For far too long most lawyers have been having a gala time sucking out the costs awarded by courts to litigants. Costs are meant for the litigants to keep but on the contrary the representing lawyers have been stealing these rights from their clients.

They either keep the entire costs or they part with pittance and retain the major chunk of it. They have many explanations to justify their claims.

A friend of mind once asked his lawyer who pays the costs if he loses the case. The lawyer replied that obviously it is the client. He then asked the lawyer who takes the costs if he wins the case. The lawyer replied that obviously the lawyer keeps it because he fought hard to win. This is wrong.

This lawyer should be arrested and put into jail. Firstly he has been paid his legal fees. Secondly the costs are awarded because of the monetary losses suffered by the client just to seek some justice from court.

This lawyer has proven beyond reasonable doubt his greed and his ambition for an unfettered access to enrich himself at the expense of his client.

The simple solution here is for the chief justice to pass a law that all costs must be paid in the name of the client and not in the name of the legal firm. This should put to rest the daylight robbery practised by far too many lawyers in Malaysia in depriving the client of the costs awarded by courts.