Fee collection and IOLTA: ISBA Practice Resource Center

Articles

  • Don’t Be Afraid to Be Paid
    By Helen Gunnarsson, Illinois Bar Journal, November 2008
    You do good work, after all. But are you sending clients the message you don't really care when - or if - they pay you? Wouldn't you like to create a bill-paying culture among your clientele?
  • From Here to Retainer Fees
    By Helen Gunnarsson, Illinois Bar Journal, December 2007
    In the wake of the Illinois Supreme Court’s seminal Dowling case, legal ethicists opine about which type of retainer to use when, how to craft retainer agreements to define and clarify the scope of your engagement, why it’s important to collect fees up front, and more.
  • The Illinois Supreme Court OKs advance payment retainers
    LawPulse, Illinois Bar Journal, June 2007
  • Engagement Letters, Fees and the Dowling Case
    By David A. Berek and Fred R. McMorris, Illinois Bar Journal, Estate Planning column, May 2008
  • Billing Gallantly
    By Karen J. Dilibert, Illinois Bar Journal, December 2006
    Don’t pad your bill – that’s stating the obvious, right?  So why must we keep stating it?
  • Taking an Equity Interest in a Client; Is it Worth the Risk?
    By Anne E. Thar, Illinois Bar Journal, February 2001
  • Pure Heart, Commingled Funds
    By Karen J. Dilibert, Illinois Bar Journal, April 2005 Commingling your money with your clients' is strictly verboten, even if you never withdraw a penny that isn't yours.
  • More Bread, Fewer Claims
    By Karen J. Dilibert, Illinois Bar Journal, June 2002
    Want to increase your chances of collecting fees while sending clients away happy; or at least not fighting mad?
  • Weathering the Storm
    By Karen J. Dilibert, Illinois Bar Journal, February 2009
    (See sections on billing protocol, suing for fees.)

ISBA Advisory Opinions on Professional Conduct

  • 94-06 Interest charged to client
  • 93-17, 88-15 Payment from client trust account
  • 92-13 Suit to collect
  • 92-09 Securing loan for client
  • 88-04 Deduction of fee from settlement
  • 87-10 Charging interest on delinquent accounts
  • 86-8 Collection of delinquent accounts/using letterhead
  • 722 Non-refundable fees for legal services

Other Resources

Have a suggestion for a practice resource? Please email Mark Mathewson.

These resources are presented as educational resources for for ISBA members. They should not be relied upon as a substitute for individual legal research, and the ISBA does not warrant the accuracy of the information that appears in them.