I need some advice from barristers <<I think there are some on here>>!

[ChangedMyMind]

I need to decide whether to ask the CSA to reasses my ex's maintenance payments he is a barrister. I have no idea how much he currently earns to know whether it is worth the hassle ie that it will annoy him!

His area of work is all aspects of residential and commercial property, environment, planning, PFI project work and local government law, he works in London.

Of course he is self employed and finished bar school 11 years ago so what do you reckon he earns more than he earnt 3 years ago or not significantly? I assume if his income dropped significantly he would have been on to the CSA to arrange a drop in payments?

I would appreciate any opinions, thanks.

You want to do it purely to piss him off rather than because you think he is not paying enough to support his child/ren ?

No, I don't want to do it to piss him off, the opposite I will only ask for a reassessment if I think he is earning significantly more than he was 3 years ago when the less assessment was made.

If it's going to go up by £50 a month then I'm not going to consider it.

the "hassle" would be that it would annoy him for no benefit to me. In reality that is the only hassle that it may upset him.

Sorry I don't know how to word it.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh, sorry. I got competely the wrong end of the stick.

Good job I'm not a barrister, eh ?!

Because he is self employed and we are under the original CSA system I could ask for it to be reassessed every year . Generally speaking my understanding that they earn more annually because they have more experience?

bump before I go do teatime

bump before I go do teatime

If he working in environment and planning as you say I would assume he has a pretty steady stream of work, and if good, will get more and more work for which he can charge more per hour according to his experience levels.
I would ask for a reassessment as I think his earnings will have gone up based on the information you have provided.

Or check if he has bought a new car recently?!

we don't have any contact so I don't have another indicators to go on.

Do barristers get hit by the recession in terms of workload?

I would say that an 11 year call barrister would be earning significantly more than an 8 year call barrister, especially as he appears to do little or no publicly funded work (where fees generally have gone down).

If you have no contact at all, then I think it is perfectly reasonable to require reassessment every 3 years in his line of work - how else are you to know what is fair?

It shouldn't be very much hassle - presumably he can come up with tax returns, and at this time of year his tax return will be absolutely up to date (it will be going in this month or possibly january).

Go for it, I say (being a solicitor but having a fair amount to do with barristers)

Why are you hesistant to annoy him when you don't usually have any contact anyway?
All you would be asking him to do is to honour his legal reponsibilities, which he should already be well aware of and acting upon, what with being a barrister and all...

It isn't particularly a hassle to me. He always stalls, appeals we nearly go to court and then he pays up by which time he owes arrears - takes about 9 months. He uses every delaying tactic going but I have always found the CSA good & helpful. I can only assume he does pay because in his line of work he could be kicked out for not paying?

I am a name changed regular btw.

Mumi - well from his point of view he pays out a notable amount of money for a "child" he doesn't know. It does feel a bit like sticking the knife in that I essentially keeping asking him for "more" money.

Why doesn't he know him? Is he not at all interested? How old is your DS? Just being completely nosy here,so tell me to bog off if you don't feel like answering .

Bog off!!!!!

We weren't in a settled relationship he didn't the honourable thing and ask me to make a go of it with him so we went out seperate ways.

DC1 is a miracle baby, here despite 2 form of contraceptive!

wow he obviously wanted to be born!

Isn't that odd, knowing you have a child, paying for that child, and not wanting to see him and all his undoubted loveliness. Stupid man.
Get the CSA on him

sorry I don't know why I assumed child was a boy
if it is a she I'm sure she is also very lovely

My husband is a barrister of 11 years call. He specialises in employment and personal injury law, so he too is not dependent on publically funded work. However, his income has not risen in the last three years despite him being three years more senior. Fees are under pressure in the private sector too: he does a lot of insurance backed work and insurers will squeeze every fee they can. My H's business costs have also risen: i.e. his chambers' rent; clerking fees; petrol etc so his net disposable income is about the same.

I'm not sure whether that helps you or not! However, I'm not sure there is a way to ever know if his earninbgs have risen significantly so it seems reasonable to ask for an assessment every few years. And you've been more than reasonable if you could ask for one every year because he is self-employed.