Disputes involving fees
The Law Society does not set lawyers’ fees and there are no fixed rates for legal services.
If you don’t understand some of the items on your bill or if you disagree with the amount, here are the steps you can take:
- Talk it over with your lawyer and/or a senior partner in the lawyer’s firm. Go over the details and ask the lawyer to explain why a particular charge was made.
- If you and your lawyer cannot resolve your disagreement, consider using the Law Society Fee Mediation Program. The program is a free, informal process for dealing with fee disputes quickly and efficiently without having to go to court.
- Pursue a fee review through the BC Supreme Court Registrar.
- File a lawsuit in court. Both lawyers and clients have the right to sue over fee disagreements in either the BC Provincial Court (Small Claims) or the BC Supreme Court.
