Getting Paid

Collecting outstanding legal fees should be a proactive process. Most lawyers are familiar with marketing themselves to secure legal work, but are most times unfamiliar with the dangers unpaid fees that billable hours represent.

The panel will discuss various options of collection, provide practical solutions, and pragmatic examples, as well as hear feedback from attendees of their collection efforts and experiences. Specific topics include:

• Best ways to prevent collection problems;
• Strategies to address collection problems, including fee agreement language;
• Legal fee disputes and using arbitration/mediation;
• Counterclaim issues;
• Malpractice issues and BBO matters;
• Statutes of limitations;
• Hiring an outside collection firm;
• Collection letters;
• Attorney liens on files; and
• Collection lawsuits against former clients