Wasted $600 on a retainer fee for a freelance lawyer who ghosted me

I paid a lawyer $600 up front to review a subcontractor agreement last March. He took my money, said he'd have notes in a week, then went silent. After two weeks of emails and voicemails, I finally got a one-sentence reply saying he was "too busy." No refund, no work done, just a lesson learned. I'd rather pay hourly after the fact than ever hand over a retainer again. Has anyone else gotten burned by a retainer fee like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_schmidt7720d agoMost Upvoted

But did you sign anything agreeing to nonrefundable retainer terms?

dylan_ward20d ago

Respectfully, I don't see it that way - even if you signed something, a retainer being completely nonrefundable even if they don't do any work feels off to me. It's like paying for a seat at the table and then finding out the table doesn't exist (if you know what I mean).

the_elizabeth20d ago

Oh man, I totally get why you're frustrated but I've had the opposite experience with retainers. Sometimes you need that upfront commitment to actually get on a busy lawyer's calendar, and $600 is actually pretty reasonable for them to reserve time for you.