Is it normal accepted procedure for my attorney to email and bill me unsolicited for question to paralegal?

[redman24]

What is the name of your state? What is the name of your state? TN
I called my lawyer's office to ask a simple legal question (about ending child support) to my attorney's assistant/paralegal. I was told (misinformed?) by a friend that if I ask a question to the paralegal rather than attorney, it often is answered for free (or at least at a lower paralegal rate). The paralegal said she (not my attorney) would get back to me then I received an email from my attorney answering the question, and subsequently a bill for the attorney's time (.2 hr). We did have an open case with paperwork that I signed but my financial situation had drastically changed and I did not ask her to have my attorney directly contact me and bill me, otherwise if I'd known, I would've just found the answer to my question elsewhere.

I'm just wondering, is that reasonable for your attorney to email and bill you when you asked paralegal to respond and did not ask for that attorney to contact directly, intending to get a quick general answer from the paralegal/assistant?

 

[Ohiogal]

What is the name of your state? What is the name of your state? TN
I called my lawyer's office to ask a simple legal question (about ending child support) to my attorney's assistant/paralegal. I was told (misinformed?) by a friend that if I ask a question to the paralegal rather than attorney, it often is answered for free (or at least at a lower paralegal rate). The paralegal said she (not my attorney) would get back to me then I received an email from my attorney answering the question, and subsequently a bill for the attorney's time (.2 hr). We did have an open case with paperwork that I signed but my financial situation had drastically changed and I did not ask her to have my attorney directly contact me and bill me, otherwise if I'd known, I would've just found the answer to my question elsewhere.

I'm just wondering, is that reasonable for your attorney to email and bill you when you asked paralegal to respond and did not ask for that attorney to contact directly, intending to get a quick general answer from the paralegal/assistant?

A paralegal cannot give legal advice or answer legal questions. Your attorney did the appropriate thing. You owe the attorney for his/her time.

 

[adjusterjack]

ubsequently a bill for the attorney's time (.2 hr).

I agree that it was up to the attorney to answer the question.

But two hours might be stretching it.

And if you call him up and ask him to justify the charge, he'll bill you for calling him.

When his services are no longer required, I suggest you scrutinize all of your itemized billings and consider filing a fee dispute.

I once paid a retainer of $1500. When he was done, he billed me for another $1500. I found so many bogus charges that I wrote him a letter detailing every one. Never heard from him again.

Attorneys often succeed or fail based on billable hours. There are 168 hours in a week and attorneys may have to bill 200 to 300 hours to keep their bosses happy.

 

[Just Blue]

I agree that it was up to the attorney to answer the question.

But two hours might be stretching it.

And if you call him up and ask him to justify the charge, he'll bill you for calling him.

When his services are no longer required, I suggest you scrutinize all of your itemized billings and consider filing a fee dispute.

I once paid a retainer of $1500. When he was done, he billed me for another $1500. I found so many bogus charges that I wrote him a letter detailing every one. Never heard from him again.

Attorneys often succeed or fail based on billable hours. There are 168 hours in a week and attorneys may have to bill 200 to 300 hours to keep their bosses happy.

The OP stated it was .2 hr. (12/13 minutes).

 

[quincy]

Here is a link to Rule 1.5 of the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct on FEES:

https://casetext.com/rule/tennessee-court-rules/tennessee-rules-of-the-supreme-court/rule-8-rules-of-professional-conduct/chapter-1-the-client-lawyer-relationship/rule-15-fees

The paralegal did exactly what she needed to do, which is forward your legal question to the attorney for a response. And the attorney was right to bill for his time.

 

[adjusterjack]

The OP stated it was .2 hr. (12/13 minutes).

Oops.

 

[Just Blue]

Oops.

The dot was kinda hard to see.

 

[adjusterjack]

The dot was kinda hard to see.

My floatie covered it.

 

[quincy]

redman24’s contract with his attorney should spell out how fractions of hours are to be billed. Some attorneys, for example, charge by the half hour (anything less than 30 minutes is charged as 30 minutes).

 

[Taxing Matters]

What is the name of your state? What is the name of your state? TN
I was told (misinformed?) by a friend that if I ask a question to the paralegal rather than attorney, it often is answered for free (or at least at a lower paralegal rate).

Your friend may have related to you what he or she experienced with an attorney he/she dealt with. But each attorney/law firm does things differently, so what your friend experienced really doesn't tell you much about what the deal is with your attorney. The first place to start to determine the answer to your question is your fee agreement with the lawyer. It should spell out what you get charged for and what the rate is. If the agreement has a lower rate for the work done by the paralegal and the paralegal didn't tell you she was going to consult the attorney for the answer then I think you have a reasonable request to pay only the paralegal rate for the answer you received as you were lead to believe the paralegal was going to handle it.

 

[quincy]

“Friends” are rarely the best sources of information for answers to your legal questions.

 

[Taxing Matters]

“Friends” are rarely the best sources of information for answers to your legal questions.

But made one heck of a TV show.

 

[quincy]

But made one heck of a TV show.

A popular one, at any rate.

 

[zddoodah]

I was told (misinformed?) by a friend that if I ask a question to the paralegal rather than attorney, it often is answered for free (or at least at a lower paralegal rate).

So...your friend -- who may or may not have the slightest clue about the practices of any particular attorney, much less the general practices of all attorneys -- told you a certain thing is often (which, by definition, means not always) done. Ok....

I'm just wondering, is that reasonable for your attorney to email and bill you when you asked paralegal to respond and did not ask for that attorney to contact directly, intending to get a quick general answer from the paralegal/assistant?

What you described is completely reasonable. A paralegal does not have a license to practice law. It's possible that the paralegal didn't know the answer and had to ask the lawyer. Consider yourself fortunate that you didn't get charged for both the lawyer's and the paralegal's time. If you want this sort of thing handled differently, let the lawyer and paralegal know.

 

[quincy]

Perhaps redman24’s best hope of getting a reduction in the fee charged is to ask that the paralegal’s rate be charged rather than the attorney’s rate. Any communication with the attorney to dispute a charge is not (or should not be) a chargeable communication.