“Unifying the Bar” Professional Pluralism and the Case for a National Scale of Professional Legal Fees in Ghana

A price floor is justified, if at all, by the public obligations associated with legal practice. Competent representation requires obtaining and assessing instructions, identifying relevant law, communicating advice, preserving confidences, maintaining records, exercising independent judgment, and managing conflicts. These duties remain in force even when a client negotiates a discount. If the fee is insufficient to support the work reasonably necessary to discharge these obligations, a practitioner may be incentivised to reduce time spent, overextend capacity, or shift costs to other clients.