Rule 6-201. Jurisdiction.

The Committee may accept jurisdiction over a fee dispute only if all of the following requirements are satisfied:

(a) The fee in question, whether paid or unpaid, has been charged for legal services rendered by a lawyer who is or who at the time of rendition of the service had been licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia or who been duly licensed as a foreign legal consultant in the State of Georgia.

(b) The services in question were performed either in the State of Georgia or from an office located in the State of Georgia.

(c) At the time the legal services in question were performed there existed between the lawyer and the client an expressed or implied contract establishing between them a lawyer/client relationship. A relative or other person paying the legal fees of the client may request arbitration of disputes over those fees provided both the client and the payor join as co-petitioners or co-respondents and both agree to be bound by the result of the arbitration.

(d) The disputed fee:

(1) exceeds ($750) seven hundred and fifty dollars.

(2) is not one the amount of which is governed by statute or other law, nor one the full amount or all terms of which have already been fixed or approved by order of a court.

(e) A petition seeking arbitration of the dispute is filed with the Committee by the lawyer or the client no more than two (2) years following the date on which the controversy arose. If this date is disputed, it shall be determined in the same manner as the commencement of a cause of action on the underlying contract.

(f) The client, whether petitioner or respondent, agrees to be bound by the result of the arbitration.

(g) The fee dispute is not the subject of litigation in court at the time the petition for arbitration is filed.

(h) The petition contains the following elements:

(1) A statement of the nature of the dispute and the particulars of the petitioner's position, including relevant dates.

(2) The identities of both the client and the lawyer and the addresses of both.

(3) A statement that the petitioner has made a good faith effort to resolve the dispute and the details of that effort.

(4) The agreement of the petitioner to be bound by the result of the arbitration.

(5) The signature of the petitioner and date of the petition.

(6) The petition shall be filed on a form which will be supplied by the Committee. Such petition shall be served upon the opposite party at such party's last known address by certified mail, return receipt requested.

(i) In case of disputes between lawyers, the lawyers who are parties to the dispute are all members of the State Bar of Georgia, and all the lawyers involved agree to the arbitration.