RPC 106

Fee Refunding

Opinion discusses circumstances under which a refund of a prepaid fee is required.

Editor's Note: This opinion was originally published as RPC 106 (Revised).

Inquiry:

Lawyer A was retained by Clients B and C to represent their son, D, who was charged with two first degree sex offenses. Lawyer A charged and collected a flat fee of $17,500 to represent D through trial in Superior Court on both charges. Several weeks after A was employed, the state elected to take a voluntary dismissal rather than put the child victim on the stand at the probable cause hearing. The grand jury has not yet returned an indictment. B and C evidently regard the matter as concluded and have demanded return of a substantial portion of the fee. Although there was no written fee contract and no specific negotiation between A and B and C regarding whether the fee might under any circumstances be refundable, Lawyer A considers the fee to be nonrefundable.

Must Lawyer A refund any portion of the fee?

Opinion:

It is clear that an attorney may never charge or collect a fee which is clearly excessive. Rule 2.6(a). It is necessary then for Attorney A to consider all of the circumstances associated with the case in retrospect for the purpose of determining whether the fee in question was reasonable. To the extent that the fee charged and collected exceeded a reasonable fee under the circumstances, a refund would be necessary. Rule 2.8(a)(3).