Difference between revisions of "Lawyers' Fees: Preventing and Solving Problems"

# You may be able to use the Law Society’s Fee Mediation Program for disputes from $1,000 to $25,000. It is free. This program works only if your lawyer agrees to use it. If so, the Law Society appoints a mediator to help you reach a settlement. Since the process is voluntary, it works only if you and your lawyer can agree on a settlement. Check Script [[If You Have a Problem With Your Lawyer (Script 436)|436]], “If You Have a Problem with Your Lawyer”, for more information. And call the Law Society at 604.669.2533 in the lower mainland and 1.800.903.5300 elsewhere in BC. Or see its website at [http://www.lawsociety.bc.ca www.lawsociety.bc.ca]. The Law Society is the organization that licenses all BC lawyers. It protects the public by setting professional standards of competence and conduct for lawyers. It monitors, evaluates, and disciplines them.

# You can ask a Registrar of the BC Supreme Court to review the bill. This costs $80. Plus you may have to pay your lawyer’s costs if you lose. There is no limit on the amount of the fee. You don’t need your lawyer’s agreement to use this process. You have one year from the date of the bill to apply to the registrar—if you have not already paid it. But if you have already paid the bill, you must apply within three months of paying it. The Registrar holds a hearing where you and your lawyer each give your side of the case. Then the Registrar decides what the fee will be. For details, see the [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/practice_and_procedure/registrars_office.aspx Registrar’s Office] website at [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court]. Click on “About the Supreme Court" and then on “Registrar’s Office”. Lastly, click on “[http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/about_the_supreme_court/registrars_office/booklet/Legal%20Professions%20Act.pdf Legal Profession Act Reviews]”.