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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you be happy to deal with me?

91 replies

tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 12:22

This is not really an AIBU just interested in views. I am a conveyancing paralegal - have been for many years and did the qualification at Uni, although to be fair it wasn't that useful as I knew most of the stuff already. I live in Scotland and due to recent legislation changes the job seems to be getting harder and harder, however, I am up to speed with all this and if I am not sure of anything I always ask my boss or I get him to phone clients. I am very good at my job (not a boast) and my boss has told me that I'm actually better than an awful lot of solicitors. I see transactions through from beginning to end with minimal supervisions and always do my best. My question is, would you be happy to deal with me or would you prefer always to speak to a solicitor. I basically got shouted at by a client the other day before things were not going the way he wanted (nothing to do with me and in actual fact I managed to sort the issue by doing the other solicitor's work from him and resolved the issue. No thanks for client and he was unwilling to speak to me and only wanted to speak to his lawyer, which I kind of understand but I basically got accused of messing about and holding things up (not true) and have kept him up to date all always and told him I wasn't sure thing could be resolved if the other solicitor didn't pull him finger out. Thoughts would be appreciated.

OP posts:
Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:23

Fatandfrigid thanks for that. I think a lot of solicitors concentrated on other areas of law and there is a real lack of new solicitors coming through. A lot of solicitors rely heavily on paralegals now and I have to say from experience I would much rather deal with a paralegal - they are much quicker at getting back to you and they always answer e-mails straight away.

OP posts:
EthelHornsby · 08/04/2018 13:24

I would be happier to deal with you, if that is your are of expertise, than the solicitor who has overcharged us for making a complete hash of our property sale as she doesn’t appear to know what she is doing

nursy1 · 08/04/2018 13:24

Ive used a house conveyance. It was cheaper, nothing complex about it so very happy with service.

Skiiltan · 08/04/2018 13:26

Idontdowindows - and won't be fobbed off with people in training.

So how do you expect them to complete their training?

ChampagneCommunist · 08/04/2018 13:27

No, paralegals aren't as respected as qualified individuals (of which I am one).

Yes, they are used a lot by the big conveyancing firms, that's because they are cheap to hire, not because of their skills.

Yes, the qualified lawyer on the other side can tell when we are dealing with an unqualified paralegal.

Yes, if your clients knew they were paying a unqualified person to do the job they have hired a qualified person to do, they'd be pissed off

Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:30

DanceDisaster yes I'm sure he was just lashing out - it is very stressful. I had asked the solicitor to phone the man last week to warn him of all the issues and to advise that thinks might no settle on the time but he said there was no need.

OP posts:
Fatandfrigid · 08/04/2018 13:31

Tartan , do you think the people I have mentioned might in fact have been paralegals ?
Champagne, interesting input and thanks for giving a solicitor’s Opinion.
Do you have any comments about my recent experiences mentioning upthread?

Tartan, I have sent you a PM.

Fatandfrigid · 08/04/2018 13:33

Sorry , to clarify, when I said “ can you do conveyancing yourself ? “ I didn’t mean as a home buyer, I meant can you, a paralegal, do all the stuff and cut out a solicitor completely?
Thanks

StuckSoutherner · 08/04/2018 13:33

I'd be more than happy OP, and tbh the rates wouldn't bother me either. If you have the skills and knowledge to do the job, that's what I'm paying for not the bit of paper in a frame. That said I always breathe a sigh of relief when I get dealt with by a nurse, nurse practitioner and physician associate rather than a doctor as ime they're often more diligent than those with the "proper" qualifications.

turnipfarmers · 08/04/2018 13:33

I would in some cases, for example with straight forward house buying. I'd expect the price to be reduced considerably though.

seventh · 08/04/2018 13:37

I'm happy to deal with a conveyancer as long as I pay conveyancer rates.

Allergictoironing · 08/04/2018 13:37

But she IS qualified as a paralegal, not a basic admin person who happens to work for a solicitors. In many practices the paralegals do all the work and it's checked & signed by the lawyer - not because they don't have absolute faith in the paralegal, but because I gather it's a legal requirement. My friend used to be a conveyancing PA, no qualifications as such just years of experience, and this was how she worked including when she was with a top City legal company.

As a pp said, the lawyer spends all those years learning about all legal fields, whereas for the conveyancing paralegal that's all they do every day. I know I'd rather deal with a highly experienced paralegal rather than a lawyer who's only recently qualified, and has done about 3 cases of conveyancing!

Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:38

Mumoftwoyoungkids - it''s a flat rate fee not an hourly rate. The solicitor is always available to talk to if need be. Weirdly enough after getting shouted at by the first client the next one I had a meeting with couldn't praise me enough - and he has always dealt with me throughout and never once phoned the solicitor. We get loads of repeat business and I get phoning me all the time for advice or to put in an Offer because I had a good rapport with them. I've never once had a complaint from anyone about my work and no one could have done any more than me to get things sorted for to enable the transaction to settle. A solicitor would not have had the time or inclination to do what I did on Friday - I basically did the selling solicitor's work for him because he didn't know what to do and he had royally cocked things up - and no, he wasn't a trainee, the guy must be at least 60!

OP posts:
Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:42

Fatandfrigid not too sure to be fair. When I did the Uni course they said I could do transactions for people who weren't getting a mortgage - you have to be a registered solicitor to be on lender's panels. Don't think it would really work because you have to register people's title deeds at Registers of Scotland.

OP posts:
GlubGlubGlub · 08/04/2018 13:44

I’m a solicitor and absolutely I would be happy to deal with a paralegal.

evilharpy · 08/04/2018 13:45

Idontdowindows do you use a financial adviser? Particularly have you ever transferred a pension or other investment from one provide to another? I can almost guarantee that all the hard work, especially the technical stuff, was done by a paraplanner.

FloraPostIt · 08/04/2018 13:46

I would be happy to deal with an experienced paralegal. There is a lot of snobbery over job titles in law IME. 'Paralegal' can mean anything from an admin person in a factory firm to someone who runs their own cases. You sound like the latter. It's about the actual job you do and how well you do it. Look at Meghan Markle in Suits, for a helpful real life example.

Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:51

ChampagneCommunist I'm not sure that's entirely the case. I deal with a whole lot of incompetent solicitors who really don't know their stuff. My boss has basically trained me on the job and he is the best lawyer I have ever worked with - he really knows his stuff and has been a great mentor. I have a hit list of firms I hate dealing with because I know how bad some of the lawyers can be.

OP posts:
thefairyfellersmasterstroke · 08/04/2018 13:52

I think some of the posters who are not familiar with house sale procedures in Scotland may not appreciate that the entire procedure is carried out by solicitors - we don't really have estate agents as such. It's therefore unreasonable to expect that the solicitor would deal with every tiny detail himself. Whenever I've sold or moved house, my solicitor has given an estimate of the costs at the outset, with only the actual sale price affecting the final figure. But that's a quote that the firm charges, not the solicitor as an individual.

During the process I may speak with him or his main paralegal, who is brilliant, and it would never occur to me that I'm being shortchanged, as the overall fee takes into account all the staff who might work on the case. So no, OP, I'd have no problem dealing with you, as I'd pretty much expect it at some point.

Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:54

GlubGlubGlub thanks for that. Funnily enough one of the other solicitors in the firm said they would rather deal with paralegals any day of the week.

OP posts:
Original poster
tartanbunnet · 08/04/2018 13:56

thefairyfellersmasterstroke I think you make a valid point. The legal system in England is a lot different to Scotland and whilst I deal with a lot of really good paralegals up here it just doesn''t seem to be the case in England.

OP posts:
Idontdowindows · 08/04/2018 13:57

So how do you expect them to complete their training?

I have had 30 years of doctors in training practicing on me. I've paid my dues.

GuntyMcGee · 08/04/2018 13:58

As long as I was made aware that I'd be dealing with a paralegal and that the fee I was paying was representative of this I'd be happy.

Idontdowindows · 08/04/2018 13:58

They tend to have fresh view points on longstanding problems and are more likely to be aware of the most recent advances in medicine.

Nah, not really where it concerns my health issues.

FrancisCrawford · 08/04/2018 14:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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