Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Solicitor's bill unreasonable? Help please

32 replies

CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 14:17

My brother went to a solicitor to sort out his separation agreement from his wife and she quoted him "around ?150".
He paid ?130 about a month ago when they requested it and has today received another bill for ?560. He asked her to make one amendment to the separation agreement and that is the only extra work he has instructed her to do.
What on earth is going on? How can "around ?150" turn into ?690? He has phoned and asked for an itemised bill and when that arrives we will scrutinise it and try to work out what all this extra cost is for.
Does anybody know what he needs to do if he wants to dispute the bill, and what rights he might have?

OP posts:
mummydear · 13/09/2006 14:49

Sorry can't help youo much in this matter, but a simialr thing happen to me when I got divorced some 15yrs ago.

A straight forward divorce. no children etc. Solictor quoted me one amount , when bill arrived it was a few hundred quid more. I wrote him a 4 page letter ( hamdwritten . no PC then !) outlining various mistakes and latness of letters etc and ask him to sned me an itemised bill.

Itemised bill never arrived, never paid bill ! Still haven't to this day !

Perhaps a silver lining

Law society is a good bet to contact , also citizens advice.

hulababy · 13/09/2006 14:51

Before contacting the Law Society, take this further with the solicitor's firm.

Chase your itemised bill and check it through.

Any disputes ask the solicitor about, or ask t sspeak to his/her senior or managing partner.

Most disputes can be sorted out amicably through these channels.

If they don't work, then yes - the Law Society.

TBH going straight to the Law Society wouldn't be that ehlpful. They will also recommend a similar line first.

whoopsfallenoveragain · 13/09/2006 15:02

The Solicitors remuneration order should be stated on the back of the bill

Which basically says that if you are not satisfied you have the right to ask them to obtain a remuneration cert from the Law Society and it also has to be obtain within a month of receiving the notice

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 15:43

Thanks for the responses ladies ... yes, there is something on the back of the bill about disputes but it also says he has to pay 50% now whatever!

Mummydear, that was a good result! I have no doubt that my brother won't have such luck ... things are not going his way at the moment
We will defininely get the itemised bill first and as advised by you, try and sort it out with the firm first.

Many thanks. CM

OP posts:
whoopsfallenoveragain · 13/09/2006 16:10

Did your brother get the quote in writing?

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 16:20

No, I don't believe he got it in writing (). Would that have made a difference?

OP posts:
whoopsfallenoveragain · 13/09/2006 16:23

Yes as they woulld have had to stick to the quote. as he would have been able to prove that he was told one figure and they are charging another
Also ask him if the bill has been signed by anyone as he wouldn't have to pay if it isn't signed

Yorkiegirl · 13/09/2006 16:25

Message withdrawn

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 16:33

Thanks whoops .. will ask him about a signature.

Yorkie, yes I am the same CookieMonster ... will email you now.

OP posts:
mumblechum · 13/09/2006 19:02

Whoopsfallenover has hit the nail on the head. The sol. should have given a written quote at the very beginning. £150 is unbelievably low for a separation deed, maybe there's been a misunderstanding???

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 21:28

I agree that £150 sounds cheap, but it is definitely what was quoted to him. His estranged wife hasn't appointed her own solicitor but has been going in to see my brother's solicitor with questions - I appreciate that it would still cost him money even if she was communicating through her own solicitor, but it's just galling to my brother that he has to foot the bill and she has nothing to pay. And there is no possibility of her contributing - they are on the worst possible terms now.

Another question .. is it acceptable for a solicitor to phone my brother with some information and then to write him a letter with exactly the same information in it and then charge him for both a phone call and a letter? That sounds outrageous to me.

OP posts:
lisalisa · 13/09/2006 21:35

Message withdrawn

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 21:40

lisalisa, many thanks for that info ... I'm going to send it on to my brother so that he is armed with it when the itemised bill comes through and he phones them to discuss it.

OP posts:
lisalisa · 13/09/2006 21:41

Message withdrawn

micra · 13/09/2006 21:48

In a previous firm I worked for, we had it drummed into us that "verbal contracts are binding". So when selling to customers, we were aware that if we said something like "it'll be around £150" or whatever the scenario was, then we were putting our company at risk of having to honour it. I always believed it ...

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 21:55

micra, sounds like you worked for a reputable firm that believed in treating its clients properly ... am convinced that the outfit my brother is using are trying it on at the moment. If I have anything to do with it, they are not going to get away with it.

OP posts:
Freckle · 13/09/2006 21:59

Are you sure she didn't quote him £150 per hour? That may be the going rate for her if she is a partner or in/near to London. If that is the case, then the bill is probably spot on. It may seem high, but it will represent the hours spent on the work - which can add up surprisingly easily.

Original poster
CookieMonster · 13/09/2006 22:10

£150 per hour??? Blimey Freckle you've made me nearly fall off my chair ... no, I am certain the quote was for the work as a whole.

By the way, this firm is in the backwaters of North Yorkshire (Skipton, to be precise) so hopefully they won't command those sort of charges.

OP posts:
hulababy · 14/09/2006 16:22

£150 per hour is very common for solicitors, even outside of the big cities.

Are you sure it wasn't how much he was asked to put on account, rather than the full total?

hulababy · 14/09/2006 16:23

Don't forget to that solicitors charge for everything - from reading a letter, to sending an e-mail/letter, to taking your phone call. I think they also charge in funny units - something like per 6 minutes.

Original poster
CookieMonster · 14/09/2006 17:12

hulababy, he was asked to put £130 on account, so this makes me certain that the full quote was £150.
Still waiting for the itemised bill to arrive ....

OP posts:
whoopsfallenoveragain · 14/09/2006 17:16

I just want to but in and say that the Solicitors I work for Don't charge for every letter & phone call etc as they think that it is pretty petty!

We usually ask for £300 to start with on account so and £130 seems a small amount if they they thought the work would go over £150

Socci · 14/09/2006 17:21

Message withdrawn

beckybrastraps · 14/09/2006 17:24

OK - bugger psychology. I'm doing law.

hulababy · 15/09/2006 11:38

cookiemonster - often they put an amount of account just to guarantee some pay and that there is means for funding. rarely full amount though.

Dh doesn't actually charge for every single letter, etc. but that is what is quoted in fees. And with time recording (in the 6 minute units) things like these have to be put down. Dh never charges the full whack like that though, as he knows some letters/e-mails only take a few seconds. He looks at the overall cost of all thsoe things done (as all recorded as said before) and then determines his bill based on that, often knocking of some of the contacts to make it more reasonable.

Also remember that the solicitor him/herself doesn't actually take home £150 an hour. That is what the firm charges for his.her time - that then goes towards their pay, the pay of their support staff, etc. as well as partner's profits.

Have to say that £150 seems very low for a complete piece of work.

Swipe left for the next trending thread