HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR REPRESENTATION AT AN UNEMPLOYMENT HEARING?

In New York State the fees an attorney or other representative can charge have to be approved by the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board. So our standard answer has been that we cannot say. However, there have been attorneys stating outrageous fees of $3000 for one hearing and terrifying claimants into going it alone where they can lose $60,000 or more. These attorneys probably don't know much about unemployment law or they would be aware that the Board approval process would not approve such an exorbitant fee for a one or two hour hearing. Moreover, they probably haven't done an unemployment hearing or they would know that the judges explain the fee rules to claimants at the very beginning of the hearing.

The Board strongly encourages a fee of $600 or less (give or take) for a single hearing by expediting the approval process for lower fees and by limiting fee escrows to $600 for attorneys and other representatives.  There are cases where an unemployment hearing can stretch over multiple hearing dates, appeals, and remands, but at the outset most unemployment hearings are one or two hours and $600 (maybe up to $750) or less. An attorney charging much more than that probably doesn't understand unemployment law or its fee rules.