chapter 5 Flashcards
rules that embody standards of behavior to which members of an organization are expected to conform.
Ethics
(1) penalty or punishment imposed for unacceptable conduct (2) permission or approval
sanction
A state bar association to which an attorney must belong in order to practice law in the state.
integrated bar association
the process by which individuals or institutions list their names on a roster kept by an agency of government or by a nongovernmental organization.
registration
a partnership consisting of attorneys and nonlegal professionals that offers legal and nonlegal services
multidisciplinary practice (MDP)
rules and guidelines covering ethical issues involving paralegals
paralegal code
using the knowledge and skill that are reasonably necessary to represent a particular client
competent
a clinical program in which students work on real cases under attorney supervision.
clinical education
a law stating that civil or criminal actions are barred if not brought within a specified period of time.
statute of limitations
causing delay, usually without merit or justification
dilatory
a bar association list of the lowest fees an attorney can charge for specific kinds of legal service
minimum fee schedule
a fee that is paid only if the case is successfully resolved by litigation or settlement. Also referred to a contingency fees.
contingent fee
a single client bill covering the fees of two or more attorneys who are not in the same firm. also called fee sharing.
fee splitting
a fee received by one attorney from another to whom the first attorney referred a client. also called a referral fee
forwarding fee
a maximum amount or maximum percentage that can be charged as a fee in particular kinds of cases
fee cap
a fee that an attorney can collect for the nonclerical work of his or her paralegal on a client case.
paralegal fee
a case applying a special statute that gives a judge authority to order the losing party to pay the winning partys attorney and paralegal fees.
statutory fee case
grouping multiple tasks under a single time charge rather than describing each task separately and assigning the actual time associated with each task.
block billing
existing or occuring in the same period of time: pertaining to records that are prepared on events as they are occurring or shortly thereafter.
contemporaneous
fraudulently charging a client twice for the same service
double billing
adding something without justification; adding unnecessary material in order to make something larger.
padding
inflating a clients bill by charging for time that was not spent
time padding
inflating a clients bill by charging for tasks that were not needed.
task padding
a minimum number of hours expected from a timekeeper on client matters that can be charged to clients per week, month, year or other time period
billable hours quota