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Edward S. Cheng quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly on attorneys’ fees ruling

March 13, 2017

Edward S. Cheng, partner in the firm’s Litigation Department and co-chair of the Professional Liability Group, was quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly on attorneys’ fees and “professional courtesy credits.” The article, “When suing for fees, firm can’t rescind client ‘credits’,” discussed the Appeals Court decision in BourgeoisWhite, LLP v. Sterling Lion, LLC, et al.

From the article:

Boston professional liability attorney Edward S. Cheng said he saw nothing controversial in the Appeals Court’s ruling.

“The client owed certain amounts of money to [the firm], and [the firm] said we’re going to waive certain amounts,” Cheng said. “That’s just straight contract law.”

Cheng said he has seen cases in which an attorney offers the client a discount contingent on the client paying the remainder of a bill, but the plaintiff did not do that here.

“The court takes [BourgeoisWhite] further to task by saying you’re in a fiduciary relationship and must treat your clients fairly,” Cheng said.

Read the full article from Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly here.