AIBU to wish people wouldn't try to give legal advice

[Singlenotsingle]

It's so irritating when I see people start of a post by saying "I'm not a lawyer but..." and then say something that's obviously incorrect! I know it's done with the best of intentions but so often they say something that's based on morals or opinions, not law. (And yes, I do have a legal background, but I won't comment on something out of my area of law ).

It was for you @wonton but clearly wasn't you.

Someone who worked in HR had an insightful rant about the difference between the actual role of HR and what people in general (and MN users in particular) thought it was.

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I'm amazed that MN allow medical advice. DH was a GP and would only ever tell people looking for advice (off the record as it were) to speak to their GP. Anything other than that is foolhardy and could kill.

Same with medical advice. Even for those who are actual doctors, the GMC makes it clear that you shouldn’t give advice online unless you are prepared to identify yourself.

Agreed. As a PP has said, quite often in general there will be a few posters who contribute a sensible and accurate response, but its drowned out by all the other posts that widly miss the mark. Sadly it is difficult for the OP to work out which are the good answers. Says something about the wisdom of crowds...

One of the biggest issues you’ll encounter is someone coming to HR and saying “I’m having a problem with my manager/coworker and want you to do something about it (or sack them!) but I’m not willing to formally raise this and want complete anonymity”.

All the bloody time.

It's just as bad with adult social & health care, safeguarding and continuing health care questions. Some who have an opinion on social care, once heard from auntie Maud's neighbours' friend who said... 🙄🙄 ... Or use half heard bits that they extrapolate wrongly from.

It's frustrating when they or OP totally ignore sensible advice from people who have genuine expertise

'See a solicitor for your free half hour of advice'. Yes, because they are all beholden to offer their time for free.

I work in a specialist area which people ask for advice on fairly regularly. I choose not to participate because it would be outing for me with all other details, and my employer is strict about that sort of thing - I'd be in a lot of trouble if I started giving professional advice out left right and centre to ransoms on the internet. But what I see people "advising" about this specialist area makes me laugh out loud sometimes, and roll my eyes quite a lot!

And once many moons ago when I did provide the correct info, someone else waded in specifically to correct me (incorrectly), complete with links and quotes they'd googled! There's nothing like feeling like you got one up on a stranger on the internet, is there.....

My favourite though is people asking for medical advice. I'm ill! My head is hanging off and my artery is spurting blood! What shall I do? FFS. Even better when people tell them to go to the proverbial walk in centre in the morning, better still when they get told not to waste NHS time and resources.

One of the biggest issues you’ll encounter is someone coming to HR and saying “I’m having a problem with my manager/coworker and want you to do something about it (or sack them!) but I’m not willing to formally raise this and want complete anonymity”.

I’ve had the same experience as an union rep.

Staff moaning (sometimes reasonably) about their manager, but stonewalling any suggestions to actually address the problem using the business’ policies and procedures.

Basically they didn’t want to come across as a trouble maker, but was happy to ask me to do it on their behalf.

If people didn’t appear in legal confidently posting bollocks whilst swearing blind it’s the law I’d be on this site a lot less.

I’m happy to advise where I can but it’s really only in general terms, as most people really need to see a lawyer and get proper legal advice.

I also think there can be some issues regarding some emotive issues so if someone posts something about stopping contact because they don't get the child maintenance they think they should be getting rather than what they are legally entitled too they would rather listen to.those agreeing with them than those who try explain how it works

IANAL but it annoys me when people post a thread saying "any lawyers / doctors etc?" As if highly trained people are going to give up their skills for free on a forum with only some of the facts. Massive professional risks there.

I volunteer with citizens advice and know about benefits but give general information on MN, with up to date sources.

With all these subjects where people seek information (law/medical/social care/plumbing/benefits) the answers I trust the most are the ones that are general, with provisos anout needing full facts and signposting to local source of help. (Even then I would obviously seek professional advice if it was actually me.)

It's the same for everything, though. I'm sure I've seen threads with qualified lawyers who venture to spout bollocks about my area of work, too.

We all think it's infuriating but we all do it, because unless you're trained, often it is hard to know when something is a specialist issue or not. So people don't think they are offering advice that's the preserve of the specialist; they just think they are saying what is obvious and well known to all.

I get why you're annoyed, OP, I just don't see that a thread will solve the problem.

Oh, and while we're about it, I'd like to ban all posts where some non-education-professional bangs on about how important 'extra curriculars' are to your university application, or how Oxbridge be more likely to let you in if you are good at rowing or singing in the choir. And all the ones where someone posts 'what is the rule about footnotes/late coursework submission/whatever' and a host of people reply as if we're talking about schools and you can generalise, instead of telling the OP or her adult child to read the sodding course regulations.

It's the same for lots of things. People post factual question that would be far better addressed by looking at the relevant official website (eg luggage allowance for Ryanair) and a load of mostly incorrect replies are posted, OP says 'thanks all' and gets on with her day.

Someone then comes along and says that allowances change all the time and it would be best looking on the Ryanair website and helpfully posts a link to the information and the OP says something like 'oh what does it say, I'm not clicking on a random link' .

It's like people believe that Mumsnetters are all knowing with up to date information about everything and have pledged to always post accurate information.

I went to school and university before the internet was invented but surely along the way these days they teach about accuracy of published information and the hirearchy of reliability, with anonymous websites where anyone can claim to be anyone and post all sorts of crap being as potentially unreliable as you can possibly get?

I work in a specific area of law that I see getting posted about on here fairly regularly and the misconceptions people have because their neighbours cousins best friend told them because they went through it 20 years ago make me want to smack my head off the desk! Some of the advice people give out could actually end up costing people tens of thousands of pounds unnecessarily.

It's just as bad with adult social & health care, safeguarding and continuing health care questions.

Also child protection! Yes, let's all speculate wildly about what the social workers might be concerned about, shall we?
One time the OP wasn't even sure she'd had a real social work visit and was concerned it might have been burgers casing the house. Someone suggested the OP (a girl of 19) move house and distance herself from her family. Or she could, you know, ring social services and establish what's going on first.

burgers casing the house

The Hamburglar?

We never found out TheFatberg, could well have been.

I think my favourite is the generic “you need to report her/him” when the issue is not under the remit of a particular agency or piece of legislation. Saw it recently on a thread about a woman feeding her children undercooked chicken. Apparently, she needed to be reported. Not sure to whom.

The "ask HR"'advise was given to someone who worked for an employer in her home office. I picture the HR dept in the bathroom.

Of course she was advised she had a case for constructive dismissal 😂

I remember that one Yabbers. It made me gasp!

I think YABU. Why post a legal query if you don't want lay opinions. If you want a legal opinion, go and see a lawyer. lay opinions aren't always wrong, either.

Yes, why pay for the correct information when you can ask strangers to make something up.

I am a lawyer although I would never comment in that capacity. I think some of what gets said on here is dangerous.

Ones like “do I put my baby’s absent father on the BC?” when people conflate emotional, “moral” and legal issues with no distinction.

Social.services apparently Wonton,I mean I get under cooked chicken can be dangerous but what do posters expect social services to do ,tell the mum off?