Lawyers Threatening Client With Arrest Over Fee Dispute Are Convicted of Extortion

Two Tennessee lawyers who threatened a client, saying they would have her arrested unless she paid $50,000 in legal fees, have been convicted of extortion. The client, Michelle Langlois, first hired the lawyers to read her father’s will. At the lawyers’ behest, Langlois hired them on to handle the estate, which they claimed was complex. Langlois signed a contract, gave the lawyers a $50,000 check to hold until she got money from the estate, then changed her mind and adjusted her accounts to make the check uncashable. The criminal case against Langlois has been dropped; the lawyers say they plan to appeal their case.