Summary: A lawyer may charge his client interest on bills for legal services and disbursements which have remained unpaid for more than a stated period of time, if the client so agrees in advance. [Editor's note: See MBA Opinion
83-1, which supercedes Opinion
75-5 "to the extent that it is inconsistent ... ."] MBA Opinion No.
74-1, relating to a lawyer's use of credit card arrangements, is affirmed without modification: a lawyer should not display a credit card sign or insignia in his offices. [Editor's note: But see MBA Opinion
77-15, which reconsidered Opinion
74-1 in light of more recent cases construing the First Amendment as applied to professional advertising: "We now hold that the truthful use of credit card signs or insignia in the office of a lawyer is proper."]