In a legal saga filled with twists and turns, a Colorado employment attorney, Kelli Riley, the proprietor of Riley Law LLC, faced public sanction following allegations of attempting to charge a former client with excessive fees. This perplexing case unfolded as the state’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel dug deep to uncover the shocking details.
Colorado Excessive Client Fees : The Client-Attorney Agreement
The controversy centers on an agreement formed in 2020 when the client sought Riley’s legal counsel to pursue an employment law case. Under a contingency fee arrangement, Riley was slated to receive 35% of the litigation proceeds, contingent on the case’s outcome. The agreement had a clause that obligated the client to cover Riley’s fees and expenses if the case were prematurely terminated.
Remarkably, these fees were strictly capped at what Riley would have earned under the contingency arrangement. Strikingly, the agreement contained no provisions for late fees or interest, making it a clear and unambiguous contract.
A Startling Twist of Events
However, the plot thickens. Several months before the case was set for mediation, Riley shockingly withdrew from the case, surprising her client. What followed left the client in a state of perplexity. Riley presented her client with an astounding invoice of $28,747, the entire amount billed during the course of their collaboration.
