My father passed away in November (2011) and I was named executor of the estate. He did not leave a will, and my parents were divorced. I have worked with my lawyer since January, and feel I have done most of the work myself. He simply filed for the surrogate''s court letter of petition for me, and that is it. I asked for a list of his rates and fees almost a month ago, and got no reply. Two weeks ago I was told it just had to typed up and sent, but nothing has come. I called back and his receptionist had no answer as to why she hadn''t sent it out yet. At this point I am highly considering firing him and doing what I can on my own, then hiring another lawyer to finish up. This is ridiculous. Is he legally obligated to give me his rates? Should I fire him?
He is legally obligated to give you a retainer agreement with his fees. Failure to do so is a breach of ethics. Sounds like you should have someone else. I charge $250/hr. for this work, and it sounds like your matter is relatively simple.
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