A Bermuda resident has accused legal firm Conyers, Dill & Pearman of charging exorbitant fees for taking two trustees off her will.

Earlier this year Chi Zing Chang, 82, went to CD&P - as the lawyers who drafted the original will in 1995 - to have the alteration made but said she was shocked to be charged nearly $700 for the "deletion of two names".

Mrs. Chang - who is originally from China but fled that country in the 1950s after the Communist party came to power - said she came to the Island about ten years ago after having lived in Australia and the US.

And she claimed that CD&P may have thought they could take advantage of her as "an old Chinese woman," she said.

Mrs. Chang went to CD&P in 1995 to make up a will, which was done, she said, by a Mr. Dill who she said had since retired.

To get the will drafted five years ago cost her between $300 and $350, she said.

She added: "As Mr. Dill is retired, CD&P told me to see (firm lawyer) Andrew Woods. They said that Mr. Woods had taken up Mr. Dill's work.

"I went to see Mr. Woods and showed him the old will that that he could, based on the old will, just delete two trustee's from the old will."

Mrs. Chang continued: "Mr. Woods said that when the new will was ready he would phone me and sign in front of witnesses. So when Mr. Woods phoned me I went to sign the will. And he asked me if I wanted the will copied. I said yes and Mr. Woods took the original to make the copy and brought back two envelopes to me. And I asked 'how much to pay?' Mr. Woods told me I would have to wait and ask the accountant."

In response to Mrs. Chang's complaint, which she also said she had put in a letter to Mr. Woods, a CD&P spokesperson said: "Obviously we cannot discuss the complexity of individual client relationships. But I can tell you that we offer top quality service including a full exploration of all legal ramifications."

He added: "We bill fairly and equitably for our service. And are a very well-respected law and services firm."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Chang said she asked repeatedly for her account balance, wanting to settle the bill before taking a trip for treatment for a medical condition, but was not given a straight answer on what the firm's services would cost.

She added that she had not received the bill until last month as she was off the Island during parts of April and May for acupuncture therapy in San Francisco.

On returning to the Island she found her bill stood at $688.20 "for professional services rendered, including attendance at meeting with client and taking instructions regarding new Will; attendance at drafting new Will; attendance at telephone call to client; attendance at engrossing new will; attendance at meeting with client to sign new will; attendance at copying and dodging original will in CD&P vault for safekeeping; attendance at correspondence to client enclosing copy of same; all due care and attention throughout".

Mrs. Chang balked at paying a bill nearly double what she had paid for the drafting of her original will. "I feel taken advantage of. I did not ask Mr. Woods to do all those things. And I repeatedly asked what it would cost, but he said he did not know," she said.

Although Mrs. Chang said she wants to settle her bill with CD&P, she said: "I intend to pay but not that much."