Dallas' Darrell W. Cook & Associates Wins Fee Fight Against State Bank of Texas
Bank found liable for unpaid legal fees in Dallas state district court trial
DALLAS, March 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- An unwritten rule says lawyers and law firms should never sue their clients even if they refuse to pay their legal bills. But attorney Darrell Cook and his team of debt collection lawyers at Dallas' Darrell W. Cook & Associates are blazing a new path by representing attorneys in Texas and across the nation in disputes over unpaid legal fees.
During the past 10 years, law firms have experienced a staggering 10 percent drop in the amount they collect versus what they bill their clients, according to a 2016 report from Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Cook and fellow firm attorney Melissa J. Parker recently helped the Atlanta-based law firm Hanks Brookes, LLC, prevail in a claim against State Bank of Texas. The case was filed in 2015 after the Dallas-based bank refused to pay Hanks Brookes for nearly $13,000 in work under a contract signed in 2011 by bank president Chan Patel.
Hanks Brookes was hired to help collect court judgments against two people who previously were sued by State Bank of Texas. Hanks Brookes was never paid and sued the bank, which contested the amount owed and asked the court to force Hanks Brookes to pay its legal fees.
Judge Craig Smith of 192nd District Court in Dallas ruled in favor of Hanks Brookes after a one-day trial and awarded the firm the full invoice amount along with $12,000 in attorneys' fees for Mr. Cook and his firm. While the dollar figures are small compared to other debt collection cases that Mr. Cook has handled over two decades, he says this result should help reverse the notion that lawyers and law firms should simply walk away when their clients refuse to pay.
"Like a lot of other debtors, this bank had absolutely no excuse for not paying a valid invoice," Mr. Cook says. "The evidence was as plain as day, but the bank executives apparently thought they could get away with not paying. I am hopeful the court's decision will dissuade others from attempting to stiff their lawyers on legal fees."
In addition to representing law firms in fee fights, Darrell W. Cook & Associates also helps attorneys and business clients recover court judgments in Texas and across the U.S.
"Many lawyers and law firms are great when it comes to winning court judgments, but few know how to collect them. That's where we come in," says Mr. Cook. "We are the splinter you can't get out of your finger. We will not go away until our clients' are paid what they're owed, whether it's an invoice for legal services or a judgment signed by a court."
To learn more about Darrell W. Cook & Associates and the firm's work in debt collection matters and other cases, please visit http://www.texascollections.com/.
For more information, contact Bruce Vincent at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].
SOURCE Darrell W. Cook & Associates
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