Almost every fee dispute program in the U.S. is administered by a bar association.  According to the 2008 ABA Fee Arbitration Survey, 36 states have some ADR program that include fee dispute arbitration and/or mediation.  In almost every bar administered fee dispute program, the neutrals are volunteers and/or non-lawyers.  According to the ABA survey, many bar associations place restrictions on their fee dispute program.

NALFA offers a private mediation service specifically designed to resolve attorney-client fee disputes of all types and sizes.  Why choose NALFA’s fee dispute program over a bar-administered program?  Here’s why:

Process:  Our fee dispute program is more flexible and case specific than most bar-administered programs.  We have no strict bar rules or rigid administrative procedures that govern our fee dispute mediation process.  Also, unlike bar-administered fee dispute programs, NALFA has no time restriction on fee dispute resolution.  We will stay with a fee dispute case until it is resolved.

People:  Our fee dispute mediators are better trained than bar-administered programs.  Many of our fee dispute mediators have earned NALFA’s Certificate in Reasonable Attorney Fees.  Our mediators are not volunteers or non-lawyers, they are NALFA members, highly qualified on fee and billing issues and skilled and experienced in dispute resolution.

Results:  Since our program began in 2012, NALFA’s Fee Dispute Mediation Program has achieved a 86% success rate—parties who mediate in a session are resolved six out of every seven times.  This rate is significantly higher than most bar-administered fee dispute programs.

NALFA is dedicated to providing parties a mediation process that offers flexibility, a level playing field, and time and cost savings.  Parties control when and where the mediation will occur, who will serve as the mediator, and whether they will accept a settlement offer.  Unlike most bar-administered programs, NALFA stays with the case as long as necessary to bring it to a resolution.  For more information, call our fee dispute hotline at 312.907.7275.