Solicitors fees and hourly charges are a bit steep

I acted as a Litigant in Person on a criminal matter. I knew that I was innocent; I also knew how the criminal justice system works - thankfully!. Nevertheless, I had no past criminal record and knew about the saying: that a person who acts for himself has fool for a client, so I stupidly paid solicitors and barristers to handle my case. My instructions to them were simple: get me out of this mess and get me an acquittal. It couldn't have been simpler. But was it heck as like. Both firms claimed I had a poor case and prospects for winning were lousy - apparently. My case was, they claimed, impossible to win. I had assaulted a uniformed police officer on duty, and we are dealing with a police court (magistrates court) and they had a witness and I didn't to support my story of what had happened. They tried to persuade me to plead guilty. I told them 'No' and insisted we went to trial. The barrister simply went through the motions in court and didn't attempt to discredit the witnesses. Of course I was convicted. So, on the surface, they were right; I was wrong. But I decided to Appeal anyway. On Appeal I went through the same disclosed bundle myself - no new evidence or anything to alter my prospects from the first trial - and came up with lots of new ways of getting off and acted for myself in court. I effectively obliterated the prosecution case by discrediting every bit of evidence they presented. I was acquitted. I tried to get my solicitor fees refunded afterwards, now that the penny had dropped that they hadn't bothered to do the necessary work, and they've refused to reimburse me, and still claim that they did the best they could with my case and had the audacity to say that the judge liked me more because I must have come across more confidently. What rubbish. The reason I won is because they'd missed out most of the discrediting points. How could they have done their best for me, when I have no law training, no courtroom experience, had no new evidence to work with and all the prosecution witnesses had turned up, etc. All the odds were stacked against me, the judge seemed to bend over backwards to accommodate the Prosecution, yet they still lost.

So my advice to you is this: unless it is a really complex matter or on an area of law you can't fathom out for yourself, save yourself a fortune and handle your case yourself. But first you will need plenty of time to go through the paperwork and learn the law, if necessary. You also need to learn how the courts work and rules of evidence - if going to trial. Do remember that winning your case will depend on you having a valid LEGAL defence, not just any old moan and groan / argument that you personally believe is valid - like how unfair it all is' or assuming that you will be acquitted just because you're innocent, or claiming that you didn't know the law at the time so you haven't committed an offence, or if you dress smartly and speak respectfully the judge/M'stes will like you and let you off. Giving a good impression is very good - but only for presenting your case well (clearly and with structure) and its probably useful for mitigation (sentencing) too. But giving a good impression will not matter a jot for the verdict. So don't think that ironing your shirt is a good route to an acquital. You're either guilty in law or you are not - depending on whether the prosecution can win their case based on the evidence they present in court. Also remember that the burden of proof is on the prosecution to win beyond reasonable doubt; it's not for you - the defendant to prove your innocence.

Solicitors are an absolute menace... I paid an absolute fortune in broker fees on my re-mortgage and just found out I can claim all these back as they lied in the paperwork about what it was for to get me a better rate. Not only that but he added my fees to the mortgage instead of upfront so after 25 years he'll end up getting double. The nerve!!!
Quick article I found here, hope it helps - http://blog.mortgagereclaims.com/mortgage-broker-fees/

I'm not sure that judges are trustworthy either.

http://blogs.news.sky.com/kayb/Post:cfcafbe8-9a00-478f-b0a2-f74c2bc40bb3

Mr Coates,

Is there anyone on this earth you do trust? If you considered your solicitor's bill to be excessive, why did you not challenge it before a judge? Or are you distrustful of judges too who have a legal background and legal qualifications?

Is there actually a non Bristol resident or someone who is not a legal sectretary who feels 'disgust'?

K J White
Solicitor

And, if anybody out there knows how one might be actually able to question the validity of such a bill, I'd love to know.

Sorry, I forgot to add - I was even billed for them putting the bill together, which presumably was very taxing and strenuous, required several years of specialist training, hitting print on the keyboard. £64. Plus Vat, naturally.

I asked a solicitor to put together a simple divorce petition that involved no letter writing or communication with anybody apart from me. She offered me the first meeting free which took 2hrs. Great, that's a gesture of good will, I thought at the time, before getting her bill for £2800 later that month. I went through the bill - apparently, she is legally allowed to bill me for simply speaking to somebody across the office about me or every time she picks the file with my name on. Lots of file managements for £54 (i guess that's opening the filing cabinet, putting in the file, closing the cabinet, opening and taking it out again. Repeat as often as you feel you can get away with? can you imagine being allowed to take money off your clients like that?) I mean get serious. She's even allowed to bill me for the email I send about querying the amount of the bill. I run my own company and there is no way that I would be legally allowed to bill my clients for ANYTHING that wasn't cleared first. I meet hundreds of people a week and I can safely say that I have never met such a money grabbing, greedy, obsessive and down right low life set of people in my life. Shame on you!

I have been charged Value Element on my mothers will, this seems to be an added bonus for the solicitor on top of their fees.

Mmm, solicitors illiterate eh? Better steel yourself. Try carte blanche and steal in your last line.

I too am a secretary to a solicitor and in my experience all they are concerned about are costs and sending Bills to clients. Solicitors used to be gentlemen but nowadays any Tom, Dick or Harry can enter the profession and call themselves an expert! They are mostly concerned with the kudos of being in the profession and not concerned at all about their clients.

I work for a senior partner in a solicitors firm and have worked for law firms for the last 30 years. They are no longer professional bodies, just out to make as much money out of people as they can. The solicitor I work for adjusts his fees according to how much money he thinks the client has, and, as he makes most of the advice up!!!! He has already been warned by the Courts for inappropriate conduct of his affairs, and now sails very close to the wind. Due to loyalties I feel I cannot do anything but warn people about these charletons! If only people would realise that half the time legal matters can be dealt with quite easily themselves, for instance, probate is a very simple process most times (of course not always) but solicitors charge an enormous fee for a simple matter! The youngsters that are calling themselves lawyers these days are laughable!

there is a service called the legal ombudsman service which deals with these sorts of matters, or for a service that deals directly with solicitors who overcharge, try www.ab8.uk.com

If you think you're so clever, don't instruct a solicitor and don't complain about the charges. There is a reason as to why solicitor's charge the rates they do - they have to work damn hard to ensure that the advice they give complies with the everchanging legislation. The fact that you don't understand the "legal drivel" speaks for itself.

Due to an accident in Morrisons Car Park I am still out of work and have had two operations on my knee My Solicitor seems only interested in letting me know how much his Bill is so far £20.000. I am sure this is why Morrisons are hanging back.My solicitor told me early on that £3000 may be the most I will get two years down the line and no further ahead stop these thieves

Why are admin allowing these low lifes who prey on people who are down on their luck to leave these posts here? Why don't they remove them?

Mike P and I may not agree about everything but we do on this one - stay away, they will rip you off.

Not just their costs worry - it's their inefficiency and ineptitude. I had a debt collection case and after the court hearing when I was awarded costs the solicitor messed about for over two years then at a day's notice disappeared "to another firm" witho ut giving any contact details. The Senior partner did the same. I eventually tracked down the latter who sent me an abusive letter and told me he wanted yet more money just to return my lost file. The whole case is one of repeated delays, failure to act on instruction (repeatedly even after confirmation requested)
and no final result. I have had to track down the senior partner myself. Disgraceful

Sometimes the person using a solicitor is a total scumbag and uses them unnecessarily just to "scare" another innocent person, and in those cases I am very glad the client is getting shafted financially.

£190 an hour is a little high for routine work such as straightforward probate unless you insist on using a large London firm. Ring around for a few more estimates but make sure the firm you choose has someone who understands probate and family law. Not many solicitors are experts in more that a few areas of law.

The OP's experience of a £10k estimate becoming a £35k bill is not unusual. If ever you feel that a solicitor has overcharged you, apply to have his bill 'taxed' by the court. Beware that this is not without some risk and you could end up paying yet more fees.

And as for some contributors believing that they can act as their own lawyer in anything other that the most simple of cases then they are sadly mistaken. Legal education is only for the brightest of candidates and ongoing training is arduous , taking many years to complete.

You are not going to achieve this by simply reading a 'do it yourself' book and looking up a few references on Google!

The oft-repeated phrase "A man who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client" is very true and I have, unfortunately, seen many examples of this.

It's on the high side but it's not out of line with what others charge, particularly if this is a London law practice.

I have just been quoted £190 per hour (plus vat, of course) for the setting up and administration of a Power of Attorney and amendment of Wills. Is this reasonable? Or can solicitors charge what they like? I am now in the position where if I were to change solicitors I still have the original charges of £190 (plus vat) to pay for the work already done and set up in preparation. As we all know the Law Society acts for the legal professon and there is no recommended tariff. All that is left conveniently vague. Interesting for a profession which prides itself on its meticulous attention to detail: well that's what we are led to believe.