Ms. Burke Spencer’s Publications
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Do I have to? Determining if withdrawal is mandatory
The lines between ethically mandated and permissive withdrawal from a client’s representation are often unclear, making it difficult for attorneys to determine their ethical obligations and how to satisfy them. This article will explore where the lines are drawn, how they are applied, and what an attorney’s duties are when withdrawing from representation… [Download PDF]
The Price of Withdrawal: Contingency fee attorney may forfeit certain fees
The decision to withdrawal from representing a client is never an easy one, but for contingency fee attorneys, the decision can mean forfeiting fees. This is true even if the attorney believes the grounds for withdrawal are mandatory under the Rules of Professional Conduct… [Download PDF]
Suzanne Burke Spencer
Suzanne Burke Spencer is the managing shareholder of Sall Spencer Callas & Krueger. She practices in the areas of professional malpractice and attorney ethics as well as complex business and real estate litigation, including legal malpractice, partnership and business disputes, real estate and foreclosure, derivative actions, unfair business practices, contract disputes, and attorney fee and lien disputes.
Ms. Burke Spencer graduated from Georgetown University in 1988, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and from Fordham University School of Law in 1993, where she served as a staff member and an Associate Editor of the Fordham Law Review. Ms. Burke Spencer was formerly an associate with the New York City and Orange County offices of Dorsey & Whitney, later joining smaller litigation firms and then Buchalter Nemer’s Orange County office, where she practiced for several years.
Ms. Burke Spencer has served as lead or co-counsel in numerous state and federal complex business cases, arbitrations, appeals, and mediations, and has authored or contributed to numerous articles relating to professional responsibility and attorney ethics. Ms. Burke Spencer has frequently lectured on attorney fees disputes, legal ethics and risk management in public and private seminars. Among the articles Ms. Burke Spencer has authored or contributed to are Ethical Enforcement of Attorney’s Liens – Avoiding Traps for the Unwary, California Bar Journal, July 2013; Who is entitled to fee-based sanctions awards in contingent fee cases – lawyer or client?, California Bar Journal, March 2014.
Ms. Burke Spencer is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. She is a member of the California State Bar’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC), and former member of the Client Relations Committee of the Orange County Bar Association. A native of New Jersey, Ms. Burke Spencer relocated to California in 1995 and has lived and practiced here ever since.