The Brisbane Times reported yesterday that….
Measures to prevent Australian law firms overcharging and exploiting vulnerable clients will be discussed by the country’s professional legal bodies nationally over the next year.
The Brisbane Times reports
In Canberra yesterday the standing committee of attorneys-general (SCAG) agreed unanimously to ask its national legal profession joint working party to consult the profession on five proposals aimed at greater transparency and accountability regarding legal fees.
The measures proposed by NSW for eventual adoption into the national model law on the regulation of the legal profession include a prohibition on law practices charging excessive costs, fines for any breaches of provisions adopted, and a new regulation under which the principals of law firms – not their solicitors or any other person – would approve bills.
The NSW Attorney-General, John Hatzistergos, hopes that following consultation over the next 12 months with law societies, bar associations and other legal professional bodies, the measures will be adopted into the legal profession acts of the various states and territories.
See the full story at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/law-firm-fees-under-scrutiny-20090417-aa7u.html
