Lawyer fee - is this fair?

Reply stating that as he never gave you a quotation or pro rata invoice or any other indications of fees for a quotation before communications there is no binding agreement between you.
 
w1z4rd said:
I emailed him back, told him that I dont accept his invoice as I did not agree to any fee`s or monies to be paid. Told him he has done nothing on our behalf, has not offered us advice or services and he is welcome to sue me. I informed him his time is worth more time than my time so I dont mind. Then suggested a compromise. For the couple of questions he asked me I offered him R500.
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You still intend to pay someone for... responding to your e-mails? When absolutely no contract (verbal or otherwise) was entered into that stipulated a fee would be charged?

Are you insane?

Should you feel like throwing more money away, feel free to PM me with questions, I'll even make a couple of phone-calls to get them answered for you. R350 every five e-mails. Aren't I such a a good samaritan?
 
I wouldn't have even offered him R500. I have dealt with 2 lawyers over the past year and both of them have asked for a deposit to start working on my behalf and have also asked me to sign a client mandate.

It sound like he just gave you the equivalent of a quote and that either has to be agreed up front or else the client is not liable for anything
 
Complaints about attorneys

In terms of the Attorneys Act, 1979, attorneys fall under the regulatory and disciplinary jurisdiction of the provincial law society where they practise.

The attorneys' profession is proud of its high professional standards and the low incidence of disciplinary action required by the provincial law societies. All attorneys are bound by a strict professional code.

It is part of the function of the councils of the law societies to act in the public interest. The law societies are committed to protecting the public against unprofessional and irresponsible conduct by attorneys and are prepared to investigate complaints which are submitted to them in good faith and which fall within their jurisdiction.
Complaints about attorneys should, therefore, be lodged with the relevant provincial law society.


Complaints against attorneys practising in

Gauteng, North-West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo
Law Society of the Northern Provinces

Free State
Law Society of the Free State

KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal Law Society

Western, Eastern and Northern Cape
Cape Law Society
 
If you want to take a lawyer to court, you'll be on your own as no other lawyer will take on your cause.

My mother found out the hard way.
 
The_Librarian said:
If you want to take a lawyer to court, you'll be on your own as no other lawyer will take on your cause.

My mother found out the hard way.
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Nope, if he does not accept my compromise, I expect him to take me to court, where there will be blow by blow updates about how he is acting, what he is doing and the history of our case on a website with the domain name same as his name. Anyone who googles him will be well informed about what has happened and how to avoid falling into the same situation.

It will cost him more than it cost me in the end.
 
Tell him to kiss your a$$.
How can he charge you when you have not instructed him to act on your behalf yet?
Tell him you are just waiting for the law society to get back to you before you pay him.
As for taking him to court? Small claims court ;)
 
Surely you would need to agree on a fee basis before any work is done?

If someone asked me to do something, I'd make sure they know how much it would cost them. I dont think it would be legal to invent a figure after the fact. You havent agreed to a contract with him, implicit or otherwise.
 
Seriously, the poster who advised you to send him an invoice for R1900 for reading his emails, has the best solution.
That is basically what he's doing to you.

Unless he stated some sort of quotation fee, he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
You asked for help, he asked for more info about the problem (documents) and then quoted you - no advise given. You rejected the quote and both of you can go on your merry way, end of story.

Your R500 offer is now a legal offer, and he can choose to accept or reject. You will have to pay if he accepts (drag it out and make it as tough for him as possible... I suggest a payment plan of R1 over 500 days, dropped in his postbox) and if he rejects, the offer is then null and void and you should just tell him where to shove himself instead.
 
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Dean said:
Your R500 offer is now a legal offer, and he can choose to accept or reject. You will have to pay if he accepts (drag it out and make it as tough for him as possible... I suggest a payment plan of R1 over 500 days, dropped in his postbox) and if he rejects, the offer is then null and void and you should just tell him where to shove himself instead.
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I like the way you think!

Except if you actually have to DO it (dropping R1 in his post box every day for 500 days). That could be more hassle than it's worth. Create an automated transaction on your online banking profile for R30 each month. Would work out better that way, I think :p
 
This reminds me of a joke about a man who stopped a lawyer in the street.

"Are you a laywer?", the man asked.
"Yes", said the lawyer.
"How much are your fees?", the man asked
"R1000 for 3 questions".
"Isn't that a bit much for just 3 questions?", the man asked.
"Nope" said the lawyer ... "so what's your third question?"
 
Don't use lawyers or other people to do permanent residence , I've done permanent residence 3 times for me and helping friends , was never a big issue . Just make sure you have all your papers ready (should be the same ones , which you needed for acc. spouse visa) , get appointment with the right person in Home Affairs and save your self lots of money and not risk being charged for nothing .... Half of the cases when people pay someone else to do their documents , they got screwed and in some cases their papers and passports got lost too
email me if you need more info... I dont charge ;)
 
A friend of mine went through the same thing with a real Shark of a lawyer... and before he knew it, two weeks later, the lawyer had already run up costs of R60,000.00

This was after only one court appearance. At that stage he just wanted to cancel with this swindler and hire a different guy, but the other lawyer insisted on "immediate payment"

He went over the papers and saw that this lawyer had charged him a few hundred rand for every phone call, e-mail, etc... no matter who initiated it... including the original phone call to enquire about his services.

He took the lawyer to the Law Society and they held a hearing and concluded that all these "fees" were fair and justified.

Bunch of freaking thieves and sharks. An honest lawyer is a very, very, very, extremely rare person to find.
 
PythonFSi said:
Law Society Of South Africa
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Don't count on getting anywhere with complaints against lawyers.

PythonFSi said:
The attorneys' profession is proud of its high professional standards and the low incidence of disciplinary action required by the provincial law societies. All attorneys are bound by a strict professional code.
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Their code of conduct is not worth the paper it is printed on. They have a low incidence of disciplinary action because they don't take any action in response to complaints.
 
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