CLARIFYING ATTORNEY’S FEES IN CONTEMPT ACTIONS
January 19, 2012 § Leave a comment
I’ve talked here before about some confusion (in my opinion) on the part of the COA as to the criteria to award attorney’s fees in contempt cases as opposed to other cases. The question that gave rise to the confusion was whether proof of the McKee factors and/or inability to pay would be required to support an award of attorney’s fees in a contempt action.
In Williamson v. Williamson, decided January 10, 2012, the COA set the record straight. Judge Carlton’s opinion sets it out at ¶ 28:
Furthermore, we find no merit to Will’s contention that the chancellor erred in awarding attorney’s fees to Mary due to a lack of consideration of the McKee analysis. Will’s argument fails to differentiate the chancellor’s award of attorney’s fees in a divorce action as compared to a contempt action. In Mabus v. Mabus, 910 So. 2d 486, 490 (¶13) (Miss. 2005), the Mississippi Supreme Court explained that, generally, in divorce actions, appropriate attorney’s fees are awarded in an amount to secure a competent attorney. However, in contempt actions, attorney’s fees are awarded “to make the plaintiff whole.” Id.; see also Patterson, 20 So. 3d at 73 (¶26) (stating that an award of attorney’s fees is appropriate when there is a finding of contempt, and “[n]o showing as to the McKee factors is required”); Bounds v. Bounds, 935 So. 2d 407, 412 (¶18) (Miss. Ct. App. 2006). As stated, Mary introduced an itemization of attorney’s fees into evidence at trial. Will failed to provide sufficient evidence showing that the attorney’s fees testified to by Mary were unreasonable. Therefore, we find no abuse of discretion by the chancellor in finding Will in contempt and in awarding Mary the attorney’s fees she incurred in bringing her petition for contempt. See Mabus, 910 So. 2d at 489 (¶8) (“Where a party’s intentional misconduct causes the opposing party to expend time and money needlessly, then attorney[’s] fees and expenses should be awarded to the wronged party.”).
I think that language pretty well clarifies the law on the point. In contempt cases, contrary to other cases such as divorce, proof of the McKee factors is not required, nor is proof of inability of the wronged party to pay; however, you must put on proof to show the fees incurred and the reasonableness so that the trial judge has some objective standard to apply.
There is one often overlooked avenue for establishing the reasonableness of attorney’s fees. It’s set out in MCA 9-1-41, which reads as follows:
In any action in which a court is authorized to award reasonable attorneys’ fees, the court shall not require the party seeking such fees to to put on proof as to the reasonableness of the amount sought, but shall make the award based on the information already before it and the court’s own opinion based on experience and observation; provided, however, a party may, in its discretion, place before the court other evidence as to the reasonableness of the amount of the award, and the court may consider such evidence in making the award.
In my opinion, the statute is something you can use to your advantage in a contempt case, since McKee proof is not required. But be careful in trying to apply it in other kinds of cases. In Doe v. Doe, 644 So.2d 1199, 1209 (Miss. 1994), the supreme court said:
It is true that Miss.Code Ann. § 9-1-41 (1972) allows an award of attorney fees based “on the information already before it and the court’s own opinion.” However, such discretion still requires some guidelines. Guidelines help to insure that the chancellor’s award is based on factual information and is not arbitrary. This Court accordingly holds that chancellors should grant attorney fees under Miss.Code Ann. § 9-1-41 (1972) after considering the factors for attorney fees as stated in McKee v. McKee, 418 So.2d 764, 767 (Miss.1982).
Doe was not a contempt case. It was an action for termination of visitation rights based on allegations of sexual abuse. In non-contempt actions the rule is that you will need to put on the proof required by the case law. In divorce cases, for example, that means proof of the client’s inability to pay as well as McKee proof.
SOME SUGGESTED PROVISIONS FOR PSA’S
January 18, 2012 § 3 Comments
Every lawyer has his or her own idea about what needs to be included or not included in a property settlement agreement (PSA) for an irreconcilable differences (ID) divorce. Here are some provisions I have seen in PSA’s through the years that you might find helpful in specific instances.
Protection from debts incurred by the other party:
Debts. If either party has made any debt in the name of or against the credit of the other, the party making such debt shall be solely responsible to pay it promptly and in due course, and to indemnify the other. There are no other joint debts of the parties. Each party shall be solely responsible to pay the debts incurred by him or her in their own name. From and after the date of this agreement, neither will incur any debt in the name of or against the credit of the other, and neither will do any act or thing to impair the credit of the other. Each will indemnify and hold the other harmless for his or her obligation to pay any debt provided for in this Agreement.
Attorney’s fees:
Attorney’s Fees and Costs. Husband and Wife each agree to pay his or her own separate attorney’s fees incurred in obtaining a divorce on the sole ground of irreconcilable differences.
Where other documents will be necessary to finalize the entire settlement:
Execution of Documents. Husband and Wife each agree to execute and deliver promptly any and all documents, papers, agreements, assignments, titles, bills of sale, contracts, deeds, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDRO’s), and other papers of every kind and nature whatsoever deemed necessary by the other to effect the spirit and intent of this Agreement.
To confirm and ensure that there are no unwritten or side agreements:
Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties, and each acknowledges that there are no other or further agreements not expressly included herein. This Agreement is contractual, and not merely a recital. The parties agree that no part of the consideration for this Agreement is any promise, inducement, representation, or agreement to obtain or maintain any divorce action in any Court. Each party acknowledges that this Agreement is entered into freely and voluntarily, without force, duress or influence by any person.
Release of all claims:
Final Settlement and Release of all Claims. Husband and Wife acknowledge that they have read this Agreement and carefully considered the same, and do further acknowledge that this Agreement permanently and finally resolves all marital and personal disputes between them, including, but not limited to, any and all claims for alimony, personal injury, defamation, invasion of privacy, torts of every kind and nature, and division of property rights between the parties hereto, and they do hereby mutually release each other from all claims that each has against the other, other than as specifically set forth in this Agreement, .
Where the parties want the agreement to be enforceable whether or not approved by the court*:
Approval by Court. The parties agree and stipulate that their Agreement shall be made a part of, and shall be incorporated into the Court’s Judgment of Divorce on the ground of irreconcilable differences. The parties understand and acknowledge that, although this Agreement is subject to approval by a court of competent jurisdiction in order for it to be incorporated into and made a part of any Judgment of Divorce between them, it shall nonetheless be a binding and lawful contract between them, and that its enforceability shall not be affected in any way by its approval or non-approval by any court in connection with any divorce action between them. If either party files any contest to a divorce between them, this Agreement shall nonetheless be enforced in all of its terms.
A useful provision to ensure that there are no open-ended obligations:
Date of the Agreement and Time to Perform. The date of this agreement shall be the date when it has been executed by both parties. If no specific time limit is stated for taking any action prescribed in this agreement, then the parties agree that all such actions will be accomplished in a reasonable time, but not later than thirty (30) days from the date of entry of any judgment of divorce between the parties on the sole ground of irreconcilable differences.
Where one party is not represented:
Representation. Husband is represented by [attorney]. Wife is not represented by an attorney, and she is representing herself, in connection with the execution of this agreement and in connection with any divorce proceeding between the parties. Wife is fully competent to do so, and she is under no legal or other disability. Wife understands that the law firm of [attorney] represents Husband alone, and Wife further acknowledges that she has relied on her own best judgment in connection with the execution of this agreement and in connection with any divorce proceeding between the parties, and that she has neither received, nor expects to receive, any counsel or advice from Husband’s attorney. Wife understands that she is and has been free to consult with any attorney at any time in connection with the execution of this agreement and in connection with any divorce proceeding between the parties. Wife understands that she should not sign this Agreement unless and until she understands all of its provisions in full.
Clarification that tax advice has not been rendered:
Tax Advice. The parties acknowledge and understand that there may be certain tax consequences pertaining to this Agreement, and that each of them should obtain independent tax advice from qualified tax accountants or tax counsel prior to signing. Husband acknowledges that he has not received tax advice from his attorney in connection with this Agreement and a divorce.
Closing the door on a party claiming later that the property should have been appraised:
Fair Division. The parties agree that this Agreement is a fair division of their assets and a fair allocation of debt between them. They acknowledge that the most accurate method of determining values of assets would be to have them appraised, but they agree to save time and money as to values by relying on their own best judgment.
If a former name is to be restored, it is a good idea to include that agreement in the PSA:
Name Change. Wife may, at her sole election, have her name changed to a name of her choosing in any final Judgment of Divorce between the parties.
There is no guarantee that any of these provisions will be effective in any given court. I am offering them as a suggestion for points you might want to cover in your own PSA’s. There are certainly better or other ways to state the same points.
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* “Today we hold that a property settlement agreement executed in contemplation of a divorce based upon irreconcilable differences is unenforceable when one party withdraws from the irreconcilable differences proceeding and seeks a divorce on grounds other than irreconcilable differences. Much confusion may be avoided by inserting appropriate language within the property settlement agreement which specifically addresses this contingency … the contract should specify, with particularity, within its four corners, whether it is to be limited to an irreconcilable differences divorce or whether it is intended to be binding in a divorce granted on any other grounds.” Grier v. Grier, 616 So.2d 337, 341 (Miss. 1993) [Emphasis added]. The unmodifiable (i.e. property settlement) provisions of the PSA may be enforced by the court sans a divorce, but the modifiable (i.e. child support and custody and periodic alimony) issues may not.
WHO OWNS THE FILE?
December 8, 2011 § Leave a comment
In the past few months, on two separate occasions, I have heard a witness say that he or she did not have certain documents because “my previous lawyer has them, and won’t give them to me until I pay my bill.”
When I was in practice I heard the same thing from time to time in various forms.
Now, I have no way to know whether what those statements were true, or whether they were based on a misunderstanding.
But the fact is that it is a long-standing ethical rule in Mississippi that the client has a right of access to the file file in the attorney’s office, regardless whether the client has any unpaid balance of fees or expenses.
Ethics Opinion 144, issued March 11, 1988, includes the following language:
This committee concludes that M.R.P.C. 1.16 modified the prior ethical rules of the Mississippi Bar Association only to the extent that the prior opinions required the unconditional delivery of the file by the lawyer. The current Rule only requires that the lawyer surrender papers and property to which the client is entitled. The Rule recognizes the lawyer’s right to retain papers to the extent permitted by law. Thus, the issue is primarily a legal matter concerning the ownership of the items in the file and the legal enforceability of the attorney’s lien. However, the ethical issue which the lawyer must weigh in the balance with his legal rights is at what point will the enforcement of his legal right breach his ethical duty under 1.16(d) to “take steps to the extent reasonably practicable to protect a client’s interest.” Each case will turn on its own facts, and it is not possible to anticipate each situation. Generally, if retaining the client’s file prevents the client from obtaining another lawyer or from proceeding with his case in a timely manner, then the lawyer may have breached the ethical duty owed to the client.
The ownership of the specific items contained in a file is a matter of law. Informal Opinion ABA No. 790 (Oct. 26, 1964). The client’s file consists of the papers and property delivered by the client or which the client caused to be delivered to the lawyer. DR9-102(b) (4). In addition, the “end product”, or in other words, what the lawyer was hired to do, is usually also considered to belong to the client. Wisconsin Bar Bulletin, June 1970 Supplement (Memo Opinion 4-78). On the other hand, the notes and memorandums are usually considered to belong to the lawyer and be his work product. Missouri Bar Bulletin, May 1978, Informal Opinion (Jan. 6, 1978). Contrary opinions can be found which indicate the client has no absolute right to the files. Maryland Opinions Informal Opinion 76-50 (March 1, 1976). This committee concludes that the better-reasoned opinions generally recognize that to the extent the client has a right to his file, then his file consists of the papers and property delivered by him to the lawyer, the pleadings or other end product developed by the lawyer, the correspondence engaged in by the lawyer for the benefit of the client, and the investigative reports which have been paid for by the client. San Diego Bar Association, 25 Dicta, May 1978 (Opinion 1977-3). However, the lawyer’s work product is generally not considered the property of the client, and the lawyer has no ethical obligation to deliver his work product. [Emphasis added]
That language arises out of professional rules that preceded the current ones, and are no longer in effect. Nontheless, I think the rationale is sound, and the opinion is still on the state bar’s website among the many other ethics opinions.
The kicker in the language above is the phrase ” … which have been paid for by the client” at the end of the italicized language. The problem usually arises when the lawyer wants to keep all those items until they have been “paid for by the client.”
You should read the entire opinion and draw your own conclusions, but I think that a fair reading is that the client is entitled to all documents he or she delivered to you and all end products, and you are entitled to keep all of your own notes, research and paperwork you generated. The client’s entitlement to the file documents should not be based on payment or non-payment, but rather on the prejudice that might result to the former client in the aftermath. For many years before EO 144, the inflexibile rule in Mississippi was that the lawyer had no right to deprive the client of the file due to non-payment.
May you charge the client to copy the file before you let it go? Ethics Opinion 105, issued September 9, 1985, includes this language: “… in the absence of controlling language in any applicable employment agreement, a lawyer discharged by his client in a pending matter may ethically charge his client for the actual cost of duplicating the client’s file but that the lawyer may not ethically condition release of the duplicate file on the prior payment of the copying costs. Because there is no apparent potential for prejudice to the client where the subject of the representation is concluded, the Committee concludes that after the conclusion of a matter the lawyer may charge a client for the actual copying costs for duplicating a file and condition the release of the duplicate file on the prior payment of the copying costs.”
REVISITING TRIAL CHECKLISTS
November 22, 2011 § 2 Comments
Every few months I try to remind lawyers about the importance of putting on proof of the factors spelled out by the appellate courts that are required to make your case. This may also come in handy for any newcomers who haven’t stumbled on prior posts on the subject.
I’ve referred to it as trial by checklist. If you’re not putting on proof of the factors when they apply in your case, you are wasting your and the court’s time, as well as your client’s money, and you are committing malpractice to boot.
Many lawyers have told me that they print out these checklists and use them at trial. I encourage you to copy these checklists and use them in your trial notebooks. And while you’re at it, you’re free to copy any post for your own personal use, but not for commercial use. Lawyers have told me that they are building notebooks tabbed with various subjects and inserting copies of my posts (along with other useful material, I imagine). Good. If it improves practice and makes your (and my) job easier and more effective, I’m all for it.
Here is a list of links to the checklists I’ve posted:
Doing an accounting in a probate matter.
Income tax dependency exemption.
Modification of child support.
Periodic and rehabilitative alimony.
To make it easier to find checklists, I’ve added a category that you can search by using the category search tool on the right side of the page.
Next time the court denies your claim for attorney’s fees or for your client to claim the tax exemption for the children, ask yourself whether you put on the necessary proof. Not only is it crucial to your case at trial to prove all of the applicable factors, but you can’t expect to have a prayer on appeal without the requisite proof in the record.
WHAT PRICE JUSTICE?
October 26, 2011 § 2 Comments
There were lawyers ‘way back in 1960. You youngsters will have to take my word for that. Heck, I will even have to take my word for that, because I was a mere 11 years old at the time.
Those 1960’s lawyers had the ingenious idea that bar-mandated fee schedules would accomplish some good things, such as providing some protection for clients against unconscionable fees, giving lawyers a framework for determining what would be reasonable, and would give the courts a measuring device.
I remember when I was admitted to the Mississippi bar, all of us received a navy binder with ethical rules, useful telephone numbers and mailing addresses, and fee schedules. Later, as a young lawyer in Memphis in 1974, I received my copy of the Memphis and Shelby County bar’s fee schedule.
We lawyers all regarded fee schedules as a benign thing.
Then the US Supreme Court saw a bugbear lurking among that legal finery, and declared fee schedules unacceptable. Legal fees were free to float through the ceiling, and, indeed, the roof; clients be danged. Freed of gravity, legal fees have done what all things do when unfettered by an earthward pull.
Meridian lawyer Dan Self brought me a fascinating document published May 2, 1960, by the Mississippi State Bar. It’s entitled Fee Computation and Law Office Management. It offers a look at how law practice has changed, as well as how it hasn’t changed, in the intervening 51 years. I won’t bore you with the rusty nuts and bolts of law office management, but I am sure you will find some of the fee schedule entertaining. Consider:
- Advice and consultation by telephone or in office … $5.00
- Advice and consultation out of lawyer’s office … $10.00
- Preparation of Articles of Partnership with capital less than $5,000 … $150.00
- Incorporation (obtaining charter, drafting by-laws, conducting first meeting of stockholders and directors and preparing minutes thereof, and reporting organization to the Secretary of State) … $250.00
- Will or codicil for estate with value less than $2,500 … $15.00
- Will or codicil for estate with value greater than $2,500 … $25.00
- Certficate of title for 32-year chain of title … $50
- Complaint for divorce, custody or separate maintenance, uncontested … $100.00
- Complaint for divorce, custody or separate maintenance, contested … $150.00, plus time for trial
- Chancery court trials: Preparation of pleadings … $100; Court appearances per day … $150
I can testify that these fees were aspirational by the time I spent any time in Mississippi court rooms. Around 1981, I tried a three-day trial before then-Chancellor Howard Pigford. Since I prevailed, he awarded my client a “reasonable attorney’s fee” in the princely sum of $150. That was $50 a day for some heavy lifting.
A QUESTION OF ATTORNEY’S FEES ON APPEAL
August 17, 2011 § 5 Comments
Ed McDonald filed for divorce from his wife, Cindy. Cindy counterclaimed for separate maintenance. The ultimate result was that the chancellor denied Ed a divorce and granted Cindy separate maintenance.
Ed did not pay as the court ordered, and he filed a motion to terminate the obligation. Cindy responded with a petition to hold Ed in contempt for non-payment of six months of separate maintenance. The chancellor rejected Ed’s plea to terminate the payments, found him in contempt, awarded Cindy a judgment for the arrearage, and ordered Ed to pay Cindy $1,000 in attorney’s fees based on the finding of contempt. In making the attorney fee award, the trial judge stated:
“The finding of contempt in this matter as to the separate maintenance payments permits the Court to require the party in contempt to pay reasonable attorney’s fees to the innocent party. The award is based on the contempt and not the inability to pay. Therefore, the Court orders [Ed] to pay $1,000 to [Cindy] as attorney’s fees for his failure to pay the monthly separate maintenance as ordered by this Court.”
Ed appealed both from the denial of termination of separate maintenance, and from the adjudication of contempt. In the case of McDonald v. McDonald, decided August 16, 2011, the COA affirmed the chancellor on the refusal to terminate separate maintenance and the adjudication of contempt.
Cindy, then, was the prevailing party in the appeal, and she asked the COA to award her an attorney’s fee for having to defend the appeal. Indeed, there is a long line of cases holding that the appellate court will award the prevailing party an appeal attorney’s fee in an amount equal to one-half that awarded by the trial judge. See, e.g., Quin v. Quin, 215 So.2d 414, 415 (Miss. 1968); Smith v. Smith, 293 So.2d 466, 469 (Miss. 1974); and Poole vs. Poole, 701 So.2d 813, 819 (Miss. 1997).
Based on the chancellor’s ruling on the attorney’s fee, Cindy would reasonably expect the COA to award her an attorney’s fee in the sum of $500 for prevailing in the appeal.
In this case, though, the COA brushed aside Cindy’s request with this language (at ¶17): “The chancellor specifically held that the attorney’s fees awarded to Cindy are based on the fact that Ed was in contempt ‘and not on the inability to pay.’ Because precedent dictates that attorney’s fees are based on ‘necessity and not entitlement,’ and the chancellor did not find that attorney’s fees awarded to Cindy were based on an inability to pay her attorney, we decline to award Cindy any attorney’s fees on appeal.”
The opinion cites Monroe v. Monroe, 745 So.2d 249, 253 (Miss. 1999) at ¶ 17, as authority for its statement that “attorney’s fees are based on necessity rather than entitlement.” Monroe is the only case cited by the court. Monroe was a divorce case in which the MSSC reversed and rendered on a finding that Mrs. Monroe had been denied alimony improperly. It was not a contempt case. The court found that Mrs. Monroe was not entitled to attorney’s fees on appeal because she did not prove inability to pay. I’ve posted here before about the necessity to prove inability to pay to support an award of attorney’s fees in non-contempt actions.
The rule is different in contempt actions, however. A finding of inability to pay is not necessary to an award of attorney’s fees in a contempt action. Bounds v. Bounds, 935 So.2d 407, 411 (Miss. App. 2006). It is not even necessary for the McKee factors to be proven in a contempt case. Mixon v. Mixon, 724 So.2d 956, 964 (Miss. App. 1998). Attorney’s fees are properly assessed against a party found to be in contempt, Mount v. Mount, 624 So.2d 1001, 1005 (Miss. 1993), to compensate the party wronged for having to retain counsel.
In Bounds, the COA spelled out the distinction:
Sam’s argument fails to differentiate awarding attorney’s fees in a divorce action as compared to a contempt action. In Mabus v. Mabus, 910 So.2d 486 (Miss.2005), the court addressed this issue. The trial court held a mother in contempt for failure to return the children to the father’s custody. Like Sam, the mother contended that the attorney’s fees the court awarded to the father for the contempt action were unreasonable because the court did not use the McKee factors. The general rule in divorce and child custody actions is that appropriate attorney’s fees should be awarded in an amount to secure a competent attorney. Id. at 490(13). However, in contempt actions, attorney’s fees are awarded “to make the plaintiff whole.” Id. (citing Rogers v. Rogers, 662 So.2d 1111, 1116 (Miss.1995)). “When a party is held in contempt for violating a valid judgment of the court, then attorney’s fees should be awarded to the party that has been forced to seek the court’s enforcement of its own judgment.” Elliott, 775 So.2d at 1290(25).
It looks to me like the chancellor in McDonald properly assessed attorney’s fees based on the sanction for contempt, as he was permitted to do under the great weight of authority. The chancellor was not required to find inability to pay. Why, then, was the customary appellate fee disallowed under a standard different than that which applied in the trial court? Ed appealed from the contempt finding and Cindy prevailed on the appeal. Should she not have been entitled to the customary one-half attorney fee award to the prevailing party?
I hope this decision does not mean that in contempt actions parties will have to put on proof of inability to pay purely in anticipation of an appeal, since that finding is not necessary for the trial judge to assess a fee on a finding of contempt. It’s irrational to me for one standard to apply at trial and another on appeal.
Cindy is only out $500 in this case, but what if the fees had been $12,500? Something else to think about as you go about making your trial court record in a contempt case.
THE POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW
August 3, 2011 § 8 Comments
You have tried a simply sterling case, and now you are ready to cash in on the pot at the end of the rainbow: an award of attorney’s fees against the opposing party. But the judge says, “no attorney’s fees for you.” Where did you go wrong?
I’ve talked about the best ways to approach attorney’s fees here and here. And fees in an estate matter are covered here and here.
In the case of Evans v. Evans, handed down by the COA on April 26, 2011, you can find a pretty concise statement of the law that you need to know when pursuing a claim for attorney’s fees. The decision is unpublished, and can not be cited itself for authority, but Judge Maxwell did such a good job writing an exposition on the subject that I wanted to bring it to your attention. Here are some excerpts from the opinion, paraphrased and supplemented with a couple of notes of mine:
The matter of awarding attorney’s fees is largely entrusted to the sound discretion of the chancellor. McKee v. McKee, 418 So.2d 764, 767 (Miss. 1982). The appellate courts are reluctant to disturb a chancellor’s discretionary determination whether to award attorney’s fees or the amount of any award. Smith v. Smith, 614 So.2d 394, 398 (Miss. 1993). Except in contempt actions, attorney’s fees may only be awarded to a party who has shown an inability to pay his or her own fees. Voda v. Voda, 731 So.2d 1152, 1157 (Miss. 1999); Pacheco v. Pacheco, 770 So.2d 1007, 1012 (Miss. App. 2000).
When awarding attorney’s fees, chancellors must make specific findings regarding the recipient’s ability to pay. Hankins v. Hankins, 729 So.2d 1283, 1286 (Miss. 1999). And chancellors should apply the McKee factors in determining the proper amount of the award:
(1) A sum sufficient to secure a competent attorney; (2) the skill and standing of the attorney employed; (3) the nature of the case and novelty and difficulty of the questions at issue; (4) the degree of responsibility involved in the management of the cause; (5) the time and labor required; (6) the usual and customary charge in the community; (7) and the preclusion of other employment by the attorney due to the acceptance of the case. McKee, 418 So.2d at 767 (internal citation omitted).
Our supreme court has held that “[a] trial court abuses its discretion by awarding attorney’s fees without first finding that the party is unable to pay the fees.” Hankins, 729 So.2d at 1286.
The chancellor must also consider the paying party’s financial situation. Where neither party is able to pay more than his or her own fees, an award of attorney’s fees is inappropriate. Sarver v. Sarver, 687 So.2d 749, 755 (Miss. 1997), overruled on other grounds by Pearson v. Pearson, 761 So.2d 157 (Miss. 2000); see also Bell, at § 12.01[6] [b] (explaining that the chancellor should consider the parties’ financial disparity).
In addition, an award of attorney’s fees must be supported by sufficient evidence for an accurate assessment of fees. See McKee, 418 So.2d at 767 (reversing and remanding award based on insufficient evidence); Powell v. Powell, 644 So.2d 269, 276 (Miss.1994) (same). An itemized bill is not always required. Estimates may support an award in some circumstances if the estimates clearly explain “the method used in approximating the hours consumed on a case.” McKee, 418 So.2d at 767; see also Watkins v. Watkins, 748 So.2d 808, 813 (Miss. App. 1999). A chancellor’s failure to apply the McKee factors is not necessarily itself reversible error, see Miley v. Daniel, 37 So.3d 84, 87 (Miss. App. 2009), the proof must at least support an accurate assessment of fees under the McKee criteria. Bumgarner v. Bumgarner, 475 So.2d 455, 456 (Miss. 1985).
Attorney’s fees are properly assessed against a party found to be in contempt. Mount v. Mount, 624 So.2d 1001, 1005 (Miss. 1993). A finding of inability to pay is not necessary to an award of attorney’s fees in a contempt action. Bounds v. Bounds, 935 So.2d 407, 411 (Miss. App. 2006).
As for parentage cases, MCA § 93-9-45 provides that the “cost of the legal services of the attorney representing the petitioner … shall be taxed against the defendant.”
If you expect to be successful on a claim for attorney’s fees, you have to prove:
- That your client is entitled to an award. In contempt and parentage cases, the adjuducation of contempt or parentage will do the trick. In all other cases, you will have to show inability of your client to pay;
- Each of the McKee factors;
- Quantification of the fees by showing the time and effort expended;
- That the party you want to pay has the ability to pay.
Too many times I see attorneys put on a mere modicum of proof on the issue of getting paid. That’s a shame. Your client would appreciate it to no end if you found your pot of gold at the end of the other party’s rainbow.
WHEN IT COMES TIME TO BAIL OUT
July 28, 2011 § 5 Comments
Sometimes it happens that you find it necessary to withdraw from representing a client. Maybe an ethical dilemma has reared its head. Or perhaps you and your client have developed irreconcilable differences. Or it could be that your client has not met the terms of the employment contract as to cooperation or payment or in some other way.
Once you have entered an appearance in a case, you are in it until the court lets you out. You may not avoid responsibility simply by not participating further. So when the need arises, how can you make an effective exit?
Uniform Chancery Court Rule (UCCR) 1.08 provides: “When an attorney makes an appearance for any party in an action, the attorney will not be allowed to withdraw as counsel for the party except upon written motion and after reasonable notice to the client and opposing counsel.”
In other words, it’s not good enough to get an agreed order signed by counsel opposite and present it to the judge. Nor is it adequate to get your client to sign off on an order.
Here is what you have to do, step by step:
- File a motion to withdraw. Set out a general statement of your reason without compromising the interest of your client in the litigation.
- File the motion and send a copy of it with certificate of service to opposing counsel and the client.
- Notice the motion for hearing.
- If your client and opposing counsel will sign an agreed order allowing you to withdraw, present it to the court for entry.
- If either your client or opposing counsel, or both, object, hold a hearing and ask the court to rule on your motion.
Several caveats:
- If the case is set for trial, most chancellors will allow you to withdraw only in the most urgent and exigent circumstances.
- No chancellor will allow you to withdraw if to do so will seriously prejudice your client.
- You may not withdraw in any probate matter unless there is an attorney who will substitute for you. UCCR 6.01 requires that the fiduciary retain an attorney, unless the fiduciary is a licensed attorney.
- Be general in stating a reason. Okay: “The undersigned attorney and the plaintiff have differences of opinion about handling this case that can not be resolved.” Not okay: “My client has filed three bar complaints against me and has retained counsel to sue me for malpractice, and I have reason to believe he is concealing assets from the court.”
- Don’t include any language in your order that absolves you of any responsibility for anything you did in the case, or approves everything you did; that’s overreaching. You may state that you are relieved of all further responsibility from and after the date of the order allowing withdrawal.
- Many chancellors will not permit you to withdraw if the only basis is non-payment of fees. Their rationale is that you took on a professional duty to represent the client when you entered an appearance, and that duty is higher than your desire to be paid.
UPDATED CHECKLIST OF CHECKLISTS
May 27, 2011 § 5 Comments
Proving your case by proving certain factors is a fact of legal life in Mississippi. I’ve referred to it as trial by checklist. If you’re not putting on proof of the factors when they apply in your case, you are wasting your and the court’s time, as well as your client’s money, and you are committing malpractice to boot.
Many lawyers have told me that they print out these checklists and use them at trial. I encourage you to copy these checklists and use them in your trial notebooks. And while you’re at it, you’re free to copy any post for your own personal use, but not for commercial use. Lawyers have told me that they are building notebooks tabbed with various subjects and inserting copies of my posts (along with other useful material, I imagine). Good. If it improves practice and makes your (and my) job easier and more effective, I’m all for it.
Here is an updated list of links to the checklists I’ve posted:
Doing an accounting in a probate matter.
Income tax dependency exemption.
Modification of child support.
CHECKLIST FOR DOING AN ACCOUNTING IN A PROBATE MATTER
April 11, 2011 § 16 Comments
_____ State the time period covered by the accounting, starting with the date of the last accounting, or if a first account with the date the estate, guardianship or conservatorsip was opened.
_____ List all assets of the estate as of the ending date of the last accounting. (MCA §91-7-277, §91-7-93, §93-1333, §93-13-67, and §93-113-259 and UCCR 6.03).
______ List the date, source, and amount of each item of income since the last accounting. (MCA §91-7-277, and §93-13-67).
______ Total the income and state a total.
______ List the date, payee, explanation or description, amount, and authority (the date of each authorizing court order) for each disbursement since the ending date of the last accounting. (MCA §91-7-277, 91-7-279, §93-13-67p, and §93-13-71 and UCCR 6.04 and 6.05).
______ Attach all documents supporting all income and disbursements. This is the “voucher” requirement that was previously posted about here. The required documentation includes ALL statements of any accounts or investments showing income or disbursements. This may also include canceled checks and receipts. (See statutes and rules cited above).
______ Total the disbursements and state the totals.
______ List and explain for all non-financial assets that appeared on the previous accounts, but are no longer in the control of the fiduciary.
______ A request for payment for the fiduciary including a bill or itemization to support request. (MCA §91-7-299 and §93-13-67 and UCCR 6.11).
______ A request for attorney fees, including a bill or itemization to support said request. (MCA §91-7-281 and §93-13-79 and UCCR 6.12).
______ Close with a summary calculation of the value of the estate coming into the hands of the fiduciary at the opening of the accounting period, a total of the income, a total of the disbursements, and a total balance in the fiduciary’s control that will be the beginning figure for the next account.
______ Have the fiduciary sign and swear to the accounting. (MCA §91-7-277 and §93-13-37 and UCCR 6.02).
Thanks to Jane Miller, Senior Staff Attorney for the 12th District.
The Better Chancery Practice Blog 