Solicitor demanding extra money after final bill settled

Comms69

pphillips said:

Comms69 said:

They have 6 years to claim any money owed. Ofcourse they should explain it. They dont technically 'have to' but they would need to if it went to court, so they may as well. 

Still, solicitors have professional conduct rules they have to follow. I'm pretty sure solicitors aren't allowed to issue a customer with a final bill and then, after it's settled, demand more money with the threat of debt recovery if their demands aren't met.

Ofcourse they are. Admin mistakes happen. 

They should explain it etc ofcourse. But debt is debt. 

kazwookie

Could have been a scam phone call.

Who ever needs to ring direct the solicitors to a number they trust, ask for who ever dealt with the case, and ask for an invoice breakdown in writing.

Then review what they send you, and decided what to do.

pphillips

Comms69 said:

pphillips said:

Comms69 said:

They have 6 years to claim any money owed. Ofcourse they should explain it. They dont technically 'have to' but they would need to if it went to court, so they may as well. 

Still, solicitors have professional conduct rules they have to follow. I'm pretty sure solicitors aren't allowed to issue a customer with a final bill and then, after it's settled, demand more money with the threat of debt recovery if their demands aren't met.

Ofcourse they are. Admin mistakes happen. 

They should explain it etc ofcourse. But debt is debt. 

Sounds like you know the professional conduct rules inside out, I'm glad we have someone of your expertise on here 😁

greyteam1959

Contact the solicitors & ask for the name of the complaints partner.
They will have one.
Lodge a brief written complaint & ask for an invoice with a detailed breakdown of the amount.
I would not be making any phone calls at all.

KatrinaWaves

pphillips said:

Comms69 said:

pphillips said:

Comms69 said:

They have 6 years to claim any money owed. Ofcourse they should explain it. They dont technically 'have to' but they would need to if it went to court, so they may as well. 

Still, solicitors have professional conduct rules they have to follow. I'm pretty sure solicitors aren't allowed to issue a customer with a final bill and then, after it's settled, demand more money with the threat of debt recovery if their demands aren't met.

Ofcourse they are. Admin mistakes happen. 

They should explain it etc ofcourse. But debt is debt. 

Sounds like you know the professional conduct rules inside out, I'm glad we have someone of your expertise on here 😁

Same expertise as those people saying you can’t rectify mistakes after a final bill cos it’s ‘not very nice’ 

mason's_mum

I would be a bit fed up if I'd been provided with a quote, and gone ahead in good faith, to then be presented with a bill 9 months down the line for extra work.
I would expect the solicitor to let me know when the work had reached the quote value and discuss/renegotiate at that point.
How can you compare quotes otherwise?

AskAsk

mason's_mum said:

I would be a bit fed up if I'd been provided with a quote, and gone ahead in good faith, to then be presented with a bill 9 months down the line for extra work.
I would expect the solicitor to let me know when the work had reached the quote value and discuss/renegotiate at that point.
How can you compare quotes otherwise?

i don't know if the OP's solicitors had given him a fixed quote.  solicitors tend to give a general quote with an hourly rate as it will depend on how long something takes.  in the case of divorce, i doubt they would give a fixed quote as there are unknowns.

Bossyboots

For conveyancing these days solicitors give a fixed quote.  However, that can often carry caveats (particularly if the quote is low to reel in the business) including additional charges for photocopying, letters/e-mails.  One quote we had also wanted to add telephone calls on top. 

AskAsk

Bossyboots said:

For conveyancing these days solicitors give a fixed quote.  However, that can often carry caveats (particularly if the quote is low to reel in the business) including additional charges for photocopying, letters/e-mails.  One quote we had also wanted to add telephone calls on top. 

coneyancing is the only area i have come across where solicitors give a fixed quote, with caveats.  this is because it is a very standarddised process so there is less unknowns going on in conveyancing, and there is of course the caveat that they can charge more if it deviates from the standard process.

i don't think devorce is standard unless there is no arguments between the parties and everyone is agreeable.

fred246

It's always worth employing a solicitor. That way you know all the paperwork will be done correctly.