When Challenging A Solicitor’s Bill

Dishonest solicitors will lure you in with low or fixed fee prices and then add on charges without prior consultation or explanation. However, there are legal requirements placed upon how solicitors bill clients, which protect you.

Some of the most common reasons a solicitor’s bill is higher are because of one of the following three reasons:

1. Overcharging – Can have a variety of meanings. It may be that some of the work you were billed for in your case wasn’t relevant to your matter. A solicitor can request a statement of account to highlight whether you can contest a solicitor’s bill on these grounds.

2. Further Work Required – Your final bill may exceed the initial estimate. In most cases, your solicitor must inform you from the outset of any additional fees that could be incurred should things not go to plan. In a case, where fees are over the initial estimate, a solicitor must communicate this with you and advise what the work is for. If a solicitor doesn’t communicate why fees are higher than the initial estimate, you may have ground to challenge your solicitor’s bill.

3. Professional Negligence – If your solicitor estimates a fee and charges you more with little to no explanation, you may have a professional negligence claim on your hands. Professional negligence is when a professional fails to perform their responsibilities to the required standard or breaches a duty of care.

The following steps should ensure you have the best chance of challenging your solicitor’s bill:

1. Make a complaint to the firm you’re instructing. Even if you feel this won’t make any difference, it’s worth trying as it may save you a lot of time and money.

2. Complain about your solicitors to the Legal Ombudsman. A legal ombudsman is an office for legal complaints to run an independent scheme that resolves complaints about lawyers in a fair and effective way, helping to drive improvements to legal services.

3. Instruct a litigation solicitor to challenge your current Solicitor’s fees under the Solicitors Act.

You will need to challenge your solicitor’s bill within one month of receiving the bill to have an absolute entitlement to have the bill assessed.

Applications after 1 month and within a year are discretionary (left to a court’s judgement), providing the bill has not been paid.

We are currently unable to offer legal aid in any capacity as we lack the necessary legal aid certificate. We also don’t offer pro bono property law work at present.