Harare — The Law Society of Zimbabwe has increased hourly fees paid to lawyers by 200 percent in a move likely to deny ordinary citizens access to legal services without seeking approval from the National Income and Pricing Commission in terms of the law.

According to the revised general tariff of fees for legal practitioners released yesterday, the minimum fees paid to a lawyer with less than two years experience is now $60 million per hour from $20 million that was charged last month.

In an interview yesterday, NIPC chairman Mr Godwills Masimirembwa said his commission as required in terms of the regulations had not approved the new tariff.

"We did not approve the tariff," said Mr Masimirembwa.

"Any increase of the tariffs not sanctioned by the commission is null and void and unenforceable."

The society, he said, could not approve the increase without first engaging the NIPC on the matter.

Mr Masimirembwa said his commission would communicate with the LSZ to find out why it did not seek approval from the NIPC.

To engage the services of the more experienced lawyers, one has to fork out $150 million per hour from $50 million.

The charges take effect from this month and would be reviewed upwards on monthly basis in view of inflation.

The society said lawyers were professionally and legally obliged to charge fees for legal services, which are fair and reasonable in all circumstances.

"In order to assist the profession and the public in this regard and to seek a degree of uniformity and consistency, this tariff is recommended by the council of the society.

"This applies to all legal work undertaken by legal practitioners, save where some other tariff is applied by law or where the client has agreed to some other rate or basis of charging," said the LSZ.

According to the schedule contesting parties' fees in civil litigation, conveyancing fees, collection, commissions and deceased estate administration fees are not covered by the tariff whereas lawyers and client fees in civil litigation and fees for criminal and general non-litigious work are covered.

Legal fees are determined by the number of years a lawyer has been practising. The more experience the lawyer has the higher they charge.

In this case lawyers with between two and four years experience are required to demand $78 million per hour.

The lawyer with less than two years will charge $60 million per hour. Those with five to nine years in practice charge $102 million.

Hourly charges for lawyers between 10 and 14 years of experience are now pegged at $120 million, while those in the range of 15 to 19 years in the practice will charge $135 million.