Minister asks committee to look into legal fees

Minister of Justice Michael Masutha has established a committee to look into the fees charged by lawyers.

In a statement released by Masutha’s office on Tuesday‚ he said the advisory committee would “assist the South African Law Reform Commission to investigate and make recommendations on legal fees charged by the legal profession to clients.”

The committee would look into what made legal fees so unaffordable for most people and find ways to facilitate access to legal services. It would also look into whether there was any room for clients to negotiate their legal fees.

Committee members include a magistrate‚ professors and lecturers of law as well as a representative of Legal Aid South Africa.

The work of the committee is expected to immediately get under way and be completed by August 2020.