CARMEL RICKARD: Attorneys who don’t pay their fees
An advocate has been left out of pocket after an attorney absconded without settling his fees. But he’s not entitled to reimbursement from the Legal Practitioners’ Fidelity Fund, the courts have found
04 August 2022 - 05:00
Few things are as frustrating for an advocate as attorneys who don’t pay their fees.
The system in SA is that an attorney briefs an advocate on behalf of a client. The attorney bills the client, who is then supposed to pay the attorney. The attorney in turn settles with the advocate. But sometimes it happens that there’s a blockage in the chain of financial events. The advocate waits and waits — and, sometimes, it turns out, they wait in vain...
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