The following addresses frequently asked questions pertaining to legal fees:

Q. Are there recommended guidelines for legal fees in Singapore?
In line with anti-competition laws in Singapore, there are presently no guidelines or recommended structure for lawyers’ fees.

Q. Can my lawyer ask for a deposit even before the work is performed?
Your lawyer may receive a deposit from the client as security for fees to be charged. The money received will be deposited into the law firm’s client account. When the lawyer presents an invoice after performing the work, the lawyer may transfer the equivalent to the invoiced amount to the law firm’s own bank account provided that the client does not object to the amount billed.

Q. Can my lawyer charge interest on his invoice?
A lawyer may charge interest on his disbursements and Bill of Costs from the end of one month from the date his invoice is dated.

Q. What are ‘solicitor and client costs’ and ‘party and party costs’?
‘Solicitor and client costs’ refers to the legal costs you are liable to pay to your own lawyer. ‘Party and party’ costs refers to legal costs that a losing party in a court matter has to pay to the winning party:

If you succeed in your contentious matter, you can expect to recover your ‘party and party costs’ which will cover part of your ‘solicitor and client costs’. If you are unhappy with the legal costs you have to pay the other party’s lawyers (in the situation that you have lost your case and have been asked to pay for the other party’s costs), you should consult your lawyer as to the taxation procedure of the ‘party and party costs’. The ‘party and party costs’ is in addition to the ‘solicitor and client costs’ you have to pay your own lawyer.