I have engaged an Ontario lawyer on retainer. The case is a slow-moving one, sometimes with no new developments for months at a time. However, the lawyer is professing that he can still bill me **every month** for time spent “diarizing” his file/case status every month (even though the case is slow-moving/dormant for months - there is nothing to "diarize"!) stating that he is “obliged to do so under LSO Rules of Professional Conduct” and that he may charge me for this non-value-add task.
I have reviewed the LSO’s Rules of Professional Conduct and find no mention of such a “compulsory” "monthly diarizing" activity. In fact, the only place on www.LSO.ca that I find reference to such a task is under the “Time Management” guidelines, which state:
“The Guideline is not intended to replace a lawyer's professional judgment or to establish a one-size-fits-all approach to the practice of law.”; &
“ …conduct periodic, usually monthly, reviews of all open client files each month or ***year***,…” [Emphasis Added]
Source: https://lso.ca/lawyers/practice-supp...ime-management
So, it appears that not only does this “compulsory monthly diarization” **not** appear in the Rules of Professional Conduct, when it is mentioned it is in a Guideline (i.e., not "compulsory") and a further reference is made to “…or year”, not month.
The LSO has dodged my inquiries re: this so far.
Any experience or comments you have would be appreciated
I have reviewed the LSO’s Rules of Professional Conduct and find no mention of such a “compulsory” "monthly diarizing" activity. In fact, the only place on www.LSO.ca that I find reference to such a task is under the “Time Management” guidelines, which state:
“The Guideline is not intended to replace a lawyer's professional judgment or to establish a one-size-fits-all approach to the practice of law.”; &
“ …conduct periodic, usually monthly, reviews of all open client files each month or ***year***,…” [Emphasis Added]
Source: https://lso.ca/lawyers/practice-supp...ime-management
So, it appears that not only does this “compulsory monthly diarization” **not** appear in the Rules of Professional Conduct, when it is mentioned it is in a Guideline (i.e., not "compulsory") and a further reference is made to “…or year”, not month.
The LSO has dodged my inquiries re: this so far.
Any experience or comments you have would be appreciated
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