Legal Question in Legal Ethics in Massachusetts

Re: fee arbitration

If the attorney is refusing to comply with a fee arbitration award and return client funds, I would call the Board of Bar Overseers/Office of Bar Counsel in the first instance. While the bar discipline authorities lack authority to compel payment as such, an attorney's refusal to return client funds or honor a fee award is a serious violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct. While it would be prudent to institute an action to confirm the arbitration award to convert it to a judgment, a letter from Bar Counsel would be likely to lead to as favorable a result as may be possible much more quickly.