Solicitor Demands Payment

simmo82

Hi All,

My other half had been having a particually hard time at work and left, she decided to pursue a claim for constructive dissmissal due to the amount of bullying and harrassment that was delt out during her tenure, She found a solicitor in the yellow pages who she spoke to on the telephone and sent some documentation to.
The solicitor then came to our house and ask my wife to sign a document - which she did - I came home and read it and realised he was charging £275 per hour and required a £1000 fee up front - My wife immediattly emailed him explaining that we did not have this sort of money up front so felt we could not continue with this action - He has just replied that he had completed over 5 hours work on the case but will accept payment for 3 hours. Is this legal?

Thanks very much

Equaliser123

Legal? Might be - she signed the letter of engagement. Depends on what was agreed.

However, I very much doubt that he has completed 5 hours of work yet.

simmo82

This is what I thought, and if the work was completed before any aggreement was signed she was not aware of the costs.

Also where is the proof of work completed?

Would anybody know if the is any sort of cooling off period with these types of aggreements?

I honestly don't mind paying for the time spent meeting my wife 30 minutes or so but to clain 5 hours work seems excessive.

The agreement also states that no work will take place before they recieve this £1000 as well.

Think I need a Solicitor to deal with this solicitor!! :rotfl:

Cheers

Equaliser123

simmo82 wrote: »

This is what I thought, and if the work was completed before any aggreement was signed she was not aware of the costs.

Also where is the proof of work completed?

Would anybody know if the is any sort of cooling off period with these types of aggreements?

I honestly don't mind paying for the time spent meeting my wife 30 minutes or so but to clain 5 hours work seems excessive.

The agreement also states that no work will take place before they recieve this £1000 as well.

Think I need a Solicitor to deal with this solicitor!! :rotfl:

Cheers

Is he a 'one man band' or part of a bigger firm? there will be a complaints procedure - follow that.

tomtiddly

simmo82 wrote: »

Hi All,
The solicitor then came to our house and ask my wife to sign a document - which she did
Thanks very much

Am I right in thinking that if you're buying a service you get an automatic cooling-off period if not done at a commercial office..?

Although if that includes solicitors I don't know, just wondered if we've missed a trick

Optimist

tomtiddly wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that if you're buying a service you get an automatic cooling-off period if not done at a commercial office..?

Although if that includes solicitors I don't know, just wondered if we've missed a trick

Not if the service begins by agreement before the end of the cooling off period.

Freddie_Snowbits

The first interview is free and is used to garner a relationship as to whether a case can be made. The solicitor is then retained for a fee and a deposit is normally made. At this point the solicitor is retained to act on your behalf. I doubt if any solicitor would actually do any work further than the engagement interview prior to the deposit being cleared, as this is a security.

Also the solicitor would give an indication of charges and a cap on the amount of work to be undertaken

MT90

Surely if the agreement states that no work will be undertaken until deposits is paid, he is just trying to make a quick buck and has no leg to stand on for being an eager beaver?

gordikin

The OP has not mentioned any detail (other than costs) of what was in the document that was signed.

Equaliser123

gordikin wrote: »

The OP has not mentioned any detail (other than costs) of what was in the document that was signed.

It would be what lawyers call a Rule 15 letter. The SRA is prescriptive about what is in it.

There MUST be best information as to costs.

There MUST be details of the complaints procedure.

There MUST be full details as to who is doing the work, when they will do it and how they will do it.

gordikin

Equaliser123 wrote: »

It would be what lawyers call a Rule 15 letter. The SRA is prescriptive about what is in it.

There MUST be best information as to costs.

There MUST be details of the complaints procedure.

There MUST be full details as to who is doing the work, when they will do it and how they will do it.

...it would, MUST, MUST, MUST...but did it? Do you KNOW it did or are you just assuming it did? OP didn't give any details