‘Milking’ a Case
* As an attorney, I was shocked by the comments attributed to J. Michael Hennigan in a recent article. According to the article, Hennigan explained that a bonus provision in an attorney’s hourly fee agreement, such as the one between his firm and Orange County, is actually in the best interests of the client, because without it the attorney might be inclined to prolong the case unnecessarily to drive up the hourly fees.
What Hennigan seems to ignore, however, is that such “milking” of a case is unethical, and to exact a “bonus” from a client in exchange for not doing so smacks of extortion.
KELLY MCCOURT
Laguna Beach
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