Spring 2020 Gavel 268650 SBAND Gavel Magazine_web | Page 21

the circumstances that could or already has given rise to the need
for a surcharge and the client agrees to the surcharge in advance.
Further, the circumstances giving rise to the surcharge must
be something beyond the circumstances that ordinarily come
into play in any type of legal matter, and nothing about these
circumstances can be of the lawyers own making. Finally, I have
no idea where to draw the line in terms of saying a 20 percent
surcharge is reasonable, but a 200 percent surcharge isn’t. All I can
say is, there may be a circumstance where 20 percent isn’t and a
different circumstance where 200 percent is reasonable.
Now, one last item. If any of you happen to know a good plumber
who charges a reasonable rate for after-hours work, can you let
me know? I’d sure appreciate it, because the guy who helped me
out that Thanksgiving years ago was a real piece of work. He even
left with a few of my own tools, and I’m not kidding.
Hopefully you get this last takeaway. Client memories can be
long, and they often share their stories, just like I have here, only
they will name names. You really don’t want to be known as that
lawyer who always tries to take his clients to the cleaners. Here’s
a thought. A good business practice might be to always keep the
eight factors of Rule 1.5 in mind whenever you are reviewing and
setting fees for any and all clients. Seems like a no brainer if you
ask me.
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SPRING 2020
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