How to find a good lawyer

thanku1

Hi sorry to bother your guys with this awkward question but I am having quite a few problems at work and I feel I need to seek some urgent legal advice.

Now I do not mind paying for the advice but my concern is how can I be sure that the advice I am given is correct and that the solicitor is not just trying to make money for himself.

I think no wind no fee solicitor advice could be trusted upon as then I would have the assurance he has got noting to gain by give me false hope and would have more confident in his advice.

I live in London area.

Oh my household policy do cover me for unfair dismissal but I have to go to on there solicitor .

Many thanks

SarEl

Speaking as a lawyer, if you haven't been dismissed you would be wasting your time and money going to a solicitor unless you have a case for something which could be claimed before dismissal. A solicitor worth their salt wouldn't tell you whether you have a case (in their opinion, of course) without a dismissal having taken place and would only be able to give you the same advice you could get here or on a number of other sites.

Insurance based solicitors and no win no fee operate in the same way - they consider the case and allocate it a "xhance of winning" and will not represent you unless they consider there is a good chance of winning. But your insurance solicitor is already paid for - with no win no fee you will pay up if you win, one way or another. In terms of how good they are, well that is evens money - neither will be any better than the other, or one that you pick out of a phone book. Personal recommendation is a good way of getting one if you know someone who has had problems at work - but bear in mind that people tend to think that one who wins is good and one who doesn't isn't! It's not exactly an impartial judgement.

If you are looking for a solicitor (many will give a free first session) I would advise someone who tells it you like it is, warts and all. Promises that you will win, or a lack of a reasoned assessment would worry me. When I prepare an initial brief, I would tell a client what the chances are, but be clear that this is no guarantee either way; I would explain what the strengths of the case may be; it's weaknesses; and also tell them frankly what to expect from the system (which can take a long time and be very stressful. I would never take on a client who wasn't walking into this with their eyes open. I'm not a solicitor (I am a barrister) but I would expect the same degree of professionalism from any solicitor worth their salt.

thanku1

Many Thanks for replying, this is actually what I am trying to find someone who can tell me the bitter or sweet truth.

I have made couple of calls so far the response has been over the phone oh yes it does sound like you have good case please deposit x amount with the cashier and we could look at it.

One guy said look send me all the relevant information together with £1,000.00 and I would review the case and let you known if we can take it no win no fees bases.

What makes me unhappy that my company only paid £274 for the advice to plan my dismissal and yes I have seen copy of that advice and the bill for it.

and unfortunately I have not yet been able to make the right connection yet so I could be told the truth and trust me it is very stressful specially when you have seen your plan of execution what lies they plan to through etc

SarEl

I am a very experienced barrister - a written brief from me costs £3k+ (often quite a bit plus!). One of my baby barristers (yes, they really are called that!) would be levied at £1k+! A solicitor does not write briefs - so asking for money for one is rich! Or the solicitor will be, to be more precise. In employment law a solicitor either assesses a case and decides whether to take it or not (which may involve a small fee - around my area it's generally about £250 + VAT) or they recommend (for a more complex case) a barristers brief. What kind of brief they get from us (a baby, junior or senior) will depend on (in our terms) how complex it is - we would advise this before doing anything. These are northern prices, so LOndon or Southern prices will be more, but I do know someone who had a barristers brief done recently "down South" didn't pay all that much more.

You might try CAB - some local bureaux have solicitors who will give some limited free advice.

A bit late this time around - but I hope you now see the sense in joining a union? A large percentage of my cases come through unions and are free to members - even if the advice is "forget it".

saygoodbyetothese

thanku1 wrote: »

Now I do not mind paying for the advice but my concern is how can I be sure that the advice I am given is correct and that the solicitor is not just trying to make money for himself.

I'd just like to point out that solicitors are regulated by the Law Society and have a Code of Conduct. There is a rule that says you must always act in the best interests of the client, and there could be serious consequences (such as getting stuck off) if a solicitor doesn't do this. So it's in their interests to give you good, accurate advice too...

dacouch

thanku1 wrote: »

I think no wind no fee solicitor

Do some of them charge for trumping then

**curlywurly**

Oh my household policy do cover me for unfair dismissal but I have to go to on there solicitor .

(Sorry don't know how to quote). But this is inaccurate. This type of policy is called BTE (Before the Event) insurance. They cannot force you to use a panel firm.

You need a specialist employment lawyer, not a high street solicitor who dabbles.