Are we responsible for attorney fees if we were the client but never signed anything saying that we would pay?
car guy asked:
Someone else signed the retainer fee agreement and paid for the fee initially. We NEVER signed ANYTHING that had to do with us hiring them on, or us being responsible for anything monitarily. Can they take legal action on monies owed? Or would the person who signed the retainer fee be responsible? By the way, we feel that the person who signed the contract should have to pay because of some extenuating circumstances.
Website content
Someone else signed the retainer fee agreement and paid for the fee initially. We NEVER signed ANYTHING that had to do with us hiring them on, or us being responsible for anything monitarily. Can they take legal action on monies owed? Or would the person who signed the retainer fee be responsible? By the way, we feel that the person who signed the contract should have to pay because of some extenuating circumstances.
Website content
If you “were the client” and recieved legal counsel or services, ethically, you should contribute something. Don’t know your extenuating circumstances but it sounds like you’ve derived a benefit.
how can “someone else” sign the agreement and pay the retainer?
did you cooperate in the actions the attorney(s) took? were you present in the courtroom? did you know in advance that they would be there acting as if they represented you?
if you were there and/or cooperated, you have, in essence, ratified the selection of them as your attorneys and you do owe them a reasonable and customary fee. Whether that is the amount in the agreement or that they’re asking for may be a different legal question.
if you knew ahead of time and took no action to inform the court that they weren’t authorized, you may still have ratified the selection of them as your attorneys.
And if the court consolidated multiple cases into one class action, then you’re bound by the fee structure the court approved.