Court Opinion

ID: 9655223
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 19:03:10.317992+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:55:09.319591
License: Public Domain

Concurring opinion by
SARAH B. DUNCAN, Justice.
I concur in the court’s judgment but write separately because I feel compelled to express my shock and outrage at the billing practices exhibited in this case by these ad litems — all of whom are members of the State Bar of Texas and thus subject to the Rule of Professional Conduct 1.04(a), which unequivocally prohibits a lawyer from “charging] ... an unconscionable fee.” Tex. DISCIPLINARY R. PROf’l Conduct 1.04(a), reprinted in Tex. Gov’t Code Ann., tit. 2, subtit. G, app. A (Vernon 1998). How could any lawyer defend billing for more than twenty-four hours in a day ... two to four hours to review a standard one-page deposition notice ... or five hours for sleeping? Billing practices such as these not only demonstrate why the legal profession in general — and ad litems in particular — are under siege but also, I believe, forcefully support my request to the full court to report these attorneys'to the grievance committee.