The rules governing how a retainer comes to an end — who may end it, on what grounds, and what duties and rights survive its termination.
Ending a retainer is not symmetrical: a client may walk away at any time, but a solicitor needs good reason, reasonable notice and care to avoid prejudicing the client's position. This chapter sets out the recognised grounds on which a solicitor may terminate and the consequences of getting it wrong, before turning to what follows the ending — the continuing obligations owed to a former client, the procedural step required in contentious matters, and which documents must be handed back. It then examines the solicitor's two routes to security for unpaid costs: the possessory lien over papers and how it is lost, and the statutory charge under s.73 of the Solicitors Act 1974, including how the two differ. Finally, it covers the events that terminate a retainer automatically or disturb authority to instruct, including bankruptcy and loss of mental capacity.
