NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam (PCCE)Paralegal PracticeMedium
A paralegal is preparing a client invoice and notices that the supervising attorney has billed 3 hours for 'client strategy meeting' on a day the attorney was known to be on vacation. The paralegal also recalls the client mentioning they had no meetings that week. What is the paralegal's ethical obligation in this situation?
- AAdjust the time entry to reflect 0 hours for that day and proceed with the invoice.
- BProcess the invoice as is, as billing is ultimately the attorney's responsibility.
- CDiscuss the discrepancy privately with the supervising attorney before processing the invoice.
- DReport the discrepancy anonymously to the state bar association's ethics committee.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Discuss the discrepancy privately with the supervising attorney before processing the invoice.
Paralegals have an ethical obligation to ensure accuracy in billing. When a discrepancy is noted, the most appropriate first step is to discuss it directly and privately with the supervising attorney to seek clarification or correction, rather than ignoring it or taking unilateral action.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Making unauthorized changes to an attorney's time entry is inappropriate and could be considered tampering.
- B. Ignoring a known discrepancy is unethical and could lead to fraudulent billing.
- D. Reporting to the bar is premature and should only be considered if internal resolution fails and the issue is severe and uncorrected.
Ethical Billing Practices
The professional and ethical standards governing how legal services are billed to clients, emphasizing accuracy, transparency, and fairness, and prohibiting fraudulent or excessive charges.
- Time entries must be accurate and reflect actual work performed.
- Paralegals have a duty to ensure billing accuracy.
- Fraudulent billing is a serious ethical violation.
Memory trick: Integrity: Check the clock, question discrepancies, ensure fairness.