When will divorce solicitors be unfurloughed?

[dontrecycle]

I'm desperate to progress with divorce. Any idea when my solicitor will be back at work?

There is someone else at the practice picking up emails etc but I just want to able to see an end date for this living hell.

When the courts start operating on a business as usual basis.

Solicitors never had to close. Many are still working and have been throughout.

I’m a divorce solicitor and have been working throughout, as have the courts. Make a complaint to the senior partner, there is no reason why your case should stall. If you don’t get any satisfactory response, maybe consider changing solicitors?

Solicitors have been working. If yours is furloughed, ask for another solicitor to take up your case.

Someone else has taken my case but she takes so long to reply and draft letters to send to my husband.
I feel like I don't know where I am with her.

Someone else has taken my case but she takes so long to reply and draft letters to send to my husband. I feel like I don't know where I am with her.

Check your letter of engagement and follow the complaints procedure, or as said by someone else, change your solicitor.

Make a complaint. I say that as a divorce solicitor who has been furloughed. I am desperate to get back to work but can't see it happening unless my clients who have been moved to my colleagues complain. My colleagues say they are overwhelmed so clearly I have been furloughed as a cost cutting exercise not because there is no work!

Hope you get it sorted

@eyesbiggerthanstomach I will.

Are all of the courts closed? I'm thinking of applying to court now as I know we won't agree.

If your local court is closed (unlikely, most are now open) they would have transferred their work load to the main court - just email the court yourself, they are very prompt in replying at the moment

Sorry just re read and seen @crazycatlady say type courts are open.

Thanks for your replies.

My husband has his own business which needs valuing and has been sent a letter to sign to go ahead with the valuation. We have agreed on a valuer. If he takes ages to respond it doesn't respond what is my next step?

I recall a conversation with my solicitor about this but not the details.

Don’t put up with bad service just because of covid-19. If you have a lawyer and they are working, then they should be providing you with a service which includes responding to you in a timely fashion.

Have you been to mediation?

If you are going to issue proceedings make sure you are confident in your lawyer and if that means you have to change, do it before you issue.

I'm confident in my original solicitor she was ace. She cane recommended by my barrister friend.

We've just instructed a forensic accountant to value his business (anyone know how long that will take??) and then we can go to mediation. It's going to be a nightmare as he does fuck all childcare but demanding 50/50 for some reason so it'll end up in court I suspect.

DD is a family barrister and has been in “court” through all of the lockdown. Via telephone and/or “zoom” style remote hearings. Cases are being heard and judges are working. So are the solicitors. Jury cases are different.

From my own experience it seems that more experienced and therefore more highly paid solicitors have been furloughed leaving junior employees to cover all the work loads and they are completely overloaded and struggling. The solicitors firms I know have done this probably as a cost-cutting exercise but I fear it will backfire and they will lose clients if they're not careful

50/50 isn’t great in many cases. The resident parent should be where dc are mostly resident. Consider when they are older and getting to and from school, homework time and clubs they might want to attend. Plus 50/50 is often viewed as too disruptive.

I’ll ask DD about forensic accountants but depends on complexity of business and what accountants are working at the moment.

I’ll ask DD about forensic accountants but depends on complexity of business and what accountants are working at the moment.

I think most accountants are working and have been throughout. Yes, some will be working from home, so things may be a little slower at times. Like solicitors, it's a profession where lots of things can be done remotely rather than face to face, so plenty of scope for home working etc. I'm an accountant and usually have regular dealings with IFAs, solicitors, other accountants, etc., and havn't noticed any firms that aren't operating close to normality.

Thank you everyone. I've had a tough day today and your replies have helped.

The accountant is still working so the valuation will be a desk top exercise I presume. It's a small manufacturing company with one employee. No doubt it's worth bugger all now after I basically put my career on hold to do the childcare while he set it up.

If he doesn't send the consent form back to formally agree the accountant what can I do??

Sounds about right that my expensive but shit hot solicitor is furloughed. Hopefully she will be back at work when the negotiations begin.

DD says her instructing solicitors are working and so are the forensic accountants. Your solicitors furlough could be ending soon. It’s a bit odd given that she had work to do - she’s only going to get £2500 a month on furlough so presumably a lot less than working would have brought in. I guess they wanted the government handouts .