"What do you mean, why don't you just set up automatic bill pay...?" [funny look from me].
Because a.) Trustee and POA on account makes me liable if I or someone else screws up, so I'm gonna be damn sure things are done right, b.) The less money I take out of interest bearing accounts to pay bills, the more there is in interest bearing accounts, c.) They don't provide a documented paper trail for tax, or payment verification purposes, or to report expenses to the court. d.) Why do you think all large corporations have "Accounts Payable" people in their accounting departments?
[facepalm]
Honestly that sounds like a something a perfectly normal person would not normally consider. So unless it is a fellow member of the bar being uninformed of legal money thingamajigs I wouldn't get sad over it.
Did you know that "thingamajigs" is in the firefox spellchecker?
O, I know, but it's the context. They're basically calling me a crook and asking me to justify my fees. Not just the fees for paying his bills but all fees. I think I charge like give or take $30/month to do all the book keeping for the account, keeping it immaculate, which is quite frankly nothing for an attorney.... That's in addition to the other stuff I do for them.
Here's the problem: Yes, "relative could do this on their own," (assuming they knew how to really work things out and organize them) but of course,
relative won't do it. I can't do my job if things aren't organized and properly kept track of. Someone has to do it; relative won't do it; so I have to, and no, I'm not doing it for free.... Though this is clearly what everyone wants.... Paying all of the damn bills and tracking them takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour out of my month. No, there are no "little things" because then everyone looks at me as a free servant.... All those "little things"
add up pile on. No way.