Solicitor including the family home that automatically passes to surviving spouse to calculate his fees

"....and can accompany with factual online reviews etc that might make them think their reputation is more than the 3k..."

I can't imagine any business worth their salt reacting well to any implied threat of blackmail.

The rest of your post is spot-on.
 
Make them an offer, in writing, explaining that you think the are proposing too high a fee, and why that is.

Is that doesn't work, make a complaint to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA): https://www.lsra.ie

My personal view is that the solicitor is being opportunistic here, and should compromise, even if they will argue about the technicality of what the estate actually is etc.
 
ClubMan
That is how you might Quote
Others Might have a different method to quoting if you hired a solicitor and did not get a Idea of total cost and found out the hard way every Solicitor may have a different way of quoting and you assumed total cost going by what you would have done the old saying you learn something new every day,
Des Pondent
You got a quote on paper where Solicitor used a different quoting system you had a good idea of total cost and were happy to go ahead which was around 3000 plus vat for labor plus outlays for the want of a better word which you thought was ok,

Had the OP got a quote by % and a rough Idea of total cost which in this case was over 8K and expecting cost to be around 4K if it was my good self I would ask how far can you come down in price before I get a Quote from your Compititor down the road from you,

If I just went with on openended % Quote without checking what is included , I bought a pig in a bag and have to live with what i find when I open the bag,
 
bkenn14 said:
ClubMan
That is how you might Quote
Click to expand...
I've no idea what you are referring to that I posted.
I didn't post anything about how solicitors quote for jobs.
I merely qouted what the original poster posted and made some observations.
 
I am a beneficiary, not an executor.
I will have to go back to the executors to find out the initial agreement around the 1% and additional fees and costs.
It was an initial cause for concern when he billed €595 +Vat for Professional Property Transfer fees when there was no transfer of property and simply a withdrawal of name from property deeds with has a fee of €40 with Tailte Eireann that made me look a little closer.
As it stands c.€8000 plus fees & costings (& other additionals????) plus VAT. Its all adding up.
 
Of all the types people you should attempt to shake down (in writing no less) a lawyer is probably last on the list
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At no point anywhere did i think I said to use it as a threat or shake them down - sorry if it read that way. If you search any solicitors business there are many good and bad google reviews of each practice. That is what the review system is for. Yes you have to be careful what you say and state facts, but that shouldn't mean people stay silent when they receive poor service. I can see some people on here see it differently and that's grand. I would have no more a problem leaving a factual poor review of service from a solicitor as I would for restaurant. And I was clear I would do the negotiation and contact the LRSA first.
 
"...and let them know if they don't accept that you will take it up with the LRSA..."

Again this would be seen (correctly) as a form of blackmail and could well produce a messy outcome for the executors.
 
Totally respect your opinion if that's how you see it. I don't see that as blackmail at all - I would see that as letting someone know you intend to follow the due complaints process ie raise it with the individual first, and then the LRSA if it isn't resolved. The LRSA will be fair to both parties.

I would see "if you don't reduce the bill I will burn your office down" as blackmail and threatening.
 
BlackandBlue said:
It's not really up to you to decide whether the charge is fair or not.
The solicitor was retained by the executors so it's their call.
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ClubMan said:
Are the surviving spouse and the executor(s?) the same person? If not then I think it's the executor's (executors'?) job to query the charges with the solicitor and to ensure that they're appropriate for the work done and not unnecessarily eating into the value of the estate?
Click to expand...
 
  • Joint ownership among spouses: If the person who died and their spouse owned assets jointly, these assets usually transfer directly to the surviving spouse without the need for probate (for example: property or joint bank accounts)
This is taken directly from the services.courts.ie website
Thanks to all who contributed to the query. I will raised my concerns with the executors. At the time, the executors(also beneficiaries) informed the other beneficiaries just that they had appointed the solicitor as administrator for a 1% fee, but we were not given anymore detail than that. I agree that as the executors they have a responsibility to ensure that the estate has been dealt with fairly but I accept that at the end of the day it will be their decision whether to challenge or not.
 
Just coming back with a resolution.
I'd say because of family tenacity, the solicitor, still disagreeing, agreed to withdraw the inclusion of the family home in calculating his fees. It has been an education.
 
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