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FAB Forms and Documents

To initiate the Fee Arbitration Board (FAB) process, read the FAB Rules and then fill out the FAB Petition. Print your completed petition and forward it to the MBA c/o FAB, 20 West St., Boston, MA 02111.

If the amount charged by the attorney is greater than $10,000, please send the original and four (4) copies of the petition itself and four (4) copies of any documentation pertinent to the arbitration proceedings. 

If the amount charged by the attorney is $10,000 or less, please send the original and three (3) copies of the petition and three (3) copies of any additional documentation pertinent to the legal fee dispute.

If you are the person initiating the arbitration, you are the "Petitioner" and must file the "Petition for Arbitration" together with a $25 non-refundable filing fee. If the "Respondent," the person with whom the Petitioner has the dispute, agrees to participate in the process, the $25 filing fee is applied to the Petitioner's total filing fee, as indicated below, and the remainder of the fee becomes due. The Respondent pays the Respondent's full fee at the time that s/he files the "Respondent Agreement" with the MBA.

The appropriate filing fee can be determined by referring to Rule III(c) (Page 2) of the Rules of the Legal Fee Arbitration Board.

Total Amount of Legal Fees ChargedTotal Filing Fee Due (Each Party)
Up to $2,500$50
Above $2,500 to $5,000$75
Above $5,000 to $25,000$150
Above $25,000$225

The MBA makes available to the public the following documents from the Fee Arbitration Board. 

Model Fee Agreements
The Massachusetts Bar Association publishes four helpful model fee agreements. Fee agreements should simply and accurately reflect the agreement that is reached regarding what legal work will be provided, how much of an attorney's fee will be charged, and how often billing will occur. Please note that these models include an interest rate clause and arbitration clause for fee disputes. If you would like a model without one or both of these optional clauses, email us.