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John Gould examines whether the current regime for solicitor-client fee disputes has outlived its purpose
- Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 is an outdated and overly technical framework for solicitor remuneration disputes that no longer reflects modern legal practice, regulation or consumer protection.
- Solicitor-client fee disputes should instead be resolved through ordinary contractual principles, ADR and ombudsman redress, bringing solicitors into line with other legal and professional services.
The Civil Justice Council’s consultation on the reform of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 closes on 16 July 2026. Part III is important but esoteric. It establishes the legal framework for solicitor remuneration for both contentious (litigation) and non-contentious (such as conveyancing and probate) business. It sets out how fees are determined, how principles for non-contentious work are prescribed, and the rights of clients to challenge fees through court procedures.
Part III’s provisions are deeply rooted in another age, when if the courts didn’t prevent some Dickensian solicitor from ripping off his clients, there was no-one else much around to do so. Had there been regulators and
