Comments on: PAY YOUR !*?@!%! LAWYERS!!!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:26:21 +0000

Well here's one for ya! We are the deadbeats…. small company (start up) sued by the competition that never had a freaking (yes I wanted to use the other word) case and yet were forced to defend ourselves in a ridiculous lawsuit that ended up with them dropping the case the day before trial. (order of non suit and a walk away!) WELL Shit we all walked away with 66,000 in attorney bills that we can never afford – yes we paid up front approx 10K and since then additional 20K but hell we have 36K to go.
Closed the business due to the economy and having gotten blessed with 2 children in 2 years was not feesible to keep it open. So now here we are going to have to mortgage our home to pay for a dumb ass suit that had no merit to begin with but because of our GREAT country and I do meant that part – we are forced to defend our right to have a free enterprise at the tune of 66K……………………………..not to much free in that!
I am in awe of how we ever got to that point to begin with since we live in a "right to work state" Texas – but we were there and had to fight our way out! Lesson learned never never never hire an attorney!

By: SueRayn

SueRayn — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:29:47 +0000

It would be really great if all of you wou actually pay your vendors. I'm a title examiner and cannot tell you how much time I spend chasing attorneys for their outstanding balances. I'll not take on another Attorney client without a retainer or a credit card on file. Some have been relly great but when the real estate ^^*%#@ hit the fan I was last on the list. Whats the recourse for someone like me? I find another attorney who is willing to sue his "brother" and or small calims on the low balances. I make under $100,000 a year working for myself with no safety net, a single parent mom with 3 kids and a deadbeat dad. Ya ya ya call the wambulance, right? Well here's the fist to all of you who don't pay your bills… quit bitchin

By: Jason Mendelson

Jason Mendelson — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:33:05 +0000

I like it. I am not sure however that I have a credit card that can support these amounts however.

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Jason Mendelson

Sent from my iPhone
- please forgive iTypos.

By: Larry Port

Larry Port — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:05:18 +0000

What do you think about this, which seems like a good practice. One of the firms we work with does something along these lines (keep in mind this is not an AFE, but could be a bridge for hourly guys stuck in the predicament):

Discount early payment by 10% (within 30 days). Over 60 days, 10% extra. Keep a credit card on file, as long as it doesn't violate ethics rules (Google Jim Calloway, he knows the deal) and bam – receivables are now a lot closer to being collected.

So the client can feel that they get a discount, and the atty can ensure money in the bank. (The atty that does this also raised their rates 10%, btw).

By: Phil Sugar

Phil Sugar — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:18:42 +0000

I guess you are ranting about those people that got a legitimate bill and then demand a discount and withhold payment as a ransom threat. Ok, that I agree is sleazy wherever it happens, in law, or in retailing, or anywhere else.

But it seems from the link we're talking about negotiating a cheaper rate up front or coming up with an alternative pay for performance. Like if you get this done for less than $X I'll pay you your full rate otherwise we have another rate.

To that I would say get used to it, it happens everywhere else….and if the response is to raise rates….eventually you'll lose to the competition that doesn't.

I think one of the challenges in this tough marketplace is that when you do agree to open your wallet you need to put parameters in because sometimes instead of appreciating the business and trying to do the job as economically as possible people look at it like: I finally have a customer!!! I need to milk this for all its worth.

That's not just lawyers, but electricians, plumbers, accountants, mechanics whomever.