EX-ATTORNEY BILLING ME 3 MTHS AFTER SHE W/DREW FROM CASE

[scolorado]

I live in Colorado. In April 2001, I received a detailed bill from a previous attorney who w/drew from my property settlement case back in January 2001. I hired her in December 1999, gave her the required retainer fee, received another bill the end of May 2000 stating that I owed another $385.00 which I promptly paid, but then I never received another bill for services she performed from June 2000 - January 5, 2001, until the bill showed up in my mailbox mid-April 2001. Yes, she did perform the services I was being billed for and the time period was June 2000 - January 5, 2001, but can she bill me 3 months after she withdrew from the case? The amount owed is over $4,000.00??!!! I don't have that kind of money because I had to hire another attorney to finish the case for me and now I owe him over $4,000.00!!! I don't feel like it is my fault that her staff (consisted of 1 part-time legal secretary and 1 part-time billing clerk) didn't bill me each month from June 2000 - January 5, 2001. What are my legal rights? I have not called her about this bill. My intentions right now are to not pay her since I have this other attorney's bill I have to pay. By the way, my other attorney sent me a detailed bill at the beginning of each month.

 

[loku]

Late bill

It is not good business for the attorney to wait 3 months to bill you, but nevertheless, if she did perform the services billed for and if those services were called for in your contract with her, then you owe her the money. If the delay in billing caused you an inconvenience, you probably have a legal right to pay in a reasonable amount of time.