Anyone used a barrister under public access to fight their case?

[hoxtonbabe]

Hi,

Has anyone done this...I am getting so fed up with the solicitors and their shenanigans, i may as well do this alone with he help of a good Counsel.

LOL.

Sorry. Know it isn't funny, but I've done two cases by myself but paid shedloads for nothing more than headed paper.

I think there are barristers at Hardwicke Chambers who specialise in education who take cases on direct access. But whatever you do don't touch J Friel.

Lol...I'm not keen on hardwicke anyway, so as a chambers I will not use them.

Starlight, your reply confuses me ( it doesn't take much to be honest) you saying its pointless?

It's okay. I wouldn't. I met him once and had a chat.

VERY clear he doesn't do anything but off the shelf. You give him a case, he finds one he's done that is the closest match and then rehashes it, forcing the same independents, the same arguments regardless of the different needs of the child, imo.

It's not pointless. But there were several times when the actions of the other party would have caused me huge amounts in additional telephone hearings or other kinds of correspondence and my solicitors just went along with it, instead of saying 'stop it, this is a waste of time'.

It was me who had to do that. So I sent a 'stop it' letter to my solicitors to send to theirs. They charged me for receiving and then again for sending, then for the receiving the response and for sending it to me, plus the time for reading each of the documents. wtf?

Also, I wrote pretty much everything. But was ignored until it came on legal headings iyswim. So I did need them, but only really their headed paper.

Yes. I agree. You know your case best and sometimes you just need someone prepared to add the 'weight' that lawyers can add. But don't pay through the teeth.

Direct access barristers should be listed somwhere but I think they are limited in the prep and correspondence work they can do for you (as this is not what barristers do). But if you just want someone for a hearing for you, it might be a good option.

You will pay alot for anyone decent though.

Pay through the nose (teeth??? I am tired)

Barristers don't deal with any correspondence, what I'm after is for them to draft the arguments, etc...I've been doing this for so long I've got use to all the deadlines, etc...I know some counsel are prepared to draft the working document for instance but then others won't, and the working doc is one that stumps me a bit, not the contents but all the strike through, bold, tracking changes, etc,..I am soooo useless at those things. Hmmm, I could see if I could use the services of a secretary I suppose for that.

The only thing I'm not keen on doing is attending any conference call case management meetings... I know I will lose it with the LEA and I don't think counsel will get involved with this....

I know what you mean about needing headed paper before being taken seriously though.

I've just had days of Working Document hell even though we're post-Tribunal and awaiting the decision. The LA have stuffed up the document by using the wrong markup formatting (so it looked as though we'd agreed to stuff that we hadn't) so I've spent days working on the document sorting out their mess.

The cynic in me would say that the LA accidentally-on-purpose used the wrong markup formatting.

Why not hire a good secretary to help with the working doc?

Choose an old fashioned one with superb written English. A legal secretary would be perfect. I bet there is a local Mum on maternity leave or with nursery aged kids who'd be more than happy to help out for far less cost than any legal eagle!

Towie: I can bet my life the LA did it on purpose...not accidentally at all...they did the same to me, sneaking in things that we did not agree to..

Bochead: Yes, I will look for an good ol fashioned one, and yes an ex legal sec would be perfect as they will be used to all this strike through stuff. Believe it or not I used to work in legal firms (Admin), lol...you'd think id be able to call upon someone, but I lost touch with all the secretaries I got on ok with..ah well

hoxtonbabe - I've spent my entire working life providing technical consultancy regarding document creation and collaboration to many of the largest international law firms in London. Ironic that I've been able to use my professional technical expertise to determine that the LA's working document is basically f*ed. Give me a yell if you need help with your WD - might as well put all that expertise to proper use in supporting disabled children!

Awww....cheers Towie :-)