Quote Quoting Casun
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I see that your post is old, so perhaps you figured this out already. It is illegal to have an unrefundable retainer fee. I was told this by the state bar. The lawyer can only keep the amount he billed for specific work completed. It does not matter if you signed the agreement because the agreement has an illegal provision in it.

The California state bar apparently disagrees with you, although on the surface I can understand why you'd say that. It's not that you're flat out wrong - because you're not. But the matter is not black and white.

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