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March 17, 2023

Pennsylvania Attorney Suspended for Confusing Fee Arrangement

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently suspended an attorney for taking advantage of a client’s confusion over the fee arrangement. According to the court’s Order, the attorney’s ambiguous fee arrangement and subsequent attempts to renegotiate the fee arrangement confused his client and adversely influenced his client’s decision to accept a settlement offer. Throughout the settlement negotiation, the attorney changed his fee totals and took advantage of his client’s confusion for his own financial benefit. The court found that the attorney violated Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2(a) (Scope of Representation); 1.4(b) (Communication); 1.5(a) (Fees); 1.6 (Confidentiality); 1.7(a)(2) (Conflict of Interest); 3.1 (Meritorious Claims and Contentions); and 8.4 (Misconduct), and suspended the attorney for one year.

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