paid, and I was compelled to withdraw and file an attorney's lien pursuant to Nevada law with the court.  It was only then that **************** raised any issues with the invoice that he was billed.  I reviewed the ******** and there was nothing wrong with the billing entries or time billed to *****************  **************** could have filed an objection to the lien and proceed to hearing, but he decided not to do so and paid the invoice thus concluding this matter.  Despite paying the invoice and resolving the lien, **************** continues to demand that I send him additional information about what he was billed for and why.  I have declined as his demand is in bad faith, the invoices sent to him were detailed what he was billed for, when, and why.  Another attorney, his trial counsel Mr. ******************** reviewed my office's invoices and tried to reason with **************** and explained that my office's invoices and all ******** were actually very reasonable and were impeccably detailed and that in ******************** view **************** could reasonably been billed thousands more.  **************** subsequently withdrew from representing **************** as well.  In short, I have reviewed all of the invoices and the ******** submitted to **************** that he has paid.  He was not overbilled.  He was served an attorney's lien for his failure to pay the last invoice.  He paid it within 5 days' time thereby resolving the lien issue and concluding this matter and I consider this issue with BBB to be closed for prior court action.  Thank you.