- 60 - Attorney's fees in an estate case must be based on the reasonable value of the services actually rendered. Dorsett v. Hughes, 353 Pa. Super. 129, 509 A.2d 369 (1986). Attorneys seeking compensation from an estate have the burden of establishing facts that show the reasonableness of their fees and entitlement to the compensation claimed. In re Estate of Sonovick, 373 Pa. Super. 396, 400, 541 A.2d 374, 376 (1988). The number of hours billed by Scott to the estate in this case is excessive and unreasonable. Under these circumstances we do not accept the self-serving, uncorroborated evidence of Tupitza, Scott, and Panepinto. In particular, we have no credible evidence in the record that details the work allegedly performed by Scott. We are not unmindful of the peculiar circumstances in this case where $115,535 in legal fees billed to the estate by Scott would pass from the administratrix and sole beneficiary of the estate (Scott's wife) to the Tupitza law firm and return to Scott, to be reported on a joint Federal income return with Panepinto. We are left with the uneasy feeling that Scott and Panepinto, with the concurrence of Tupitza, engaged in a concerted effort to generate estate tax deductions to minimize the estate's Federal estate tax liability. The proof as to the reasonableness of the legal fees billed by Scott is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of showing the nature, character and extent of the services rendered. To bePage: Previous 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 Next
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