Bartending Contract

[Colin Hoover]

Jurisdiction

Massachusetts

Hi,

My fiancé and I are in an ongoing disagreement with the vendor who's providing bar service for our wedding. Basically, he gave us an initial contract that we agreed upon, and we sent him a deposit (for about $2,300 - half the total cost of service). But he has subsequently changed a bunch of stuff in his offer - like cost per-person and included amenities (tablecloth, champaign glasses, etc.) and is no longer honoring his initial contract. So my question is:

a. If we decided to go with a new bartending service, should we hire an attorney to help us get our deposit back (if he refuses to do so) based on the fact that he broke his own contract?
b. Is it worth it for that amount of money?

 

[adjusterjack]

a. If we decided to go with a new bartending service, should we hire an attorney to help us get our deposit back (if he refuses to do so) based on the fact that he broke his own contract?

It's entirely up to you whether you want to pay an attorney. You can probably do this in small claims court without an attorney.

b. Is it worth it for that amount of money?

Only you can decide it it's worth it. You can confirm this by calling a few attorneys but attorneys charge an average of $300 per hour and will want a retainer up front of a thousand or two. At $300 per hour (including travel) you can use up $1500 easily for a half day in court (even if it only takes 15 minutes for the judge to hear and decide) and then you have the before and after charges. You could easily spend $2500 on the lawyer and you don't win that back unless your contract specifies that loser pays winner's lawyer fees.