Two Tennessee Attorneys Indicted for Extortion
Attorneys, like other professionals who provide services, are permitted to use reasonable methods to attempt to collect payments from their clients. Reasonable methods of collecting payments from clients usually include verbal or written correspondence from the attorney asking the client to contact them to make arrangements to pay their bill. Sometimes, mediation, arbitration, and in extreme cases even litigation are used by attorneys to try to get their clients to pay their legal bills. Those, too, are reasonable methods for attempting to collect payments.
Recently, two Middle Tennessee attorneys allegedly used extortion to attempt to collect on a former client’s unpaid legal bills. The former client had initially agreed to pay the attorneys a set fee to handle the reading of her father’s will. The attorneys supposedly demanded more money from the former client than had initially been agreed to, to the tune of fifty thousand dollars in excess of the fee that had been agreed to. When the former client refused to agree to pay the additional fifty thousand dollars that the attorneys were demanding of her, the attorneys obtained an arrest warrant against her by alleging theft.
The attorneys, Fletcher Long and Carrie Gasaway, both had their attorneys enter not guilty pleas for them at their arraignments. Both Gasaway and Long appear to be confident that they will prevail against the charges of extortion which has been brought against them. The charges were brought after a two-year-long state investigation into the matter.
Not all legal malpractice rises to the level of criminal conduct, but clients whose attorneys are committing malpractice may get a sense that something is amiss, even before they can figure out exactly what is going on. If something about the way that your case is being handled does not sit right with you, do not hesitate to ask your attorney about it.
In asking questions, you can learn two things. You can often get information which will answer your question or dispel your concern, and you will also learn whether your suspicion that something is amiss is likely to be confirmed. Your attorney’s attitude in responding to your concerns is a major clue about whether something improper is going on with your case. Part of an attorney’s job is to help their clients understand what is going on with their case, including their legal fees, so client questions are par for the course. If your attorney’s response to your question or concern is polite, professional, and helpful, there is a good chance that everything is okay. If, on the other hand, you get an angry or unprofessional response or even no response at all, it may be a sign that something improper is going on.
Your case is an important legal matter, and you may be harmed if your attorney fails to handle it properly. Do not hesitate to get help as soon as you suspect that your attorney has committed legal malpractice. The experienced Tennessee Legal Malpractice Attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC would like to learn more about your case so that we can help you. We will answer all of your questions, explain your options, and help you decide how to proceed. To learn more, call us at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case. At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
Read more about Thomas R. Greer