rang his office for some clarification and was told he would ring back. He did not. This happened a further 4 times + I also hand delivered a letter containing my queries. To date I have not had any kind of communication from him. Is this normal practice for solicitors or is it a case of no news is good news?
2007-01-18 01:11:14 · 8 answers · asked by hughdobbs1 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
if it's really important they'll be in touch again soon, they can be quite busy!
2007-01-18 01:19:04 · answer #1 · answered by mishnbong 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Anything marked "For your attention" means that you have to do something with the papers. There are two possibilities here. Firstly, they might have meant "For your information," ie, read and keep but no need to call. Essentially they are your copies of papers already dealt with.
Secondly, they might have meant read and return the papers, having signed where necessary. Such a delay is not reasonable. You are entitled to know which it is. Unfortunately, your options are limited. You have not said what the matter is and, frankly, it is not my (or anyone else's) business. Look at it this way, though. One only engages a solicitor if something needs to be done. Has that matter been dealt with to your satisfaction? Is there another party you could write to, to make sure? Although you hand-delivered a letter have you considered sending it in such a way that the Post Office can track it?
If all else fails you may have to report him to his professional body. As you have referred to him as a solicitor, I assume you are in the UK. Does the Law Society still take complaints? I've been away for five years, so this may have changed.
2007-01-18 09:24:58 · answer #2 · answered by skip 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you've got to realise is that the solicitor in question is entitled to charge 10% or so of his hourly charging rate for each phone call and each short letter received (more for long letters). You are therefore racking up a massive bill and it would be cheaper to seek clarification from your local law centre (if any) or the Citizen's Advice Bureau or a trusted friend who understands something about these things.
Your solicitor should write letters in clear, plain language that you can understand. He has certainly had more than enough time to respond to your enquiries and perhaps the time has come to complain to the Law Society. http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosingandusing/redressscheme.law
2007-01-18 09:33:23 · answer #3 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I would NOT do is nothing, assuming that they will come back to you if it is important. Although that is certainly what they should do, it is a sad fact of life that many solicitors will not. Although you might possibly be able to sue them for negligence if you suffered any loss as a result, this would be a risky and unpleasant process. Keep badgering them - and, as already suggested, you might by now feel ready to resort to threats of Law Society involvement. How urgent is this? What was the 19/10/06 letter about?
2007-01-18 09:26:50 · answer #4 · answered by Matt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You never ever let any legal matters such as this languish. You always get a clarification. If your solicitor doesn't return phone calls then you let them know that you're gonna look for a new solicitor.
2007-01-18 09:31:59 · answer #5 · answered by geek49203 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Report it to the Law Society, or Citizen's advice. They will give the solicitors office a swift kick up the arris, and you should get a very quice response.
2007-01-18 09:23:02 · answer #6 · answered by Bigfoote 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are talking English solicitors, then it's both commonplace and rude. It's also bad business. I find that if you tell the secretary that you plan to report the solicitor's behavior to the law society, they call back very soon after!
2007-01-18 09:20:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
typists error
2007-01-18 10:41:51 · answer #8 · answered by kate d 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋