Kenyans will now have to pay more for legal services following the review of the Advocates Remuneration Order (ARO) that will see lawyers’ rates increase by 40 per cent.

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga gazetted the Review of the Advocates Remuneration (Amendment) Order (ARO), 2014, on Wednesday. The ARO is a document which sets out the scale of professional legal fees to be charged by advocates, providing for a minimum scale of fees for all categories of practitioners which are based on the nature of the transaction.

LAWYERS FACE HARD TIMES

According to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) the increment reflects the current economic realities, as lawyers’ remuneration was last reviewed eight years ago.

In June last year, the Law Society of Kenya had urged the Chief Justice to increase their legal fees with the LSK Chairman Eric Mutua citing the need to review their remuneration order upwards due to hard economic condition.

The Council of the Law Society of Kenya had presented Mutunga with an increase to the proposed general remuneration rates of between 80 to 100 per cent subsequent to which he submitted the proposals for public scrutiny.

The Constitution Implementation Commission submitted their opinions to the CJ and negotiated with the LSK Council for a general increase in fees in the range of 40 per cent, down from the 80-100 per cent originally proposed.

KENYAN LAWYERS BEST PAID IN EAC

The new rates make Kenyan lawyers the highest paid in East Africa as the rest of the countries are yet to review their Advocates Remuneration Orders.

Following the gazetting of the new rates, matters arising in services such as debt collection, filing of suits, conveyance and registration of trademarks will attract the new charges.

The Kenya Forum can only take being fair to lawyers for a limited time, so here’s six lawyer jokes to balance things up…

Q: What have you got with 500 lawyers at the bottom of the Indian Ocean?

A: A good start.

Q: You’re walking through the Maasai Mara on safari when suddenly you are confronted by a huge male lion ready to pounce, a black mamba rearing up ready to strike, and a lawyer. You pull out your revolver and suddenly realise you have only two bullets left. What do you do?

A: Shoot the lawyer twice – you can never be too careful.

Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and a herd of buffalo?

A: The lawyer charges more.

Q: What is the difference between a lawyer and a cockerel?

A: A cockerel clucks defiance.

Q: What’s the difference between a tick and a lawyer?

A: The tick falls off when you are dead.

Q: What does a lawyer get when you give him Viagra?

A: Taller