to think that lawyers are a bunch of greedy tossers?

[tittybangbang]

..... or at least my mum's solicitor is.

Situation: dad passed away in February. His entire estate consists of the family home (worth about £450K) and £3000 in an ISA. It's all to pass on to my mum, and the house was in joint names anyway.

Just received a quote from the solicitor to do the probate. He's going to charge £190 per hour plus 1% of the estate, which works out altogether at about....... £7000. He said he had predicted it was about 10 hours work in all to deal with my dad's affairs.

Now - does £7000 sound sensible to anyone here, for 10 hours work?

Given that my mum will have to borrow the money to pay him because she has no savings of her own, just the £3 grand my dad left in the ISA (she lives in the home they shared).

Can this possibly be right? Or is my poor old mum being taken for a ride?

It's made me feel

BAFE actually it is quite difficult for lawyers to refuse cases - they can if they know people involved, if they are are not experienced enough etc but not if they just don't want to do it. So the lawyers who "let people go free" actually are just doing their job. And one day they might be "letting people go free" and then the next day they might be "making sure people get locked up" - not all lawyers specialise in defence - some do a mixture of prosecution and defence. (and usually its the jury who get to decide...)
And to the OP - I would try another solicitor to compare prices.

BAFE - do you know what the term lawyer actually covers???? You seem to think that all lawyers do criminal defence. It's like saying that all doctors are heart surgeons!!!This attitude drives me mad.
I am a commercial property lawyer and have nothing to do with defending child killers etc. I know about as much about criminal law as you do about lawyers.
I basically do the very glamorous job of acquiring and disposing of property and have never done any criminal work. I wouldn't know where to start if i did.
As far as costs are concerned, solicitors are required to give an estimate of costs at the outset, and it is then up to the client whether they use my firm or try and find someone cheaper (which they are perfectly entitled to do). So I think to call solicitors money grabbing is unfair. It is only the same as using a plumber, mechanic etc. You give an estimate for the job then it's up to the customer whether they take you up on it!
OP - the hourly rate doesn't seem too steep if it's a partner doing the work at a mid-size firm but why don't you look elsewhere for other estimates to see whether his estimate is miles out?

BAFE - how do you propose the system should work then?

Police arrest somebody that they think has done a crime and then they are locked up for life?

Should we apply this to just child killers? or murderers or rapists? Where do we stop?

Should someone be suspected of a crime but not go through our system of justice? to prevent anyone sticking up for them?

I know our system is not great but how else is it going to work?

That rate is £700/hour. I use a trust and estates solicitor in one of the highest charging speicalist firms in London. Th elawyer I use is a partner and she does not charge anything like that rate. Most of the work in this very simple case outlined by the OP could be done by a junior who would be cared out at a far lower rate.

It sounds very steep.

Been thinking that my OP was a bit rude. Sorry legal mums!

My experience of lawyers is a bit distorted as the only two I've had personal contact with have been the solicitor sorting out my dad's estate, and my sister's ex dp a barrister, who was a vile pig.

Actually I think your work is incredibly tough. I come over all catatonic just looking at legal documents. You guys must have very high boredom threshholds!

Lawyers do not stop anyone from going to prison, if a person is not convicted it is because the prosecution has either not proved its case or someone messed up or they are not guilty.
We need lawyers and everyone is entitled to a defence.

There are bad apples in every profession, it is ridiculous to assume all members are the same.

Runnybottom is correct. The best, most expensive, most overpriced solicitor (or barrister in fact as it would be in this situation) with the fewest morals in the world cannot stop a child murder going to prison if there is sufficient evidence that they are in fact a child murderer.

Criminal defence and litigation aside (and so many people think this is all there is to the legal profession) the are providing a service to people who are lacking the skill and know-how to do it themselves. There will be rogue traders, and there will be wonderful selfless ones, and everything in between, same as plumbers, electricians, nannys, builders, accountants...