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SINGAPORE \u2013 A lawyer, who was found in 2024 to have <\/p>\n overcharged a couple for handling a lawsuit over their son\u2019s death<\/p>\n <\/a>, has had his bills found to be \u201cplainly excessive\u201d again in a separate case involving another client.<\/p>\n Mr Vijay Kumar\u00a0Rai\u00a0of Arbiters Inc Law Corporation had billed this client $108,225 in fees for work done over a seven-month period in 2023 before the trial even started.<\/p>\n The amount was slashed to $34,000 by District Judge Chiah Kok Khun, after the client asked the courts to assess the bills.<\/p>\n In his written judgment on Dec 22, 2025, the district judge cited the findings of a High Court judge, who had said at an earlier stage of the bill dispute that the fees claimed by Mr Rai were excessive.<\/p>\n Arbiters has since filed an appeal to the High Court against Judge Chiah\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n In December 2024, the Appellate Division of the High Court had found that Mr Rai overcharged a couple who engaged him to file a <\/p>\n negligence suit over the suicide of their 31-year-old son<\/p>\n <\/a>.<\/p>\n The couple had dropped their lawyers and settled the case on their own for $330,000. After the settlement, Arbiters sued the couple to press for payment of bills amounting to about $370,000. The bill was reduced to $87,000 by the Appellate Division of the High Court in December 2024. <\/p>\n The three-judge court said the costs claimed by Mr Rai were so \u201cplainly excessive as to amount to overcharging\u201d.<\/p>\n The Appellate Division also referred Mr\u00a0Rai\u2019s conduct to the Law Society of Singapore for a disciplinary inquiry.<\/p>\n