---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-19-11. Attorney’s retainer; recovery for services rendered.
collection: code
id: 15-19-11
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-19-11 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-19-11
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-19-11.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-19-11/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch12-24-(v13a)-2015-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=cbb30143_0#page=389
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / ATTORNEYS / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-19-11. Attorney’s retainer; recovery for services rendered.

Unless otherwise stipulated, one-half of the fee in any case is a retainer and is due at any time unless the attorney, without sufficient cause, abandons the case before rendering service to that value. In cases where he has rendered such service but cannot render the balance of service due to the act of his client, providential cause, election to office, or removal out of the state, he is entitled to retain such amount or a due proportion thereof if collected, or if not collected, to bring an action to collect it. Where no special contract is made, the attorney may recover for the services actually rendered.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, § 380; Code 1868, § 441; Code 1873, § 406; Code 1882, § 406; Civil Code 1895, § 4415; Civil Code 1910, § 4953; Code 1933, § 9-611.

## Law Reviews

For article advocating that payment of attorneys fees be assigned to the losing party, see 18 Ga. B.J. 439 (1956). For article discussing the determination of reasonable attorney’s fees, see 19 Ga. B.J. 201 (1956). For article, ‘‘The Rights of Attorneys and Their Clients in Fee Disputes,’’ see 16 Ga. St. B.J. 150 (1980). For article, ‘‘Trust Account Rules for Georgia Lawyers,’’ see 24 Ga. St. B.J. 22 (1987).

For comment on Citizen’s & S. Nat’l Bank v. Orkin, 223 Ga. 385, 156 S.E.2d 86 (1967), see 4 Ga. St. B.J. 398 (1968).