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Mr Carter

There is a reason some use Anonymous and using sly humour to denigrate on that basis is weak.

As a solicitor dealing with professional negligence my comments are not trite or naïve. If there is a poor service, complain. If there is a true cock up, complain. If the bill is excessive, get it assessed.

Most complaints of poor service arise from people not getting what they want and they do not understand why - this is especially true in family matters. It does not necessarily mean there has been a cock up.

Malpractice and criminal activity is everywhere. Where it relates to solicitors it is reported here because this is the website of The Law Society. Given the number of solicitors in practice it very much appears to me that the rotten apples are a very small proportion.

Clients and the taxpayer do not pay for solicitor cock ups. If you want to look at it from a "victim" viewpoint, the amount of costs charged that goes towards PII is a tiny proportion of the hourly rate/fixed fee. If I said to you:

"£5 of my hourly rate insures me against any claim you wish to make. If I reduce the rate by £5 you will not be able to claim. What would you like to do?"

I bet you'd pay the £5. Of course that is not how it works in reality but the principle is the same. After all, you pay car insurance not only because you will be paid out if you crash, but because you know that another driver who crashes into you will also have insurance to pay out if you are hurt.

Ultimately if the bill is rotten it should be challenged and I champion that right completely.

I also agree that some form of unpaid assistance will be extraordinarily helpful to some litigants, Indeed, for friends and family I provide legal services free 2 or 3 times per year. I remain aware that I could be claimed against if I cock it up.

Paid help though - forget it unless you want the full panoply of problems that will come with regulation, standards, procedures, insurance and so on. I expect you will then find that you have to charge a solicitor rate.

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