If I Fire My Lawyer, Do I Still Have To Pay Him A Percentage Of The Legal Fee At The End Of The Case?
No! If you fire your lawyer, you have the right to insist that the lawyer provide you with an itemized list showing the legal services performed by the lawyer on your case. When you fire the lawyer, you have the right to determine whether the lawyer is paid according to the total number of hours worked on your case (this is called the “per diem rate”), or a percentage of the legal fee.
In almost every case, the former attorney will insist that his work resulted in the most important contributions to your case and that he is entitled to a large percentage of the total legal fee at the end of your case. You hold all of the cards when you fire your lawyer and you should insist that he provide the itemized list of legal services he performed and that you want to pay the “per diem rate” for those services.