Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Can you tell me about your awful solicitor experiences to make me feel a bit better?

123 replies

waytheleaveswork · 14/08/2020 13:53

Went into sign paperwork on a new flat today. Female solicitor who has done all the work has been fab, but was on holiday this week.

Male solicitor clearly hadn't opened my file before my 12pm appointment. He noticed some forms were missing - which he would have spotted before I came in if he had bothered to read the first page. Then proceeded to explain that because it was leasehold, I'd struggle to sell in 30 years time 'but hopefully you wouldn't still be living there'. He was just a totally arrogant, unprofessional, incompetent arse weasel.

When he told me I'd been asked to come in too soon, I just said OK and left.

I don't want to complain - there's no point. I just feel so insignificant and disappointed. I was bought out of my previous home by ex-DH. I know this flat isn't amazing, but I was excited about my next chapter. I have dealt with many solicitors over the past 4 years and, without exception, the women have been excellent and the men shite.

I'd love some solicitor horror stories to cheer me up.

OP posts:
InsaneInTheViralMembrane · 14/08/2020 18:26

The solicitor dealing with my mum’s will sent the paperwork to me (surprise executor)...
To their old house - where I have never lived - and which he did the paperwork for when they sold it! Friends (shit ones) of the family apparently.

MinnieMountain · 14/08/2020 20:06

@KitchenConfidential they should. We ask our clients to sign a letter confirming they're ok with it.

SuitedandBooted · 14/08/2020 20:21

The solicitor dealing with my mother's Will suddenly decided that she was too busy, and was going to pass it on to another firm. I had left all the paperwork with her - death certificate , Will etc, but apparently she didn't have it...nope...never seen it...

I pointed out that :

  1. She had been working on the case for some time, and therefore
    obviously had the paperwork to get things underway.

  2. She was dealing with a significant estate - so a random person (me) walking off the street and announcing their mother had died and they wanted the legal inheritance process started would need to provide proof said mother had actually died.

I mentioned Legal Ombudsman, and she magically found it all...Hmm

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Legal issues
Staringouttosea · 14/08/2020 20:31

@WeirdlyOdd

Ours got the new address wrong on all the paperwork! I know plenty of really competent lawyers in other legal fields, so have concluded that conveyancing work is perhaps attracting the less bright.
When I was at law school many moons ago, it was drummed into us that if we didn't study, conveyancing would be the only available career path... 😆
TeachesOfPeaches · 14/08/2020 20:47

I sent some paperwork recorded delivery to the solicitors, which they received and signed (I was able to see on the tracker), however, they never managed to track down the paperwork IN THEIR OWN OFFICE and it took them 2 weeks to tell me Angry

WeirdlyOdd · 14/08/2020 20:51

@Stairingouttosea that explains so much!

HolyForkinShirt · 14/08/2020 20:55

My current solicitor is so useless and I'm so close to the end I can't really change.

The other solicitor now gives me all the info to pass on to mine. I then chance daily to check it has been actioned. Basically I'm an unpaid middleman, doing more work than the man I'm paying a shit tonne of money to!

I'm reluctant to complain to much until the process of finished, I imagine he is the sort to delay things further if I cause a stink !

Hang in there op !!

HolyForkinShirt · 14/08/2020 20:56

@Mumsnut

Mine murdered his associate mid sale
How inconsiderate of him to do it before your completion ! I joke
kittenpeak · 14/08/2020 20:56

I would thank him for pointing out an issue with the lease! He could have delivered the news better, but he's done you a favour i think...

Bluntness100 · 14/08/2020 20:58

Ok , I’ll Say it too, the solicitors who do high street conveyancing are generally not the guys who graduated from a top uni with a first, and their training, if it was also high street, is also not excellent.

But you pay for what you get. And trust me your fees reflect that. So yeah, you’re going to get a higher proportion of shit ones, because, well you know why..

OnceUponAPotato · 14/08/2020 21:13

A solicitors local to me was closed down today by the regulators - who have apparently seized all papers and bank accounts. Nightmare if you’re a client!

StCharlotte · 14/08/2020 21:26

Somebody owes us money. They admitted this last year. No nearer to receiving it. Employed solicitor to send "sternly worded" letter. Six months on still no money. Solicitor reluctant to exert any more pressure. Don't really understand why. Can't really complain. He's my boss Angry

daisychain01 · 14/08/2020 21:29

@Sanch1

My DH sold a place and there was a delay. Enquired as to the reason fo the delay and was told it was the other solicitors fault. Turns out the 'other' solicitor was from the same firm - just blaming themselves for being shite basically!
That's conflict of interest, surely?
Whathewhatnow · 14/08/2020 21:32

I really enjoyed this thread... but also was a lot aargh. The murdering being an unassailable low point.

I've only needed conveyancers 3 times and they've, all 3, been extremely competent and on the ball. And no murders. Everyone is a winner . You really do have to say more about the murderinfn...PP...

I feel a little bit defensive about conveyancing sols... one of the people I like best in the world does this for a living and she is absolutely awesome. She would kick the butt of anyone who tried to pull a fast one.

Whathewhatnow · 14/08/2020 21:34

Was a lot arrrrgh? You know what I mean. I.e., felt aaaarrrgh reading some of the above

Speakeasy22 · 14/08/2020 21:42

I bumped into my solicitor who was drunk at a party. Took me a while to recognise her as it was totally out of context. She started going on about my divorce and the very private issues surrounding my exH in a very very loud voice. All within earshot of friends and colleagues. Excruciating...

MinnieMountain · 14/08/2020 21:52

@kittenpeak there is no issue with the lease.

Jimdandy · 14/08/2020 22:28

As a Commercial Property Solicitor myself it’s hard to read a Solicitor bashing thread but Conveyancing is the area most people use in their life!

Biggest problem is people want cheap cheap cheap so to offer Conveyancing firms mostly have to take on lots of files to compete. unless you want to pay double/treble for the fee (a lot of the charges go to third parties such as Land Registry and searches) then you have to sit in a queue.

Further it’s unlikely a solicitor will actually do any work on your file these days or maybe skim it or sign it off. Very often it’s unqualified people, or people who have just been trained in house at the firm doing the majority of the work again to keep costs low.

It’s not right the man was rude to you, but if he was just covering a colleague’s holiday it sounds like he had the arse having to cover. Also it isn’t time effective to read the entire file etc and really his colleague should have left notes for him to go off, maybe he didn’t know the info for that reason. None of this is your problem though granted, you are still the customer.

Jimdandy · 14/08/2020 22:30

@daisychain01 there’s an exemption for Conveyancing as it’s non-contenscious and There’s a mutually common goal, thinks it’s 3.6 and 3.7 of the code of conduct if memory serves.

Original poster
waytheleaveswork · 14/08/2020 23:34

Totally agree 're getting what you pay for, bit this firm isn't cheap! Also I was asked to meet him as the person to sign this off - not holiday cover at all.

I know several competent, wonderful conveyancing solicitors. The issue was his attitude not his legal skill.

Thanks again for all the terrible stories. Hopefully 1 month to go and this will be done!

OP posts:
MinnieMountain · 15/08/2020 07:57

@Jimdandy I'm a solicitor working for a Conveyancers. It's been eye opening.

They employ graduates to do the grunt work, who they train up. Each team leader who does file sign off, freehold title checks etc is experienced but not necessarily a Licenced Conveyancer. I work on the "complex" team, title checking anything more complicated than a standard freehold. But again, not all of our team have any qualifications.

Seeing the client to sign off the file seems rather old fashioned though OP. I once had to see clients at my house to do that as his working hours meant they could never get to our office, despite it being in the town they were buying in.

JoJothesquirrel · 15/08/2020 08:36

I exchanged on the first day of locks so things were “tense” had to find a new mover at the last gasp etc. After the money was transferred the solicitor called I assumed to check it had a arrived. He said the buyers wanted 400 for a new boiler. I said the boiler was 5 years into a 10 year guarantee so tough. He came back the next day saying the boiler was 20 years old. Then started a week of backward and forward where I said I wasn’t giving them £400 and the lawyer coming back with reasons why I should. Eventually I said get them to send a pic of the boiler and he said they had already had it ripped out and hadn’t had a boiler for 6 weeks cause they were waiting for £400. Eventually I wrote and emailing saying as far as I was concerned this matter was closed, please do not contact me again about this issue. Return email said “what should I tell the buyers?” I just resent my email in bold, haven’t heard back I assume it’s sorted.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/08/2020 09:07

2 useless ones in the same
practice! One was handling the purchase of a LH flat where the freeholder was apparently absent (he was just hiding a few miles away under another name because of debts attached to the FH).

After going painfully slowly through the whole thing until shortly before exchange, he then advised us not to buy it!
The other was supposed to be handling the purchase of the FH - said he was conversant but was clueless and needed a stick of dynamite up his bum to answer any call or email.
We went ahead anyway, it’s been a v good buy, ditched that co. and used a specialist sol - very efficient - for the FH purchase.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/08/2020 09:13

Might add that when a dd was buying her first house and had no personal recommendation in a new area for a sol, she used the EA’s recommended one.

I’d never previously have thought that a good idea, but the whole thing, from offer accepted to getting the keys, was wrapped up in 6 weeks!
I was flabbergasted!

NeedToKnow101 · 15/08/2020 09:48

@BigGee

I was selling my parent's home after they passed away, and we were three days from exchanging when the solicitor finally confessed that she'd lost the original deeds. She made a song and dance of spending a whole weekend searching her offices from top to bottom before the paperwork was "discovered" safe and sound at the local court, where it had been lodged for an associated issue that needed looked at, and forgotten about. She then tried to invoice me for the time she spent looking for the "missing" paperwork. Her boss sorted that out very quickly when I mentioned I had been in touch with the Law Society about her long list of mistakes and carelessness ( this was just one of several stressful situations the bimbo subjected me to).
Sorry to derail, but do you need the original deeds when selling a property, or can the ones stored online by the Land Registry be used?