Govindaswamy Nagarajan v. Michael E. Terry

This appeal involves a dispute between a lawyer and his former client regarding unpaid fees. After the client sued the lawyer for malpractice in the Circuit Court for Davidson County, the lawyer counterclaimed for unpaid fees. The trial court granted the lawyer's summary judgment motion and dismissed the malpractice claims. Thereafter, the trial court conducted a bench trial on the lawyer's counterclaim and awarded the lawyer a $53,884.86 judgment. The former client asserts on this appeal that the trial court erred by denying his request for a continuance, granting a judgment by default on the question of liability, denying his request for a jury trial, and considering expert evidence regarding the reasonableness of the lawyer's fee without affording him the opportunity for cross-examination. We affirm the judgment.