A law firm applied for approval of a contingency fee agreement, approval of accounts following termination of the retainer, and authorization to deduct fees and disbursements from funds held in trust.
The court also heard a motion for the firm to be removed as counsel of record after a breakdown in the solicitor-client relationship.
While permitting the firm to withdraw from the record, the court declined to approve the contingency fee agreement or automatically enforce hourly rates triggered by termination.
Instead, the court held that the firm was entitled only to reasonable compensation for legal services and directed that the accounts be assessed in the ordinary manner under the Solicitors Act.
Fees relating to escrow agent services were found not to constitute legal services and therefore were not subject to assessment under that regime.
