lawyers

colin13

i friends withg somone who was going through a terrible patch in his marriage,he wanted to split,he gave her £25,000 which was 1/2 the proffit from the house they bought together,she went back to wales and was told by a lawyer that the £25000 was a gift,and they would need to do thing legally,she came back to house and caused a big rumpuss,and finally he got police to her,she went back to wales and is in court tomorrow,I think it iis terrible that her lawyer is stirring the pot,he gave her that money,and thought it was generous,but lawyers like to squeeeze the blood out people,and get mega money for them selves,,,rant over :mad:

Forwandert

Assuming she contacted the lawyer herself. I'm guessing he explained the legal side to sorting the money, what was the lawyer meant to do tell her to hide it under her mattress and keep quiet?

wary

I guess that a lawyer's role is to ensure that their client is aware of all of their options according to the law, otherwise they wouldn't be doing their job. Even the most unsavoury of characters should be entitled to defend themselves, and if it means getting them off a murder charge on a legal technicality, for example, then it's the lawyer's job to advise them accordingly.

I have first hand experience with a company who run an international scam, and who rely heavily on the threat of legal action to deter individuals who take a stance against them, and to ensure that the authorities and investigative bodies at least go easy on them. Their solicitors are fully aware of what this is about, yet are determined to ensure that this scam continues as it is lucrative for them.

My personal opinion is that you can't have much of a conscience and be in this game otherwise you wouldn't be able to hack it.

Re the specific case in question, there are of course two sides and his wife may have another version. If, however, she is acting unethically by trying to treat an earlier informal settlement as a gift on a technicality then really the blame should largely fall on her rather than on her lawyer, whose job it is to advise her of her options. Personally, it's not a job that I could hack, but then again I have a strong moral sense of what is right & wrong ...

VitaK

It sounds like she just wants more. The lawyer is not forcing her hands.

Leif

Lawyers look after themselves, as I found out when the neighbour of my late mother tried to take land from her house.

Wary said: "My personal opinion is that you can't have much of a conscience and be in this game otherwise you wouldn't be able to hack it."

That is certainly true for some of them. It is possible to earn an honest living giving decent advice, but I was shocked by the whole process of taking legal advice. And a friend was fleeced (legally) out of a huge amounts of money when he and two others acted as executors of an uncle's estate. I managed to advise him in time to prevent the lawyer from bleeding them totally dry. The lawyer was doing basic work such as collecting documents, and charging his full whack of £200 per hour just for driving to and from various addresses. Nice work if you can get it, and if you don't have an inconvenient conscience to get in the way.

colin13

I do agree the lawwyer has to give good advice to there client,he is just mad at himself for being so stupid,he thought he was doing right thing

paddyrg

He must feel frustrated by this situation, he was trying to save everybody time and money by making a settlement without involving lawyers. His ex sounds bitter and has found a way to get back at him - bit opportunistic, and her motives may not be an equitable peaceful settlement, but to use every penny to hurt your mate and punish him.

Her lawyer strictly speaking did nothing wrong legally speaking, but there is a reason why a dear lawyer friend of mine has just blown out the whole industry saying he can't stand it any more, and is looking for a real job outside of law. And the reason why contracts are convoluted legalese jargon is specifically to keep punters needing lawyers - you cannot say any different meaning in legalese than well-written plain English. It's pretty rotten, really!

Can your friend find his own lawyers to make it clear this isn't a pushover? Often, even if the chance of success is small, a client will instruct their lawyers to push their luck, see if they can use intimidation and bullying to scare the other side into giving away more ground. Right now your friend is spooked, but his own lawyer may say "yeah, they are chancing it, we can oppose this and expect a x% chance of winning". Probably wise to find a specialist. Alas the only eventual winners will be the lawyers if his Mrs is hell-bent on punishing him. Was it him to did the dirty?

dickydonkin

wary wrote: »

My personal opinion is that you can't have much of a conscience and be in this game otherwise you wouldn't be able to hack it.

As in all professions, there is good and bad, but in respect of Lawyers, this thread brought to mind the case of some Lawyers who fleeced millions from the widows of miners who had received compensation for coal dust related illnesses.

They were handling the cases and when the awards were paid out, they were paying out the widows a fraction of what they actually were awarded.

Sheer greed!

colin13

@paddyrg ,no it was just a very toxic relationship,tbh they are better apart than together,but she couldnt admitt that and made his life hell, a woman scorned

paddyrg

colin13 wrote: »

@paddyrg ,no it was just a very toxic relationship,tbh they are better apart than together,but she couldnt admitt that and made his life hell, a woman scorned

A woman scorned indeed...!

Leif

paddyrg wrote: »

And the reason why contracts are convoluted legalese jargon is specifically to keep punters needing lawyers - you cannot say any different meaning in legalese than well-written plain English. It's pretty rotten, really!

Exactly. It is a self regulated monopoly, protected by jargon and complexity. And fear uncertainty and doubt keep most people away from representing themselves. I heard that some deregulation is coming in, with Tesco getting in on the act. I imagine it does make sense to allow companies to operate in certain well defined areas of law where semi-skilled staff can do the work. Most of the work is rather basic e.g. probate.