Young v. Southgate Development Corp.

A judge of the Superior Court awarded the plaintiff Howard Young $2,500 as a fee for legal services rendered on behalf of the defendant Southgate Development Corporation (Southgate), basing his determination on a rate of $50 an hour for fifty hours of work. Each party has appealed. We transferred the appeals here on our own motion.2

The plaintiff argues that he is entitled to recover on a contingent fee agreement which Southgate never executed and that, in any event, the fair value of his services was greater than $2,500. Southgate argues that it should not be obliged to pay anything to the…