Alternative Dispute Resolution,
Law Practice
Jun. 28, 2024
Quantum meruit: As much as one has deserved
California does not have a system to arbitrate fee disputes among lawyers who have worked on the same case under different fee agreements. Therefore, the successor counsel should pay the predecessor counsel the quantum meruit amount based on the same principles that apply to fee disputes between lawyers and clients.
Fee agreements often offer a final resolution of a significant issue for an engagement, how much a lawyer should be paid for their advice and services. But there are circumstances when the arc of the lawyer-client relationship goes off script and the appropriate fee is measured instead by quantum meruit, the amount earned or as much as one has deserved.
This can often happen when a client substitutes one counsel in for another in a conting...
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