By Robert J Marsh And Lucy Caulkett-
Law firm regulators will randomly check 500 law firm websites to confirm compliance with new requirements for price transparency.
Legal firms charge widely varying fees, varying from £250 an hour to £550 an hour in many cases, but there are lawyers who charge £1,000 an hour or more. There is no fixed price for legal fees in the Uk, and generally depend on the level of expertise of the legal firm in question, and sometimes their location. However, the legal expertise of lawyers cannot be assessed by general members of the public, one of the reasons the Solicitor Regulation Authority have decided to step in to assertively. Firms that charge ridiculous fees are targeting the rich, but regulators believe are determined to monitor their business actions closely.
Legal firms are strongly opposed to the procedure which has been in place since December 2017 December, but they have no choice. Firms have been subject to new regulations to publish details of their prices and service information if they work in certain areas of law. The SRA says it does not wish to dictate what fees are charged, adding that it appreciates the new rules required for changes to websites.
The SRA announced plans to ‘sweep’ an estimated 500 law firm websites chosen at random for compliance, as part of its random checks. Firms found to have taken no steps to comply, deliberately refused to comply, or deliberately provided vague, misleading or meaningless information, will be sanctioned.
The new rules apply to conveyancing (residential), probate (uncontested), motoring offences (summary offences), immigration (excluding asylum), employment tribunals (unfair or wrongful dismissal), debt recovery and licensing applications. However, they really should be applied across the board.Price information must be presented in a ‘clear and easy to understand format’, providing a total cost or, if this is not possible, an average or range of costs.
SRA chief executive, Paul Philip, told a press briefing on Wednesday that the organisation has always wanted to take a proportionate approach, but warned those continuing to disregard the rules.
‘This is not a hugely important thing, but you are obliged to do it and you are forcing us into taking disproportionate action when you should just comply and move forward,’ said Philip. ‘I have no doubt we will end up with a rump of people who are not doing it.’
The new rules apply to conveyancing (residential), probate (uncontested), motoring offences (summary offences), immigration (excluding asylum), employment tribunals (unfair or wrongful dismissal), debt recovery and licensing applications. Price information must be presented in a ‘clear and easy to understand format’, providing a total cost or, if this is not possible, an average or range of costs.