It’s like a bad joke except the punchline is me. The bill is mine. And, all for one measly paragraph. No really, just one paragraph.
My partner and I had Lawyer A draft a legal document. It was several pages long and cost $250. In order to really make the document stand on its own in court (should it ever get to that), we needed to both have separate attorneys review the document and okay it. It sounds simple on the face of things. Apparently, according to the bill that we received today, it’s not. It’s $800-not-simple. Reviewer Lawyer added one measly three line paragraph to help clarify a point and proceeded to charge $800 total for that one paragraph.
I feel cheated, taken advantage of and gypped. $250 to draw up the entire document and then $800 to review and clarify one teensy point.
I also feel like I got into the wrong business. Soap doesn’t quite seem as lucrative as being a lawyer. When my lawyer is making more than my Doctor, something is wrong with the system.
Good thing you asked. Having worked for a law firm, I would say it should have taken 1 hour to read the whole document, 1 hour to research anything necessary and write a small paragraph. 2 hours, $250 per hour… ok. But not $800. Glad they changed it for you – gives you more margarita money!
I felt so taken advantage of this weekend over the bill that I actually have asked the lawyer to reduce it for all the reasons outlined in the post. I’ll keep you updated if it works. It never hurts to ask. =)
Ouch!!!!!!