Divorce Lawyer Billing Errors

Selecting a VA divorce lawyer is a difficult task in and of itself and there is no need for additional complications. However, from time to time an attorney or the lawyer’s paralegal can might a bona fide error when billing for the services rendered. Thus it is highly suggested to review the bills from lawyers rather than simply paying them. Please keep in mind that oftentimes overbilling this is simply a mistake as lawyers are quite busy and do not always communicate properly with the individual preparing the bill. Thus, just as with a grocery receipt, it is smart to check the charges on statements from your attorney.

A few common errors I heard of include, double billing where the same line item is billed for twice on one statement or billed again on another statement. Another common error is to bill for services that are typically utilized but are not part of your particular divorce. A name change is an example of a commonly utilized part of the divorce process. Thus individual not changing their last name will want to ensure they are not provided with a generic bill that includes this cost. The most important item to keep in mind is that communication with your Virginia divorce lawyer is crucial throughout the process. If there is a mistake, simply let them know. Do not make the false assumption that the attorney did such on purpose. Lawyers are human as everyone else.

That said there are occasions where law firms and/or their lawyers might knowingly overbill and even rarer refuse to correct the issue. While I do not know about other states, it is my understanding that in Virginia the State Bar Association has a fairly informal dispute resolution process to assist consumers in cases of genuine billing disputes that the lawyer refuses to rectify. I caution readers to utilize this is a last result, not only is it time consuming, but most billing mistakes are exactly that, and attorneys will promptly correct any discrepancies. If you ever dealt with such an issue the Virginia Divorce Lawyer website encourages visitors to post their experiences, excluding attorney names, so that others can perhaps learn from the situation.

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