The Santa Monica Bar Association is proud to participate in the State of California's Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program (MFA) This is an informal, low cost program for resolving fee disputes between lawyers and their clients.  It is a mandatory program for the lawyer if the client requests arbitration.  We are pleased to offer this program for the Santa Monica community and surrounding areas.  Our program also offers mediation of the dispute prior to arbitration which we have found to be very effective in a number of cases.

If you are a client seeking mandatory fee arbitration or an attorney looking for a program to refer your client too, then you have come to the right place.  Please download our "Client Request For Arbitration" form, complete it and mail with your fee payment as directed.
 
Our Arbitration Rules of Procedures and excerpt of the Business and Professions Code 6200-6206, which governs Fee Arbitration, can be downloaded for your convenience by clicking on the appropriate document on this page.

Should you have any questions about the arbitration program please contact the Santa Monica Bar Association office at 310-450-9289 or email us at smbaoffice@aol.com.
 
Thank you, and we look forward to serving you.