Retainer Agreement Form

Greenberg & Lieberman only provides custom retainers to client.  If you would like to retain the firm you must receive, sign and comply with the terms of the retainer agreement.  Please give us a call to discuss your matter.

A retainer is the where the client provides us, the attorneys, a monetary deposit.  The money is placed in an attorney's escrow account.  The money is still owned by the client until we, the attorneys do the work, as agreed in the retainer agreement.

In accordance with the DC Bar:

A retainer that is tied directly to provision of legal services, rather than designed solely to ensure availability, constitutes a special retainer which is earned upon provision of the contemplated services rather than upon receipt. A law firm must refund unused portions of such a retainer. Under the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct, a special retainer or fee advance becomes the property of the law firm upon receipt; may be commingled with the law firm’s own funds; and must not be commingled with client funds in a client trust account. Such an arrangement must not prevent an accounting to the client or a refund if required.

Applicable Rules

*
Rule 1.15 (Fee Advances)
*
Rule 1.16 (Client Right to Discharge Counsel)

http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/ethics/legal_ethics/opinions/opinion264.cfm