Court Reviews Standing in a Case Involving the Amount of Fees Owed to an Attorney

LESA C. WILLIAMS, ET AL. v. RENARD A. HIRSCH, SR. (Tenn. Ct. App. January 26, 2011)

This application for an interlocutory appeal concerns a client's standing to seek a declaratory judgment regarding the amount of fees to be paid to one of the three attorneys who represented her in a personal injury suit. The trial court dismissed the client's complaint for lack of standing but granted the client permission to appeal pursuant to Tenn. R. App. P. 9. We concur with the trial court that an interlocutory appeal will prevent needless, expensive and protracted litigation. We also conclude that the client has a real interest in the litigation, and we thus reverse the trial court's order dismissing the client's complaint.

Opinion available at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2011/williamsl_012611.pdf

Court reviews sufficiency of trial court's award in a case involving a partnership

JOSEPH M. HASKINS, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS THE EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF DREW E. HASKINS, JR., DECEASED v. DREW E. HASKINS, III (Tenn. Ct. App. May 13, 2010)

This case is on appeal for the second time after remand for determination of the defendant's request for attorney's fees, costs, and expenses. The defendant challenges the sufficiency of the trial court's award. After reviewing the record, we reverse in part and affirm in part the trial court's judgment.

Opinion may be found at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2010/haskinsj_051310.pdf