Lawyer Beware

An article in the Times Online from the 22nd February serves as another example to me of the modern reality of being a lawyer. The article delights in the fact that celebrity divorce lawyer Raymond Tooth lost a case against a former client who represented herself. The case concerned Mr Tooth's bill, which had been reduced by the court. Mr Tooth appealed against the reduction, and lost. He had been charging the client £400 an hour for his work, a figure which he would have given to the client at the outset of the case. Despite this, the judge said that the client clearly couldn't afford such a charging rate and therefore Mr Tooth shouldn't have taken her on. Accordingly, his charges were reduced. This seems odd to me. Surely, the client should decide whether they can afford the lawyer, rather than the lawyer decide that the client can't afford him? After all, if you buy a Rolls Royce you can't expect a price reduction simply because you can only afford a Skoda.