I was recently asked to review some invoices a client had received from their solicitors. At the bottom of each invoice the client was advised of their right under “the Solicitors Remuneration Order 1972” to require the solicitors to “obtain a Certificate from the Law Society stating that in their opinion the costs charged are fair and reasonable”.
The right for a client to ask for such a certificate was revoked back in 2009. Why are there still solicitors advising their clients of rights that ceased to exist 15 years ago?
In this case, it was worse. The Solicitors Remuneration Order being referred to was the one from 1972. The 1972 Order was revoked by the Solicitors Remuneration Order 1994. The reference to the 1972 Order is therefore 30 years out of date.
You couldn’t make it up.
