Solicitor Problem

R

Redbhoy

Guest
Hi,
Another problem for you's.
I recently had a court appearance over maintenance payments. I had a meeting with her for about an hour where she took all my details. Bank accounts/weekly cost of living etc. The court appearance was 10.30am- I was out at about 10.50am. Solicitor turns up at 11.00am. All went well so it turned out i didnt need her ( i wrongly assumed that the judge made an estimate of what i could afford regardless of what ex-partner agreed to).
Solicitors fee was €150. I paid €100 during original meeting. Now she had the neck to ask for the other €50 even though she missed the court hearing! After me telling her to sling her hook and think herself lucky i wasnt asking for the €100 back as i may need her for a social welfare issue which i am in the middle of. Afterwards i was thinking that she was very unprofessional and that i wouldnt like to have her represent me again (not that she did in the first place)! She also smokes in her office-illegal im sure! I need to ring for her to send me all my details but i want to be prepared in case she asks for the other €50. If she does Im wondering who i should go to in order to complain about her! Any ideas?? Am i within my rights to ask for the other €100 back too?
Thanks
Much obliged
Thanks
 
Hi Redboy,

I had a long standing problem with a Solicitor and was able to get it resolved satisfactorily by complaining to the Law Society. The Law Society prefers correspondence in writing.

Solicitor Complaints Department
Law Society
Blackhall Place
Dublin 7

They should acknowledge your letter of complaint within a couple of weeks including an information pamphlet detailing what they do etc.

I wouldn't pay the remaining €50 if I was you, but I would think that the Solicitor should be entitled to some fee as she did spend an hour with you in her office and even though she was late for the court hearing she did eventually show up.

I think a discount of €50 is fair and reasonable.

In my opinion and experience I'd say quite a number of Solicitors are just money grapping gangsters who don't particulary care about professional conduct or client care and are only interested in one thing - lining their pockets.

You should get a different Solicitor straight away for any further work. The LAw Society should ensure that your old Solicitor hands over any information or documents to you if she tries to hold them for the €50.


I eventually found a reliable and professional Solicitor myself.
 
She also smokes in her office-illegal im sure!
Click to expand...
Yes, it is illegal. Do let [broken link removed] know. And if she tries it again, do let her know face-to-face how offensive this is to non-smokers.
 
the primary contract with her was to represent you in the court case. surely any work leading up to that is irrelevant if the critical part of the contract was not fulfiled. i think you should demand a full refund. if i worked on a project for whatever amount of time and then dont actually deliver any finished product, i would not expect any payment.
 
I would still say that the solicitor would be entiltled to some fee as she could argue that she provided professional advice and guidance during the one hour meeting.

Redbhoy, If you had the time and inclination, why not have a go in the small claims court? It would be interesting to hear the outcome.
 
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