👿 Solicitors: Devils or Defenders?

😱 Too often I'm hearing the same painful story:

 An employee gets mistreated by their employer… then goes to a solicitor for help… and ends up getting exploited all over again

Instead of support, they’re hit with:

 📌 A hefty retainer they can’t afford - "That'll be $5000 to take instruction"

 📌 Monthly bills with no clear progress - " We invoice on 21st of each month"

 📌 Pressure to settle early, not because it’s best for them, but because it’s convenient for the lawyer - "Take the deal, it's a good one"

That’s not representation. That’s business at the client’s expense

💡 Why Contingency Matters

If a solicitor truly believes in a client’s case and genuinely wants the best outcome, they should be willing to share the risk

A fair contingency arrangement means:

⚖️ The client doesn’t shoulder all the financial risk up front

⚖️ The lawyer only succeeds when the client succeeds

⚖️ Trust is built on aligned incentives, not blind faith

If a lawyer won’t even consider contingency, what does that say about their confidence in the case… or their commitment to the client?

🚨 The Devil’s Bargain

Yes, not every case suits contingency. Yes, fees must be transparent and ethical (not extortionate percentages buried in fine print)

But refusing outright to ever act on contingency? That tells me the solicitor is protecting themselves, not the client

And when vulnerable people, especially those already harmed in a workplace, are forced to choose between no representation and financial ruin, the system has failed

🔖 My Call to Action

To solicitors: If you claim to stand for justice, prove it. Put some skin in the game

To clients: Ask the hard question: “Would you take your case on contingency?” 

 The answer tells you everything

To the profession: If we want to rebuild trust, contingency representation shouldn’t be the exception, it should be part of the standard toolkit

Because real representation means standing with your client, not just billing them

👿 A solicitor who refuses to share risk may not be the devil…

 …but to a struggling client, they sure look like one