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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

Original poster

Solicitor has quit on me Help!

30 replies

wakeupsmelltheroses · 01/02/2019 12:02

Hello

My solicitor has quit on me due to lack of funds on my part fair enough I do not have the means to pay her but.....

Final hearing in less than 8 weeks gulp

LIP all by myself as said lack of funds

what would you do in this situation ?

OP posts:
why100000 · 01/02/2019 21:35

Is there any way you can get a direct access barrister for the hearing?

why100000 · 01/02/2019 21:36

Is your ex going to be represented?

Original poster
wakeupsmelltheroses · 01/02/2019 22:11

I can’t afford a direct access Barrister

Yes ex will have a top Barrister

OP posts:
Collaborote · 02/02/2019 02:08

To OP

Can your ex not help you? Might sound silly that one person pays the other's legal costs, but any help provided will be reflected in the final settlement. Logic is that if both partners have good representation it should be quicker to reach a fair deal and hence less likely to prolong the proceedings and may reduce the legal costs overall?

Good luck. A brave move to be LIP at Final Hearing.

Original poster
wakeupsmelltheroses · 02/02/2019 10:49

@ collaborote
I do not think my ex WANTS to help that is the problem

Its all about control and me accepting his deal or nothing , Its been a very acrimonious 6 year divorce and its complex.

It will either go badly at FH or I have a sympathetic judge but its a 3 day hearing as there is an interveneor but who knows

Wish me luck

OP posts:
Racecardriver · 02/02/2019 10:52

Do you have any friends who would be willing to do it for you as a favour?

Original poster
wakeupsmelltheroses · 02/02/2019 10:57

friends ??

I have already borrowed a significant amount from friends and family to get to this stage .

I've maxed out my credit card and taken out a loan .

I do not work so rely on my benefits and can not get more money as severely disabled with no means to get a mortgage either

OP posts:
Original poster
wakeupsmelltheroses · 05/02/2019 10:06

Can anyone share or know how to get a Mackenzie friend ?

OP posts:
NotBeingRobbed · 05/02/2019 10:23

Can’t you make some sort of order to force him to release money to you for legal costs? I’ve heard of this. Don’t know any more. Of course, you’d probably need a lawyer. And lawyers seem to be the ones making a fortune out of others’ misery. Heroin addiction would be cheaper. Discuss.

MorbidlyObese · 05/02/2019 10:28

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Original poster
wakeupsmelltheroses · 05/02/2019 10:44

As I said he does not want to give me anything hence going to court to try and get a fair settlement .

All orders seem to cost money of which I have run out .

I totally understand my solicitor quitting on me as she is a business and expects to be paid however, we cant agree on the proposals so court is the only way and let the judge decide . I cant pay from my settlement as she wont agree this and until I settle up the bill my file will not be released - fair enough.

How can I get any pro bono ?

OP posts:
RB68 · 05/02/2019 10:47

Has she explored Iceberg loans with you - basically loans based on the potential gain from the case if assets involved. A friend of mine has had to go this route and she is in similar sitch to you - but only 9mths in.

NotBeingRobbed · 05/02/2019 10:51

It’s not that the lawyers charge....it’s the AMOUNT they charge for not a huge amount of work, often inefficiently carried out with errors and delays. Also the hideously unjust “justice” system which encourages people to take an unfair settlement rather than risk the costs of going to court. This needs serious reform.

anxiousbundle · 05/02/2019 11:20

@NotBeingRobbed 'not a huge amount of work' I'm sorry, but I'm a Law student and studying a law degree then qualifying is one of the hardest things to do successfully.

UK law is very complex and I don't think half the people who criticise lawyers fee's understand the amount of info you have to retain to have a successful case.

So I think she deserves her money earned quite frankly. Lawyers are paid a lot because they are highly educated and well trained. (Most of the time!)

MorbidlyObese · 05/02/2019 11:40

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MorbidlyObese · 05/02/2019 11:42

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NotBeingRobbed · 05/02/2019 11:55

Maybe they have studied - so have I! I can spot the load of typos they insert on form and factual errors. I am also highly qualified and work under huge pressure at speed and can spot basic mistakes pretty damn quick. I do object to having to pay extra to correct these!!! And my lawyer is meant to be one of the good ones! The system is broken.

anxiousbundle · 05/02/2019 11:58

@NotBeingRobbed I get that- obviously not everyone (regardless of achieving a degree or not) is going to be 100% thorough (though they should be!).

Someone who achieved a 2.2 from Oxford is not as valuable as someone who achieved a 1st from a lesser known uni imo. It clearly shows who put the effort in and who actually took pride in their privilege to have education.

Maybe you should get a more passionate lawyer who takes pride in their work. There are plenty about, and the price charged reflects that.

IsItBetter · 05/02/2019 12:06

Someone who achieved a 2.2 from Oxford is not as valuable as someone who achieved a 1st from a lesser known uni imo

I take it you're not studying for a law degree at Oxford, lmfao

anxiousbundle · 05/02/2019 12:08

@IsItBetter no I'm not- but I'm at a U.K. top 10 law school.

A 1st is so much more valuable than a 2.2- Oxford is just a name people throw around, i get it has a prestigious reputation (rightly so!) but most law firms looking to employ graduates are after at least a 2.1 for example- regardless of where you came from!

NotBeingRobbed · 05/02/2019 12:11

I’ve certainly never found anyone who went to Oxbridge any brighter than the rest of us in my working life.

MorbidlyObese · 05/02/2019 12:15

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billybagpuss · 05/02/2019 12:16

Do you live near a law offering university. DD is in her final year and they have a law clinic free to the local community.

IsItBetter · 05/02/2019 12:16

Another one who didn't study there I take it!

I had the good fortune to study at Cambridge and find the opposite to be true: a 2:2 from Cambridge is on a par with a 1st from an inferior institution! I know a person from my college who studied law and got a 2:2 who is now a partner at a very well known law firm.

Must have been the old school tie network, eh Wink

anxiousbundle · 05/02/2019 12:16

@NotBeingRobbed exactly, that's why I said a 1st from a lesser known uni is more valuable than a 2.2 from Oxbridge.

Most unis study a similar curriculum anyways regardless of what class of uni you go too. An oxford law degree isn't necessarily harder academically than Canterbury for example iyswim? I have a good friend from school who's gone to oxford to study psychology- our mutual friend who studies psychology at Brighton has almost the exact same curriculum.