First meeting with divorce solicitor - bit odd?

[thebeachismyhappyplace2]

So today I had my first meeting with a female divorce solicitor over zoom - I went with her as she was recommended by a friend, is local to me plus she has 30 years experience.

She seemed nice enough and knows her stuff but at the end of the conversation she asked me, if going forward would I mind if she passes me onto her colleague to deal with my case. The reason she gave was that she’s “really busy with a huge pile of other cases to deal with and feels that it would be better for someone else to give me the time and energy I deserve”....

I agreed as I was a bit shocked at the time and it wasn’t til after I put the phone down and thought about that I realised it’s a bit odd. If she’s that busy, why didn’t she refer me to other team member when I initially emailed her and completed online application form. It’s a bit annoying I spent an hour introducing myself, explaining my situation and building a rapport etc. Plus I paid £120 for that hour.

It’s made me wonder whether she knows DH as we live in a small town and if so she doesn’t feel comfortable representing me? Am I reading too much into this or is this fairly normal practice after one session?

I think this may be fairly usual based on what DH tells me (solicitor, not divorce law though). Assuming she’s quite senior based on her experience? I don’t think it’s that unusual for the senior solicitors to keep the most complex/high value cases for themselves and pass the easier cases to junior colleagues, it just makes more sense to spread the workload that way. If she is well known then she probably gets plenty of referrals and can’t deal with every case personally so will need to delegate some to her team.

Ok thanks, sounds like this is quite common then. A bit annoying though as feel like I’m going to have to start again (to a certain extent) with new solicitor

This is probably good news OP. She will be £££ and she might consider that your case is more straight forward and can be dealt with by a junior (who will be cheaper).

They normally check if they know your other half due to conflict of interest.

I don’t think she is more basic though as she said she also has 30 years experience apparently

Very normal and more cost effective (for you) for a divorce to be handled by somebody more junior - any significant issues will be likely pushed back to her if required.

I guess she will get the internal credit (financial or otherwise) for bringing in business.

Before they took you on they will have done a conflict check. Which doesn’t mean they don’t know your H but won’t have acted for him.
Perfectly normal and indeed sensible. You really don’t want to be stuck with someone who doesn’t have time for you.

I'm a solicitor - not family, but I do work alongside a family team. I wouldn't do this to a client. I would warn them in advance if I didn't have the capacity to take them on, before recommending a colleague of similar seniority with a similar hourly rate. I believe my family colleagues do the same. I do always try to keep personal referrals out of respect for the person who has been kind enough to refer their acquaintance to me.

It’s normal OP. We do this all the time, sometimes halfway through a case if one solicitor finds themselves too busy (I work in probate). Some cases have seen 3+ different lawyers. Clients don’t like it, but they accept it as long as they get an attentive service. Clients do not like to be neglected!

Before I got to the end of your OP I was about to suggest she knows your DP. I work in a similar field and any conflict of interests I pass onto colleagues. I also wouldn't tell the client and would instead claim a workload issue.

This is quite common in law firms. A more senior lawyer will often delegate the day to day handling of a file to someone with the capacity to deal with it. She will have made a file note of your meeting and passed it to her colleague so you won’t have to go through the whole conversation again.

It’s important to have a rapport with your lawyer though, so do speak up if you’re not happy with her colleague.

Will you be paying for a senior solicitor and getting the work of a junior/trainee solicitor?

It doesn’t matter either way. If she knows your DP she’s done the right thing. If she doesn’t then it’s better to have someone who has time to focus on your case. It’s no big deal. I assume you got some good advice from her during your call? £120 is reasonable. That’s a lot cheaper than I paid

I would check your info when it comes through, I wouldn't want to pay her rate for someone junior.