After winning my case, I paid my lawyer €400 in fixed fees and €9,000 in success fees, which correspond to 10% of my winnings. Can I challenge them?

According to the law ⁽¹⁾the lawyer’s fees must be set according to the financial means of the client, the difficulty of the case, the costs incurred by the lawyer, his reputation and the diligence he implements.

Often, there is a fixed part and another, variable, depending on the outcome of the trial. While the amount of the performance fee may be significantly higher than that of the fixed compensation, these two sums must not, however, be disproportionate.

Fees finally divided by 6 in a case

On this basis, the judges recently divided by six the fees for the result requested by a lawyer. They considered that his fixed price, set at €120, was clearly derisory compared to the €8,000 in fees for results ⁽²⁾. The sum of €1,200 would have been more reasonable, according to them. The lawyer had to reimburse the difference.

(1) Art. 10 of law n° 71-1130 of 31.12.71.(2) Cass. civil. 2^e of 10.11.21, n° 19-26183.