Top 10 Tips to Avoid Fee Disputes, with Carl Mueller

The California Appellate Law Podcast

Every attorney has felt the concern over a growing receivable, and the frustration of a nonpaying client. In the continuation of our discussion in the last episode, Carl Mueller shares his top 10 tips to avoid them and win them. The tips include:

• See a “red flag”? Trust your gut, and run.
• Check your retainer agreements for compliance with Business and Professions Code sections 6146, 6147, and 6148. And fully describe your financial arrangement, including rate increases and trial deposits.
• Did you make important case disclosures to the client on a phone call? Put that in your billing statement. The client will be deemed to have acknowledged you made the disclosures.
• Before sending you the fee arb notice, be aware of the one-year malpractice statute of limitations!

Carl I. S. Mueller’s biography, LinkedIn profile.

Appellate Specialist Jeff Lewis' biography, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter feed.

Appellate Specialist Tim Kowal's biography, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, and YouTube page.

Sign up for Not To Be Published, Tim Kowal’s weekly legal update, or view his blog of recent cases.

The California Appellate Law Podcast thanks Casetext for sponsoring the podcast. Listeners receive a discount on Casetext Basic Research at casetext.com/CALP. The co-hosts, Jeff and Tim, were also invited to try Casetext’s newest technology, CoCounsel, the world’s first AI legal assistant. You can discover CoCounsel for yourself with a demo and free trial at casetext.com/CoCounsel.

Other items discussed in the episode:

• Videos from this episode will be posted at Tim Kowal’s YouTube channel.