Expert discussions on lawyers’ fees

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Published: December 7, 2020

Lawyers’ fees were the subject of online expert discussions held on 19 November 2020, to which IRZ had invited members of the Georgian Bar Association (GBA) and the German Federal Bar Association (BRAK). Also represented at the seminar was the Georgian Legal Aid Service, a state institution which guarantees free legal aid for deprived citizens.

The President of the GBA, David Asatiani, referred in his opening speech to the currently insufficient statutory regulation of lawyers’ fees in Georgia and pleaded for the introduction of a minimum rate for lawyers. He said that the current situation had led to unfair competition and damage to the reputation of all lawyers.

As the expert discussions continued, Giorgi Turazashvili, a member of the GBA executive committee, presented the basics of the remuneration system for Georgian lawyers and drew the participants’ attention to some other fundamental problems. The German lawyer and notary, Dagmar Beck-Bever, explained the cornerstones of the system for lawyers’ fees in Germany. The Georgian participants were particularly interested in the scale of charges and fees in Germany, which was analysed and discussed in great detail. At the end of the discussions, it was agreed that lawyers’ fees in Georgia should be reformed, in the interests of clients looking for legal advice and the lawyers themselves.

The German legal system has traditionally served as a role model in Georgia. It was also agreed, therefore, that the reforms in lawyers’ fees should be based on the German model. Both IRZ and the German Federal Bar Association offered their full support to their Georgian colleagues as they continue their efforts to introduce reforms.