How to Respond to a Client Fee Arbitration Demand in 2026: The 9-Step Evidence Assembly Workflow That Decides Most Cases Before the Hearing

Fee arbitration is won on records, not arguments. When a client disputes your bill, the arbitrator is really asking one question: can this firm prove what it did, what it charged, and what the client agreed to? Here is the step-by-step workflow for assembling a defensible response — and the recordkeeping habits that make the whole exercise take an afternoon instead of a month.