Opinion ID: 689968
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Burden of proof as to reasonableness of attorney's fees

Text: 29 The Krakovers argue that the district court improperly instructed the jury that they (the Krakovers) bore the burden of proof as to the reasonableness of the fee charged by Mazur and Raben. The Krakovers claim that the burden of proof as to reasonableness is on the lawyers, whether the lawyers are plaintiffs or defendants. However, the cases cited by the Krakovers simply do not establish that a defendant attorney bears the burden to prove his fee reasonable in a civil suit by a former client to recover the already-paid fee. Jo B. Gardener, Inc. v. Beanland, 611 S.W.2d 317 (Mo.Ct.App.1980), and Morton v. Forsee, 249 Mo. 409, 155 S.W. 765 (1913) (en banc), were cases in which attorneys, or their representatives, were plaintiffs seeking to recover fees from nonpaying former clients. Thus, these two cases are consistent with the more general proposition that the plaintiff bears the burden to prove all elements of his claim. Anchor Centre Partners v. Mercantile Bank, 803 S.W.2d 23, 30 (Mo.1991) (en banc); see Metts v. Clark Oil & Ref. Co., 618 S.W.2d 698, 704 (Mo.Ct.App.1981). In re Conrad, 340 Mo. 582, 105 S.W.2d 1 (1937) (en banc), is a disciplinary case that simply does not apply. We find no error in the district court's instruction. 4