Re: Ear bitten off solicitor taking 30%
"I dont believe solicitors are entitled to any % of fees (but often claim this fee) and you should report this matter immediately to the law society. "
I don't think the original poster is saying that the solicitor's charge is based on 30% of recovery. I think he may simply be saying that the charge is working out at 30% of recovery. There is nothing particularly odd about a €22k claim generating €8k of a legal fee. Obviously, I cannot comment on whether this case involved enough work to merit the fee charged.
"I've no problem with them asking for a % as long as its kept to within reasonable grounds. 10% is always the figure that springs to mind."
No longer the marketplace reality. Undoubtedly, there was a trend in persoal injuries firms for fees (and these would not be total fees, but the solicitor client fee - which merits a whole separate topic) to approximate toward 10% in times past. From a solicitor's perspective, this meant that the bigger claims subsidised the smaller claims. From the consumer's perspective, this lent a degree of predictability. But it was not transparent, and it is now frowned upon (might even be banned - I do not do personal injuries work, so would not be an expert)
Today, if you have a claim for €10,000.00 and the case is hotly contested and takes a lot of work, it is readily conceivable that the legal fees could be 50% or 60% of the amount recovered. Conversely, if you have a claim for €100k and it is relatively straightforward, the solicitors fees might indeed approximate to €10%.