Legal retainer agreements are not governed by the Truth in Lending Act, a New Jersey state judge has ruled in a case of first impression.

Judge Hany Mawla of Somerset County Special Civil Part rejected the idea in a novel ruling in Skey & Bhattacharya v. Ehsan, which was decided Dec. 12, 2014, but was approved for publication March 13.

Defendant Murshada Ehsan argued that the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) applied in her counterclaim to a fee suit filed by her divorce lawyers at the Princeton firm of Skey & Bhattacharya.