Unearned Portion of a Minimum Fee Must Be Returned to the Client
Adopted: January 20, 2006
Opinion rules that a minimum fee that will be billed against at an hourly rate and is collected at the beginning of representation belongs to the client and must be deposited into the trust account until earned and, upon termination of representation, the unearned portion of the fee must be returned to the client.
Inquiry #1:
Law Firm is made up of five partners and one associate. Partnership expenses, debts, and profits are divided equally among all partners irrespective of gross receipts and are paid weekly.
Partner C, who practiced family law litigation, typically used a fee contract referred to by the firm as a "minimum fee" contract. The contract provides that the initial fee charged to the clients is the greater of (1) the flat fee established in the contract, or (2) an hourly rate applied to actual time that will be spent in representation of the client. A minimum fee paid by the client was deposited into the firm's general account. The contract, however, did not state that the fee was deemed earned and payable to the attorney upon receipt.
Partner C left Law Firm and opened his own practice. Most of his clients chose to follow C for continued representation. These clients paid the minimum fee, according to the terms of the fee contract, to Law Firm prior to C's departure. Shortly after C's departure, C sent a letter to Law Firm requesting a transfer of his clients' remaining funds to C. The remaining funds are the difference between the fees collected at the beginning of each representation and the value of the hourly services performed by C for each client prior to leaving Law Firm.
Law Firm refused to comply with C's request reasoning that the fees were deposited into the firm's operating account and used to pay ongoing expenses, including partnership draws, of which C received his share. At C's direction, the clients then began to contact Law Firm demanding a refund of their remaining funds so that the money could be paid to C for continued representation. If the remaining funds are not returned, C's clients may be precluded from having C continue to represent them.
Are the lawyers remaining with Law Firm required to refund any funds to C's clients?
Opinion #1:
Yes. Law Firm incorrectly deposited the "minimum fees" into the firm's operating account. In order for a payment made to an attorney to be earned immediately, the attorney must clearly inform the client that it is earned immediately, and the client must agree to this arrangement. See RPC 158. Even with the consent of the client, only true retainers and flat fees are deemed earned by the lawyer immediately and therefore can be deposited into the operating account upon receipt. A minimum fee that will be billed against at the lawyer's hourly rate is client money and belongs in the trust account until earned. See Rule 1.15-2 (b). In the present case, at some point during the representation, Law Firm would calculate the number of hours C spent on the case and determine whether the client owed more money. The fee arrangement was therefore neither a true retainer nor a flat fee. Furthermore, Law Firm's fee contract did not make an allowance for the fee to be deposited into the firm's operating account. Therefore, those portions of the minimum fees that were not earned by C's labor while with Law Firm remain client funds and must be returned to the clients. See Rule 1.16(d). If Law Firm does not return the unearned portions of the funds to C's clients, they will have collected an excessive fee in violation of Rule 1.5(a).
Inquiry #2:
Will the answer be different if by subsequent agreement the client consents to the deposit of the minimum fee into Law Firm's operating account?
Opinion #2:
No. A client has the right to terminate the representation at any time with or without cause. See 97 Formal Ethics Opinion 4. When the client-lawyer relationship ends, if the fee is clearly excessive in light of the services actually rendered, the portion of the fee that makes the total payment clearly excessive must be returned to the client. See 2000 Formal Ethics Opinion 5. See also opinion #1.
Inquiry #3:
What duties are owed by Law Firm and/or C to former clients of Law Firm for whom legal work is ongoing, with respect to (a) an accounting for fees previously paid to Law Firm pursuant to the fee contract, (b) a request for refund of fees, and (c) providing future legal services in accordance with the fee contract?
Opinion #3:
(a) Law Firm and C are responsible for providing an accounting of the fees to the client, upon request or at the end of the representation. See Rule 1.15-3 (d).
(b) All of the lawyers in Law Firm, whether in its current incarnation or at the time the fees were collected, are responsible for refunding any unearned portions of the fees. See opinion #1.
(c) Once a fee agreement is reached between attorney and client, the attorney has an ethical obligation to fulfill the contract and represent the client's best interest, subject to the right or duty to withdraw under Rule 1.16. See Rule 1.5, comment 5.
Inquiry #4:
Is it ethical for C to instruct former clients of Law Firm, who are represented by C, to seek a refund of fees so that they can pay for their continued representation by C?
Opinion #4:
Yes. See opinion #1.