We represent lawyers in collecting fees.

An unwritten rule says lawyers should never sue their clients, even if they refuse to pay their legal bills. But at the firm we've been blazing a new path by representing attorneys in Texas and across the nation in disputes over unpaid legal fees.

During the past 10 years, law firms have experienced a staggering 10 percent drop in the amount they collect versus what they bill their clients, according to a 2016 report from Georgetown University Law Center.

Darrell W. Cook and Melissa J. Parker recently helped the Atlanta-based law firm Hanks Brookes, LLC, prevail in a claim against State Bank of Texas. The case was filed after the Dallas-based bank refused to pay Hanks Brookes for nearly $13,000 in work under a contract signed by bank president Chan Patel.

Hanks Brookes was hired to help collect court judgments against two people who previously were sued by State Bank of Texas. Hanks Brookes was never paid and hired the firm to sue the bank, which contested the amount owed and asked the court to force Hanks Brookes to pay its legal fees.

Judge Craig Smith of 192nd District Court in Dallas ruled in favor of Hanks Brookes after a one-day trial and awarded the firm the full invoice amount along with $12,000 in attorneys' fees for the firm. While the dollar figures are small compared to other debt collection cases the firm has handled over two decades, this result should help reverse the notion that lawyers and law firms should simply walk away when their clients refuse to pay.

In addition to representing law firms in fee fights, Cook Keith & Davis helps attorneys and business clients recover judgments in Texas and across the U.S.

Many lawyers and law firms are great when it comes to winning court judgments, but few know how to collect them. We are the splinter you can't get out of your finger. We will not go away until our clients' are paid what they're owed, whether it's an invoice for legal services or a judgment.

Share this page:

Blogs

Your Legal Question

Please use the form below to ask any question. We will attempt to answer as quickly as possible.

Fill out my online form.