Questions & Answers
Right of the lawyer to claim unforeseen fees from the client
I hired a lawyer for debt recovery of 25,000 and they charged me around AED 10,000. AED 3,800 for the legal notice, and 1800 for negotiation, then 4000 for the settlement and exchanging a few more emails.
Is that a reasonable amount as they claim?
Their last charge was not communicated ahead as they claim they couldn't anticipate the work ahead.
Do I have any right to complain or reject that last charge?
Dear Questioner,
The decision of hiring a lawyer or any consultant for any specific job involves the professional fees to provide you with a quote and you to approve it.
Then there's an agreement that regulates your relationship and it usually includes terms in case the work done is out of scope or the estimated time and efforts extends.
If you have such an agreement with your lawyer - in writing - we can review and provide you with our advice.
However, no one can judge whether a certain fee is fair or not as the professional fees are something that varies from 1 to 1000 depending on the company you hire, the professional working on the case, the complicity of your file and so many other factors.
Best regards,
Ahmed Elnaggar
