I’m receiving Legal Aid. Separation from father of 18 month old last year. FHRDA date is booked, having been postponed.
Iv’e had doubts about my solicitor since the beginning. What they have submitted on my behalf has felt generic and rushed. Two statements to court were late, the latter months late. It was submitted the morning of my FHDRA. And was not accepted by the court on the day of the hearing until some intervention from the solicitors firm after the hearing.
It was incomplete, hence FHDRA postponed.
My solicitor (repeatedly) instructed me not to include child welfare concerns - which it turns out I should have included.
My solicitor is wirh a big firm. They began working on my case before Legal Aid was granted. The other firm I had an initial call with wanted to wait for Legal aid to be officially accepted via application with bank statements etc.
I went with the fastest acting firm due to daily pressure from my ex / baby’s father - from the day I left.
I worry that choosing the fastest firm was a mistake. My suspicions are that they want to get secure all the Legal Aid cases they can and sort of bash them out generically in cases like mine, where the was no physical violence.
Has anyone else had an experience like this? Legal aid representation feeling like a poor service?
also — I can’t seem to change legal firms or even pay £ for an hour /two legal advice elsewhere (tried Law Hive and couple of local firms) … Because from responses I’ve been getting - once you have /have had legal representation it seems nobody will talk to you.