Problem:
Attorney Maria is a divorce lawyer. Several months ago, Maria represented Jillian in her divorce from her husband, Jack. At that time, Maria charged her an hourly fee of $400 per hour. The judge granted the divorce and ordered Jack to pay her $1,000 per month child support. Recently, Jillian came to Maria seeking help because Jack has not been paying the child support for the past 6 months. She would like Maria to help her get the $6,000 that Jack owes her. Maria wishes to charge Jillian a contingent fee of 30 percent of the recovery. She discloses the fee and expense terms and receives Jillian's informed consent in writing. May Maria charge the contingent fee? Group of answer choices A. Yes, because Jillian is Maria's former client. B. Yes, because she obtained Jillian's consent in writing. C. No, because contingent fees are not permitted in domestic relations cases. D. No, because 30 percent is excessive because it will drain resources needed to support the couple's children.