Law for Business 10th Edition by James Barnes,Terry Dworkin,Eric Richards

Exercise 6

ESQ Business Services, Inc., a California corporation, hired the Birbrower law firm to represent it and entered into a fee agreement with it. The attorneys performed substantial work in California over a two-year period. The Birbrower attorneys doing the work were licensed to practice law in New York but not in California. ESQ eventually sued Birbrower for malpractice and Birbrower counterclaimed for more than $1 million in fees. ESQ argued the fees were not payable because the attorneys were practicing in California without a license. Can the fees be collected? Why or why not?