QUESTION
Can A Divorce Lawyer Accept Art as Payment and Not Document it?
Asked on Aug 25th, 2013 on Divorce - New York
More details to this question:
My wife's divorce lawyer is not taking a fee, but I believe she is accepting art in trade instead of collecting a retainer fee. Should this be documented in her retainer agreement? Also, she probably is a client and purchased art from my wife in the past. Is this a conflict of interest or unethical because the art listed as marital assets might be given as payment? Thanks in advance!
1 ANSWER
The retainer agreement should accurately describe the fee arrangement. That having been said there is nothing improper about taking art or any other marital asset as a fee: that's what cash would be.
UPDATE: You can not "contact the judge." If you don't understand appropriate procedure you should consult a local attorney.
And, as noted above, marital assets are almost invariably used to pay legal fees. There's nothing inappropriate about it.
Answered on Aug 25th, 2013 at 4:36 PM