A client recieved only $72,000 from a payout of $412,000 after fees had been deducted by his lawyer. Although serious irregularities were found, the judge ruled that these were not "deliberate". Any hope of this sort of breach being rectifed when lawyers become a national profession rather than a self-regulated profession have been diluted, as the proposed governance of the profession will be predominantly made up of lawyers. Read more here.
Overcharging by lawyers in New Zealand is governed by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006. Read a recent decision of the Lawyers Standards Committee here.