Tag Archives: fee agreements

Looking Back at 2019

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Looking back at 2019 we covered a lot of ground. From posts on your career and well-being to eCourt, court procedures, finances, security, technology, and more. Here’s the recap:

Career

eCourt and Court Procedures

Finances

Security

Technology

Well-Being

Workflow and Office Systems

Odds & Ends

Happy (almost) New Year’s Eve and Happy New Year!

All Rights Reserved 2019 Beverly Michaelis

Save the date for “Getting Paid” – October 2 CLE

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Join me for a CLE on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 and learn how to implement best practices for getting paid.

Topics include:

  • Communicating with clients about fees
  • Maintaining client relationships to avoid disputes
  • Modernizing billing and payment practices
  • Creating fee agreements to meet the needs of today’s clients
  • Collecting accounts – practical and ethical considerations

Date/Time/Location

Wednesday, October 2, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. This is a live, online webinar.

Who Should Attend?

Lawyers, office administrators, and staff – anyone interested in exploring how to improve billing and collections.

How to Register

Registration will open soon. Watch this blog for the announcement. Cost: $25. Secure payment processing powered by Eventbrite. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Program materials included in the registration price.

All Rights Reserved [2019] Beverly Michaelis

The Year in Review

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Our “year in review” actually began two weeks ago when we focused on lawyer well-being. A worthy topic indeed! As I said then: everyone needs a pressure relief valve. Maybe yours is learning how to say no, deploying strategies to take back your schedule, or finding time to get away from the office for a while. 

Today I present a more traditional “year in review” list touching on eCourt, eService, finances, technology, workflow, and more. Happy new year’s eve and happy new year!

eCourt and eService

Finances

Technology, Data Security, and Workflow

Odds & Ends

All Rights Reserved 2018 Beverly Michaelis

Get Your Fee Agreements!

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The Fifth Edition of the OSB publication, Fee Agreement Compendium, is now available on BarBooks.

Topics include

  • Ethics Issues Arising in Fee Agreements
  • Billing Costs
  • Truth in Lending Act and Attorney Fee Agreements
  • OSB Fee Dispute Resolution Program
  • Drafting Tips for Fee Agreements
  • Retained or Not Retained–You May Need to Prove It
  • IOLTA in Relation to Fee Agreements
  • And 14 sample forms, including 9 addressing specific practice areas

Get answers to your frequently asked questions

Credit cards and installment payments

  • Does the Truth-in-Lending-Act prohibit me from passing on credit card surcharges to clients? §3.9
  • What are the implications of taking installment payments from clients?  §3.4

Client costs

  • Should I “bundle” or “unbundle” client costs? §2.3
  • What are the tax consequences of advancing costs for a client? §2.5-2
  • Am I personally liable for costs if the client doesn’t pay? §2.7

Drafting Tips

  • What are the 10 best tips for drafting fee agreements? §5.2
  • What are the perils of an ambiguous fee agreement? §5.1-3

Fee Disputes

  • Should I, or shouldn’t I, use OSB Fee Dispute Resolution?  §4.1-1 through 4.1-3.

Referral fees, splitting fees, and limited scope representation

  • What are the rules on referral fees? Splitting Fees? §1.1-7, §12.1 through 12.2-4.
  • How should I craft a limited scope representation agreement? §10.1 through 10.2.

(See the cited sections for answers.)

The Fee Agreement Compendium has always been a treasure trove of resources and tips.  Download the PDF from BarBooks today.

All Rights Reserved – 2018 – Beverly Michaelis