Opinion ID: 1789601
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whalley matter

Text: The Florida Bar alleged that Carlon violated rule 4-1.5(a) by charging a clearly excessive fee in his representation of Bruce Whalley and Richard Whalley (the Whalleys) in connection with the administration of the estate of their mother, Stella A. Whalley, who died intestate on May 9, 1998. The appointed referee [4] found Carlon guilty of violating rule 4-1.5(a) and recommended that Carlon be: (1) suspended for ninety-one days; (2) ordered to pay restitution to the Whalleys within thirty days of the date of this Court's order in the amount of $6580 plus interest from November 30, 1998 (the date of Carlon's final invoice); and (3) ordered to pay the Bar's costs in the amount of $1,155.25. The record indicates that the Whalleys were referred to Carlon by a mutual friend of Carlon and the Whalleys. There was no previous relationship between Carlon and Bruce, Richard, or Stella Whalley. The estate consisted of a residence valued at $106,000, two bank accounts valued at approximately $8000, and miscellaneous personal property valued at $500. The estate had no creditors, and no claims were filed against the estate. The Whalleys were the sole beneficiaries and distributees of the estate. The Whalleys agreed that Bruce would petition to be appointed personal representative. Carlon advised that there were two ways he could charge: either hourly or by a flat fee. The Whalleys requested that Carlon charge whichever way would be least expensive. The Whalleys and Carlon signed a written fee agreement on May 16, 1998, in which the Whalleys agreed to pay Carlon $200 per hour. Carlon charged and received $11,080 in fees for his representation of Bruce Whalley as personal representative. The amount included $120 which Carlon agrees was an overcharge due to a mathematical error on Carlon's part. Carlon was entitled to an approximate fee of $3435 under section 733.6171, Florida Statutes (2000). The referee found that the administration of this estate was simple and presented no novel, complex, or difficult questions. The only unusual issue presented was a wild mortgage on the real property, which the purchaser's attorney resolved. The referee further found that there was no likelihood that Carlon's representation of the Whalleys would preclude other representation. The Whalleys made no special time demand. The estate was closed in ordinary fashion on waivers, without an accounting. The referee found, consistent with the testimony of the Bar's expert, a board-certified wills, trusts, and estates attorney, that $3500 would have been a reasonable fee in this case, that $4500 would be excessive, and that any fee in excess of $6000 would be clearly excessive. The referee also found that Carlon charged for unnecessary research, unnecessary travel, secretarial functions, and other inappropriate activities, all at the $200 contract rate. Based upon these findings, the referee found that Carlon violated rule 4-1.5(a). In developing her recommended sanctions, the referee found no mitigating factors. In aggravation, the referee found that Carlon had a selfish motive in charging a clearly excessive fee, that his client suffered actual harm, and that Carlon refused to acknowledge the wrongful nature of his conduct. The referee considered Carlon's prior disciplinary history, which was identical to that considered by the referee in the Woodburn matter. Carlon raises four issues for our consideration in the Woodburn matter. [5] He likewise raises four issues in the Whalley matter. [6]