solicitor fees

moosh74

hi my wife and i were divorced over nearly 3 years ago through my wifes solicitor,we payed the £200 deposit then were never billed for the other £417.now after nearly 3 years they have sent a letter demanding payment in 4 weeks of full amount.can they do that after so long?

thanks

pinkshoes

Yes, they have 6 years!

If you owe the money, why not just pay it? 4 weeks is reasonable to be honest, as it's not a HUGE amount, and presumably you'll pay half each?

**curlywurly**

OP, are you unhappy with the amount? What did the original terms of business letter say? Solicitors are obliged to give you an estimate of fees, and in most cases to stay within that estimate.

Torby

it would be fun if you didn't pay and they could cancel the divorce....lol...then would you be happy with the bill/amount?

BigLee_24

over nearly 3 years lol that made me laugh....

Pollycat

As Pinkshoes has said, you will have to pay this - from a legal perspective.
From a moral perspective, you have had the service so you SHOULD pay up.

So, can you actually afford to pay this amount within the timescales they have asked you to?

If not, I'd write back to them pdq and say that, given the length of time since they provided the service without sending you the bill you had forgotten that you owed the money and require longer time to pay.
Offer to pay a set amount over a number of months, e.g. £75 or £100 per month.

Do NOT under any circumstances ignore the letter as if they sell the debt on to a collection agency you will find the amount escalates.