Petrulis v. Wilks

Opinion

MALLANO, J.

Under the Probate Code, an attorney for the administrator of an estate may be paid for extraordinary services under a “contingency fee” agreement if the trial court approves the agreement after a noticed hearing. (Prob. Code, § 10811, subd. (c).) The trial court may dispense with notice for “good cause.” {Id., § 1220, subd. (c).)

In this case, the trial court approved an agreement entitling counsel to attorney fees based on hourly rates and the total number of hours worked. The trial court dispensed with notice of the hearing and sealed a portion of the record so that…