Legal Definitions - extraordinary fees

Definition: Extraordinary fees are expenses that an attorney incurs when administering an estate that are not part of their regular fees. These fees are irregular and must be justified to the court before they can be approved. Examples of extraordinary fees include legal suits involved in the estate that are not part of the normal administration process, or tasks that are particularly burdensome, such as auditing taxes.

Example 1: An attorney is administering an estate and discovers that the deceased had outstanding debts that need to be paid off before the estate can be distributed. The attorney hires a debt collection agency to help recover the money owed. The fees charged by the debt collection agency would be considered extraordinary fees.

Example 2: An attorney is administering an estate that includes a large number of assets, including several properties. The attorney hires a real estate appraiser to determine the value of the properties. The fees charged by the appraiser would be considered extraordinary fees.

These examples illustrate how extraordinary fees are expenses that are not part of an attorney's regular fees and are incurred when administering an estate. They must be justified to the court before they can be approved.