You have 0 free articles left this month.

Lawyers Weekly - legal news for Australian lawyers

Powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
lawyers weekly logo
Advertisement
SME Law

Solicitor counts client’s funeral as one more billable hour

A UK solicitor has lost his practising certificate after charging £750 an hour to attend a client’s funeral.

December 14, 2015 By Felicity Nelson
cemetary
expand image

York lawyer Philip Crowe, 79, was hired in 2000 to prepare a will and act as executor and trustee of an estate. When the client died, Mr Crowe was instructed to distribute £3,000 from the estate to 11 charities.

 
 

After reaping a hefty fee of £71,646, Mr Crowe dipped into the estate for  £121,950 to pay back debt.

Claiming that his client had requested he be paid handsomely and that he deserved to be paid for attending a funeral, Mr Crowe even put in a bill for paying his respects.

Mr Crowe was found to have padded his legal fees by £51,000 and a tribunal ruled that he was “without integrity”, was in breach of Solicitors Regulation Authority accounting rules and should be struck off.

You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member today
Got a tip for us?
If you have any news tips or stories to share, feel free to send them our way.
Momentum Media Logo
Most Innovative Company