Attorney Ethical Considerations for Collection of Unpaid Fees, Termination of Services, and Withdrawal

Course Details
- smart_display Format
Live Online with Live Q&A
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
Beginner
- work Practice Area
Ethics
- event Date
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
60 minutes
-
An excellent opportunity to earn Ethics CLE credits. Note: BARBRI cannot guarantee that this course will be approved for ethics credits in all states. To confirm, please contact our CLE department at pdservice@barbri.com.
This CLE webinar will provide attorneys guidance on key ethical issues and pitfalls to avoid when handling the collection of unpaid fees, termination of services, and withdrawal of counsel. The panel will discuss types of attorneys' fees, ethical billing practices, termination and non-representation letters, collections, file closing, records management, and other key issues.
Description
Billing, fee collection, termination of services, and withdrawal of counsel have always been complicated areas for the legal profession. When disputes arise relating to unpaid fees and termination of services, practitioners must balance their financial interest in collecting fees against their duty of loyalty to clients. For this reason, these disputes are subject to scrutiny.
To minimize client disputes over billing, fee collection, and termination of services, and avoid ethical missteps, attorneys must immediately review and reconsider their policies and practices surrounding fee agreements, time tracking, and billing and collections.
Listen as our authoritative panel examines the ethical dilemmas inherent in law firm billing and collection practices, termination of services, and withdrawing from legal matters, and offers practical steps firms can take to avoid ethical violations and legal liability.
Outline
- Attorney fee arrangements
- Ethical fees and billing practices
- Client termination and non-representation letters
- Records management
- Collection of unpaid fees and costs
- Model rules and ethics opinions
Benefits
The panel will discuss these and other key issues:
- What are the types of attorneys' fees and related challenges?
- How do you establish and maintain ethical fee arrangements and billing practices?
- What are the common ethical missteps associated with client terminations?
- What steps must be followed for client file closing and records management?
- How can you avoid ethical issues in the collection of unpaid fees and costs?
- Overview of applicable Model Rules and Ethics Opinions
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