Last week we bought control of a business. As is the way, the transaction involved not two but four sets of lawyers, who collected hundreds of thousands of pounds in fees. But at least most of these estimates were agreed in advance. One law firm, however, which had quoted £35,000, announced two days before completion that they intended to charge £110,000.
It baffles me how they can have the impertinence to call themselves professionals. Such behaviour makes cowboy builders look like choirboys. No other supplier of any other service would even dare to behave in such an egregious and cavalier manner. But somehow lawyers have risen to such exalted status that many of them appear to believe they are a breed apart, not subject to the same standards of decency and fair dealing to which the rest of us in commerce attempt to adhere.
Unfortunately the complications of modern society entirely suit lawyers. The blame culture and a pervasive sense of entitlement have encouraged increasing numbers of citizens to take legal action over accidents and disputes of every kind. The rise of “no win – no fee” lawyers has encouraged frivolous and vexatious litigants. Divorce, libel, medical negligence, patent trolls, employment claims, personal injury, product liability, antitrust – in so many areas of life, the system appears to have evolved to suit the legal profession and no one else. In previous eras, ethical standards were such that lawyers would rarely act in suspect cases. Is that still the case in the 21st century, when competition and materialism among the thousands of practising lawyers is so rampant?