Original scientific paper
Some aspects of lawyer rights as proxy in legal proceedings
Dinka Šago
; Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu, Split, Hrvatska
Abstract
Every party is free to represenet herself in civil litigation or to choose the representative of her choice. The intention of this paper is to provide insight of the rights of lawyers as representatives in civil litigation by analisying matter of rights to compensation, reimbursement, and the right of retention. Finally, we will look at some practical problems and dilemmas that arise in relation to the permissibility pactum de quote litis in Croatian law. We think that this institute should be appropriately reassert one of the ways to determine lawyer's fees. Remuneration of lawyers allows to the parties to conduct the proceedings otherwise they would give up from the proccedings because they wouldn't have the means to meet the costs of representation. Also contingency fee arrangements speed up litigation and the handling of cases since they motivate lawyers to close matters faster, devoting a relatively small amount of time to each concern. They make lawyers more interested in winning their cases since if the client prevails, the lawyer will take a portion of the profits too. The acceptance of the pactum de quota litis does not free the lawyer from his other duties under the Code of Ethics, such as loyalty to the client and fairness in his relationship with the client. The contingency fee arrangement must not be disadvantageous to the client.
Keywords
representative; lawyer's fees; right of retention; pactum de quota litis
Hrčak ID:
79137
URI
Publication date:
28.3.2012.
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