Need legal advice now on challenging a solicitor’s bill?
Call, email or provide us with a few details of your matter, and we’ll help you arrange an initial consultation. You’ll get:
- Unlimited time to discuss challenging your solicitor’s bill
- An outline of your legal position
- A clear fee-quote and time frame to resolve your case
Experts on challenging a solicitor’s bill
- Simple and complex challengings.
- Professional negligence claims if required
- Understand what a reasonable fee should be
- Recover fees if you’ve been overcharged
Commonly asked questions on challenging a solicitor’s bill.
Can you reasonably expect to challenge a solicitor’s bill simply because it’s high? While most of us hate the thought of paying legal fees, there’s a difference between being overcharged and more work being done on your case. Our litigation solicitors in Brighton have answered some of the most commonly asked questions on the topic.
1. Why may your solicitor's bill be higher than expected?
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.
2. What is the process of challenging a solicitor's bill?
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.
3. How long do I have to challenge a solicitor's bill?
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.
4. Do you offer legal aid for challenging a solicitor's bill?
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.
Need legal advice now on challenging a solicitor’s bill?
Tell us about your case and we’ll get back to you the same day.
Meet our expert litigation team.
Paul Britton
Managing Director
Sophie Campbell-Adams
Director and Solicitor
Rory Lindsay
Solicitor
Leonardo Bosco
Solicitor
Alexander Grist
Trainee Solicitor
Aryan Fallahi
Trainee Solicitor
Grace Marchant
Trainee Solicitor
Why Britton and Time Solicitors?
Litigation is our speciality. Our solicitors have successfully challenged many solicitor’s bills, which has given us an abundance of knowledge and experience in this area of law. When it comes to challenging your solicitor’s bill, we’ll always guarantee:
Award-Winning Service.
You are our priority, and the law is our speciality. Our award-winning litigation solicitors in Brighton ensure you know exactly where you stand from a legal perspective so you can make a well-informed decision.
Full Billing Transparency.
No fee surprises. Ever. Our litigation solicitors will inform you from the outset on how much your case will cost, and we will do everything in our power to keep costs down and within your original fee estimate.
Regular Communication.
With fortnightly updates on your case, you’ll never be left in the dark. Our litigation solicitors in Brighton ensure you know exactly how your case is progressing and are with you every step of the way.
Our reviews.
It’s not about how good we think our services are; it’s about what you think.
Will to Win
There are three things that make Britton & Time, and in particular Paul, stand apart from other law firms: knowledge, communication and a will to win.
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Need legal advice now from a litigation solicitor?
Call, email or provide us with a few details of your matter, and we’ll be able to help you the same day.