The clash began after Spring refused to pay a $287 electrician’s bill that his landlord forwarded him for the repair of a burnt-out socket in his unit. Shortly after, the landlord notified Spring that his rent would increase by $100 per month.
The jury awarded Spring $16,000 — an amount that Oregon law doubles to $32,000 because of the nature of the violation. On top of that, Spring’s attorneys also are entitled to ask a judge to order the landlord to pay all of Spring’s legal fees, an amount that currently stands at $225,000.
$225,000 to take a landlord to court. Lawyers suck.
This could have been completely avoided if landlords didn’t suck way more.
Its very expensive to become an attorney from all the initial education (aka, repaying student loans). Add on to that the malpractice insurance, the licensing fees (fee for test + new license + maintain license), the continuing education costs, fees related to document discovery (ever try going through 200k documents by yourself?), the researching fees (lexis/west law/bloomberg), the filing fees to submit filings to the court/regulating body, the fees to access the docketing portals, and the costs related to hiring employees to help (the secretary, the paralegal, the receptionist, etc), and the regular office supplies (paper, electricity, rent, binders, etc.), then it starts to make sense why attorneys fees add up.
Oh please fuck off. This is a locked and overpaid profession.
You don’t think there could be a million people with the same argument about whatever your vocation is?
Oh, so just a select group of wealth has the birth right to do all that’s necessary to take the bar exam and become an attorney? Theres no such thing as the professional responsibility to provide legal aid to the indigent? The 6th Amendment doesn’t guaruntee counsel, even to those who cannot afford it? There’s no such thing as the Miranda warning specifically giving counsel to the indigent?
I’m guessing the lawyer set the fee that high just to fuck with the landlord who will have to pay it, and they probably will settle with him on a lower amount rather than going through the hassle of trying to collect that fee.