Lawyer failed to bill in over a year

[GrandmaOH]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? OH

The contract with our lawyer said we would be billed monthly and get an itemized statement for work and time involved. We paid a retainer(2,500), then a couple months later got a bill(1,500), then nothing more. More than a year after the second bill, and a month after we were done with her services, we got a bill for $4,000. There are items listed, but since the items go back a year I don't know how accurate they are. Also, she was supposed to file motions, and we were charged for them but we never got a copy from the court to verify anything was filed.

Is this ethical to not bill for a year and then expect immediate payment in full?

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? OH

The contract with our lawyer said we would be billed monthly and get an itemized statement for work and time involved. We paid a retainer(2,500), then a couple months later got a bill(1,500), then nothing more. More than a year after the second bill, and a month after we were done with her services, we got a bill for $4,000. There are items listed, but since the items go back a year I don't know how accurate they are. Also, she was supposed to file motions, and we were charged for them but we never got a copy from the court to verify anything was filed.

Is this ethical to not bill for a year and then expect immediate payment in full?

It is not unethical but it is not good practice. An attorney should keep a client informed with regular, generally monthly billings.

When you did not receive a monthly bill, why didn't you call the attorney?

Here is a link to the Ohio Bar Association's Rules of Professional Conduct: https://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/oh/code/OH_CODE.HTM