Henry M. Lee Law Corp. v. Superior Court

—Henry M. Lee represented Ok Song Chang (Chang) as her attorney in employment litigation resulting in a $62,246.74 judgment in favor of Chang after a jury trial. The trial court also awarded Chang $300,000 in attorney fees under Labor Code sections 1194, subdivision (a) and 226, subdivision (e). Chang later substituted herself in propria persona for her former attorney. Henry M. Lee Law Corporation then moved to intervene in *1379 the action and to amend the postjudgment order awarding attorney fees to make the fee award payable to Henry M. Lee Law Corporation. 1 The trial court denied the motion.

Lee petitioned this court for extraordinary relief contending that he is entitled to intervene and that the attorney fee award belongs to and should be made payable to him. We conclude that Lee, as a person whose interests were injuriously affected by the order awarding attorney fees, was entitled to move to vacate the order and enter a new order awarding fees to him. We also conclude that an appeal from the denial of his motion is not an adequate legal remedy in these circumstances and that extraordinary writ review is appropriate. On the merits of the motion, we hold that an…