Overcharging

There has been a lot of press recently about overcharging by lawyers (or more precisely, overcharging by one particular firm of lawyers in Sydney). Click here to see some of those press reports.

The problem that I have is about punishment and sanctions. Mr Keddie (the principal of the firm) has made his fortune in life (at the expense of his clients). Any punishment he is given by fine or being barred from future practice won't really make much difference to him. Contrast that with a (probably not too smart) young person who robs a service station or convenience store and possible gets a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. This person is likely to find themselves in jail. I don't think we have the proportionality right here!

Photo used under creative commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomofo/139808866/