Perez

As we observed three years ago, “The Mandatory Fee Arbitration Act (MFAA), under Business and Professions Code section 6200 et seq., provides a quick and inexpensive method for clients, at their option, to resolve fee disputes with their attorneys.” (Law Offices of Dixon R. Howell v. Valley (2005) 129 Cal.App.4th 1076, 1083 [ 29 Cal.Rptr.3d 499 ], fn. omitted.) In the attorney-client fee dispute before us—which arose out of federal litigation that was settled 10 years ago—the resolution of the dispute has proved neither quick nor inexpensive.

Appellant Elvia Grajales retained respondent Ismael Perez in 1996 to represent her on a contingent fee basis in connection with claims against her former employer. After the employment litigation was resolved in late 1998 with Grajales receiving a substantial settlement payable to Perez’s trust account, a dispute arose concerning the amount of net proceeds that were due to Grajales. She ultimately applied with the local county bar association to arbitrate her dispute with Perez under the MFAA (Mandatory Fee Arbitration Act). Grajales prevailed and received an arbitration award of $173,715 in December 2001.

Perez timely filed a…