CARYL ON FEES & ETHICS, the only site of its kind in America to the knowledge of the author, is dedicated to the subject matter of attorney’s fees and ethical aspects of the financial relationships of attorneys and their clients.  The purpose of the site is to raise public awareness of this growing area of interest affecting legal services.  If Bar discipline and the growing body of litigation is any indication, this subject is one about which both lawyers and the general public would be well-advised to learn more.    There is a substantial amount of ignorance on the part of lawyers of ethical niceties of the fee and billing parts of their practices.   This is a subject hardly addressed in legal education and from the author’s experience, is not generally one of great interest to the bar in general. 

           Similarly, most clients have little experience with lawyers, let alone the ethical aspects and bar regulations that govern the charging of fees and lawyer billing practices.  When fee arrangements are discussed at all in the initial interview context, lawyers’ explanations of critical fee matters and choices facing clients before signing fee agreements often leave something to be desired.  As a consequence, both lawyers and clients often muddle through the fee and billing relationship without a clear understanding of the rights and obligations of each part of the fee equation.  Since charging fees is the manner in which private practice lawyers earn a living, these problems are not likely to dissipate with the passage of time.  Hopefully this site will add some knowledge and expand understanding to both the bar and all clients, through sharing information about ethical rules, court decisions and practical problems facing both lawyers and clients in the area of fees and billings, and their solutions.  We welcome you to this website and encourage feedback and constructive criticism.