UK Advice on problem with a Probate Solicitor in Bournemouth

I'm looking for some advice on whether I've taken the right approach in a dispute with a solicitor.

Ten years ago, the mother of my best friend died. Before her death, she had used a local solicitor in East Bournemouth, Dorset in the UK to prepare her will. That solicitor had also arranged for himself to be appointed as executor under the will. The value of the estate was a house in East Bournemouth area plus about £300,000. The house had already been part transferred to my friend a few years previously because he lived there with his mother, and he continued living in it until his death. So the problem solicitor basically just had to sell my friends mothers shares and investments which unbelievably took ten years

After my friend died the value of some American shares his mother had did increase by about £200,000 largely due to the pound losing value and because  the Solicitor literally taking a decade to do a task that should have been done in two years

After his mother’s  death, the solicitor quoted my friend approximately £10,000 plus a percentage commission based on the value of the entire estate to administer it. My friend thought this was excessive and obtained a quote from another solicitor to do the entire job for a fixed fee of £2,500 + VAT and disbursements. When he informed the original solicitor that he would not be using him, the original solicitor suddenly agreed to match the £2,500 fixed-fee quote, and my friend instructed him.

Unfortunately, my friend died about two years later. In his will, I was appointed his executor (I am not a beneficiary). As executor of my friend's estate, I inherited responsibility for dealing with the ongoing administration of his mother's estate. I got a far better solicitor to deal with my friends estate who could not have been more helpful but i was still lumbered with the sub optimal Solicitor dealing with my friends mothers estate

The administration became a nightmare. The East Bournemouth solicitor's firm appeared to have a high turnover of staff. Every time I contacted them to ask for an update, I would often discover that the person handling the matter had left. Files would sit untouched for six to twelve months at a time before being reassigned. There were also delays caused by COVID and some complications involving shares held in the United States, but many of the delays seemed to stem from poor management and lack of continuity within the firm.

The estate was finally completed only a few weeks ago – almost ten years after the death of my friend’s mother.

Two years ago, the firm provided draft estate accounts and stated that only some tax calculations remained outstanding (which took two years) . When I reviewed those accounts, I discovered that they had deducted approximately £22,000 in legal fees plus around £17,000 in disbursements. This came as a complete shock because the only fee agreement I had ever seen was the fixed fee of £2,500 + VAT plus  disbursements.

At no point did the firm notify me that the basis of charging had changed. There was no discussion, no revised engagement letter, and no request for approval. The increased fees only became apparent when I examined the estate accounts.

I also became concerned because proceeds from share sales appeared to have passed through accounts outside the client account before eventually reaching the estate account, making it difficult for me to verify that all funds had been correctly collected and accounted for.

As a result, a year ago I made a complaint to the SRA regarding both the lack of transparency over fees and the handling of estate funds. The SRA responded that they did not consider there to be a regulatory issue requiring action.

Now that the estate has finally been completed a few weeks ago and all remaining funds just released, I asked the solicitor to provide:

1. An itemised breakdown of the £22,000 fees.
2. An explanation of why the fixed-fee agreement of £2,500 had apparently been abandoned.
3. Confirmation of whether they had instead reverted to their original proposal of £10,000 plus a percentage commission, which I have written evidence showing my friend expressly rejected.

The solicitor has refused to answer or provide an itemised bill or answer any of those questions. Their position appears to be that because the SRA did not take action, they do not need to explain themselves further. And this by inference means according to them the beneficiaries of the estate have no right to know what or why £22, 000 plus £18,000 disbursements was ultimately deducted from their inheritance. I am not a beneficiary, but I am angry that I feel my best friend who died was being taken advantage of by this solicitor

I have now made a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.

My questions are:

• Does the Legal Ombudsman sound like the correct route in these circumstances?
• Can a solicitor move from an agreed fixed fee to charging £22,000 without informing the client?
• Should they be required to provide an itemised bill explaining how those fees were calculated?
• Is there any other avenue I should be considering?

Any thoughts or similar experiences would be appreciated.