Civil Legal Advice 'helpline'

charleyzee

I called the government's 'Civil Legal Advice helpline', regarding suing my decorator. I simply wanted basic legal advice regarding our court appearance in 2 weeks time. Instead I was given the number of the Law Society - a society which is for solicitors, not the public! I called CLA back & got a tonne of attitude from the call-taker , words to the effect of: 'How are we supposed to know they can't help you? We don't check the numbers we give out!' Then what the hell is the point in giving out the number?!
Told her I had hoped for legal advice from a 'legal advice helpline'. She said I can't be put through to their legal advisors (even for my one simple question) as it's a Small Claims Court matter. I pointed out they should have told me that in the first place, instead of fobbing me off with a pointless phone number.
She then fobbed me off with a website: 'direct.gov.uk' - yes, seriously!!

keyser666

Well you can always post your question here for some basic legal advice. There are heaps of regular members here that can help.

charleyzee

Hi, at no point did the first advisor tell me that. He just said 'Well, I'm not a lawyer so I can't advise you'! If he'd have said that, I'd have understood & would have saved myself a second phone call on their 0845 number - the second call-taker was just downright rude, though did at least explain the legal advice situation.

And The Law Society could not understand why I had been given their number - even the 2nd call-taker admitted she didn't know what they could do for me. Waste of my time & money.

Squishh wrote: »

Unfortunately, the helpline is not there to provide the advice you are after. You would also need to show that you qualify for legal aid before being put through to an advisor.

In this case, I imagine the call handler has tried their best to be helpful by directing you to the Law Society in order for you to find a solicitor. There is a lot of useful information on the Law Society website also.

Taken from gov.uk/civil-legal-advice:

charleyzee

Many thanks for your helpful response!
The basics are as follows:
I am suing a decorator in the small claims court. The hearing is next Monday. At the last possible moment (3 days before the deadline for submission of paperwork), he hired a solicitor. As a result his 'Statement of Truth' arrived in the post 5 days after the deadline.
This statement is full of blatant lies, which I can prove - in fact, in some cases, he states the opposite of what he has stated in previous court documents (such as his original defence).
My questions are - has he committed perjury by lying in this way? And do I have the right to ask for his statement to be ruled inadmissible, due to its lateness and the lies in it?
Also - I do not have a solicitor myself. Had he hired one earlier, I would have done too. I am nervous about the solicitor questioning me. I have told the truth throughout so have nothing to fear, but I have anxiety issues & speech problems & am worried that I will get flustered. (I should mention that the solicitor works for a top company - although he seems incompetent himself, as he clearly hasn't checked the case file properly or he would have pointed out to his client that his story was full of holes). Can the solicitor question me and how aggressive is he likely to be?
Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am struggling with depression at the moment & am finding this battle is just weighing me down even further.ies in his client's statement

keyser666 wrote: »

Well you can always post your question here for some basic legal advice. There are heaps of regular members here that can help.

bod1467

It's small claims - the clue is in the title.

His costs for using a solicitor will be born by him, even if he wins. And given what you have said, he won't.

Don't try to get fancy, don't try to play his game. Just attend the hearing, be calm, clear and truthful, and the judge will see through any shenanigans. It's not a court like you see on TV. The other party will not "cross-examine" you. Everything will be quite informal, in a normal room (not a court room) and the judge will control all the proceedings.

charleyzee

Phew! Your answer really helps, thank you! Today's the day & I am sick with nerves, despite knowing that right is on my side! I must admit I was picturing the LA Law scenario! I have attended a previous heariing for this case but he didn't have a solicitor then - that fact has really upped the nerves for me. However, given his Statement of Truth was written with the aid of said solicitor & doesn't match up with his defence or any of his previous statements to the court, his solicitor is clearly not very thorough!

keyser666

Sorry missed your response but Bod is spot on. How did you get on?

charleyzee

Hi, Thanks for asking! The hearing was adjourned because the clerks didn't plan the day right - we should have gone in first but went in last & the judge reckoned he needed 3 hours to go through all the paperwork! Fact is, the case is very cut & dried & most of the paperwork is the defendant's 'smoke & mirrors'. However, 2 days later I had an offer - for a paltry sum but, as far as I'm concerned, it's an admission of guilt. I have told them how much I will settle for, so it's up to them now! I also told them that, despite their bullying tactics, it appears that their client has comitted perjury & I can prove it. He also submitted a false statement, prepared by them - so it's much better for him to settle than to face another judge!