Family Court - are there any Family Law people on here?
Discussion
RSTurboPaul said:
If there is, and they were willing/happy to offer some unsolicited advice on an urgent basis, that would be incredibly helpful!
Techie point: You are soliciting advice, so any advice that you receive won't be unsolicited. Politeness point: Please and thank you never go amiss when asking total strangers to provide a valuable thing for free.If you really have an urgent problem that is important, maybe contact a family lawyer. Try Matthew Heyworth at BDB Pitmans. He is good. He is not free. Free advice is fun, but free advice from a car forum may be worth the same amount that you pay for it.
Jurisdiction is important (eg England and Wales, or Scotland, or Alabama, or wherever). Precise location within jurisdiction is irrelevant (a) because lawyers have phones and emails; and (b) because most people are staying put, or should be.
I think that the OP has already figured out that he needs a family lawyer. He is trying to get one quick and free, without saying why he needs a lawyer at all. Pro bono is an a la carte dish, so the pro bono lawyer needs to see the menu first, to decide whether he or she fancies working on something for free.
I think that the OP has already figured out that he needs a family lawyer. He is trying to get one quick and free, without saying why he needs a lawyer at all. Pro bono is an a la carte dish, so the pro bono lawyer needs to see the menu first, to decide whether he or she fancies working on something for free.
La Liga said:
DadToBe said:
Just be mindful of what you post. Perhaps consider that lawyers like to look up social media for dirt & you may be advised to post under a pseudonym.
I wish you the best.
Top lurking. I wish you the best.
I wonder is DadToBe now a pseudonym for dad of eight/nine year old. Mazeltov, chap!
Thank you all for your responses 
If you really have an urgent problem that is important, maybe contact a family lawyer. Try Matthew Heyworth at BDB Pitmans. He is good. He is not free. Free advice is fun, but free advice from a car forum may be worth the same amount that you pay for it.You are indeed correct to say that unsolicited was a poor choice of words, and that I could have included been less abrupt - I can't see what time I posted (I'm not sure the forum shows it?) but IIRC it was last thing before bed and it was late, and I was feeling slightly panicked, so I please accept my apologies.
Breadvan72 said:
RSTurboPaul said:
If there is, and they were willing/happy to offer some unsolicited advice on an urgent basis, that would be incredibly helpful!
Techie point: You are soliciting advice, so any advice that you receive won't be unsolicited. Politeness point: Please and thank you never go amiss when asking total strangers to provide a valuable thing for free.If you really have an urgent problem that is important, maybe contact a family lawyer. Try Matthew Heyworth at BDB Pitmans. He is good. He is not free. Free advice is fun, but free advice from a car forum may be worth the same amount that you pay for it.
Chilleroon! But you still need to give a clue about what you need. There are various lawyers here, and some of them do family stuff. I don't (well, I sort of do, but only in the context of people with waaaaaaay too much money arguing about family business empires, not the actual nitty gritty divorce, violence, or childcare stuff). If the matter is really urgent and concerns a child, or another really important issue, then you should get on the phone tomorrow to a lawyer. Think of lawyers as like people who might fix your most prized car. Do you want the mech who is the cheapest, or the mech who is best? Regrettably, the economics of most law firms makes the price to the customer quite high.
The most that you can hope for here is some general guidance, and NB you will have no clue whether the people here have a clue what they are talking about. I claim to be a lawyer, but I might just be a Walt weirdo, and you can't verify which I am.
Have a shufty at the Legal 500 online and Chambers and Partners online.
The most that you can hope for here is some general guidance, and NB you will have no clue whether the people here have a clue what they are talking about. I claim to be a lawyer, but I might just be a Walt weirdo, and you can't verify which I am.
Have a shufty at the Legal 500 online and Chambers and Partners online.
Good advice from Breadvan op.
I’d just add that you really do need a specialist family lawyer from a reputable firm. Do not go to Joe Soap Solicitor on your local High Street who does conveyancing, wills & probate, personal injury, general litigation and family law. He’s possibly no more knowledgeable than some blokes on a car forum.
I’d just add that you really do need a specialist family lawyer from a reputable firm. Do not go to Joe Soap Solicitor on your local High Street who does conveyancing, wills & probate, personal injury, general litigation and family law. He’s possibly no more knowledgeable than some blokes on a car forum.
Breadvan72 said:
Jurisdiction is important (eg England and Wales, or Scotland, or Alabama, or wherever). Precise location within jurisdiction is irrelevant (a) because lawyers have phones and emails; and (b) because most people are staying put, or should be.
I think that the OP has already figured out that he needs a family lawyer. He is trying to get one quick and free, without saying why he needs a lawyer at all. Pro bono is an a la carte dish, so the pro bono lawyer needs to see the menu first, to decide whether he or she fancies working on something for free.
I am in sunny England, although I'd rather be in sunny Scotland or Wales at this time TBH!I think that the OP has already figured out that he needs a family lawyer. He is trying to get one quick and free, without saying why he needs a lawyer at all. Pro bono is an a la carte dish, so the pro bono lawyer needs to see the menu first, to decide whether he or she fancies working on something for free.
I did not elaborate more at the time for the reasons that DadToBe mentioned - slight paranoia that anything posted needs to be carefully worded in order to not 'give away' detail that might enable identification or potentially be easily searchable/found by the other party, and awareness that dumping information onto the internet just before bed might not be a wise idea!
Edited by RSTurboPaul on Thursday 26th March 23:43
bad company said:
Good advice from Breadvan op.
I’d just add that you really do need a specialist family lawyer from a reputable firm. Do not go to Joe Soap Solicitor on your local High Street who does conveyancing, wills & probate, personal injury, general litigation and family law. He’s possibly no more knowledgeable than some blokes on a car forum.
Wise words, thank you for the reminder I’d just add that you really do need a specialist family lawyer from a reputable firm. Do not go to Joe Soap Solicitor on your local High Street who does conveyancing, wills & probate, personal injury, general litigation and family law. He’s possibly no more knowledgeable than some blokes on a car forum.
I'm not sure who the chap in question rang - I fear it was a case of 'whoever had capacity' in the coronavirus-afflicted world... Breadvan72 said:
Chilleroon! But you still need to give a clue about what you need. There are various lawyers here, and some of them do family stuff. I don't (well, I sort of do, but only in the context of people with waaaaaaay too much money arguing about family business empires, not the actual nitty gritty divorce, violence, or childcare stuff). If the matter is really urgent and concerns a child, or another really important issue, then you should get on the phone tomorrow to a lawyer. Think of lawyers as like people who might fix your most prized car. Do you want the mech who is the cheapest, or the mech who is best? Regrettably, the economics of most law firms makes the price to the customer quite high.
The most that you can hope for here is some general guidance, and NB you will have no clue whether the people here have a clue what they are talking about. I claim to be a lawyer, but I might just be a Walt weirdo, and you can't verify which I am.
Have a shufty at the Legal 500 online and Chambers and Partners online.
Advice noted, thank you!The most that you can hope for here is some general guidance, and NB you will have no clue whether the people here have a clue what they are talking about. I claim to be a lawyer, but I might just be a Walt weirdo, and you can't verify which I am.
Have a shufty at the Legal 500 online and Chambers and Partners online.
I have another friend who was spending £1,000 an hour on their solicitor...
It's not a surprise they charge so much, all of the paperwork and preparing arguments is taking up a serious amount of time.
RSTurboPaul said:
Advice noted, thank you!
I have another friend who was spending £1,000 an hour on their solicitor...
It's not a surprise they charge so much, all of the paperwork and preparing arguments is taking up a serious amount of time.
£1000 per hour I have another friend who was spending £1,000 an hour on their solicitor...
It's not a surprise they charge so much, all of the paperwork and preparing arguments is taking up a serious amount of time.
I know good Lawyers and Barristers can cost, but that sounds pretty extreme especially for a Solicitor, not even a Barrister.
Superleg48 said:
RSTurboPaul said:
Advice noted, thank you!
I have another friend who was spending £1,000 an hour on their solicitor...
It's not a surprise they charge so much, all of the paperwork and preparing arguments is taking up a serious amount of time.
£1000 per hour I have another friend who was spending £1,000 an hour on their solicitor...
It's not a surprise they charge so much, all of the paperwork and preparing arguments is taking up a serious amount of time.
I know good Lawyers and Barristers can cost, but that sounds pretty extreme especially for a Solicitor, not even a Barrister.
£1000 an hour sounds unlikely. Even partners in Magic Circle law firms in London rarely if ever charge that much. You might pay £500 to £700 for a senior solicitor in a non High Street firm. Barrister rates vary a lot. Only fairly senior silks would charge £1000 an hour or more.
Bear in mind that hourly rates are what produce gross turnover - they do not represent profits. A law firm's profit margin before tax may be about 45%. A barrister's profit margin before tax may be about 70%.
By the way, there is no distinction between lawyers and barristers. All barristers are lawyers. Not all lawyers are barristers. Perhaps by lawyers you mean solicitors, one of the two main sub sets of the set lawyer. Other sub sets are notary, legal executive, and patent agent.
OP: your friend could try approaching Advocate, the Bar Pro Bono Unit.
https://weareadvocate.org.uk/
Bear in mind that hourly rates are what produce gross turnover - they do not represent profits. A law firm's profit margin before tax may be about 45%. A barrister's profit margin before tax may be about 70%.
By the way, there is no distinction between lawyers and barristers. All barristers are lawyers. Not all lawyers are barristers. Perhaps by lawyers you mean solicitors, one of the two main sub sets of the set lawyer. Other sub sets are notary, legal executive, and patent agent.
OP: your friend could try approaching Advocate, the Bar Pro Bono Unit.
https://weareadvocate.org.uk/
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 22 March 20:51
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 22 March 21:17
Paul
As a Mackenzie friend you could do this. Here are a couple of points
(1) There is no real cross examination. The judge hears one side and then the other.
(2) Evidence that cannot be corroborated is no evidence at all.
(3) Expert witnesses usually are top trumps so something like a clinical child psychologist.
see this as an example
https://www.emagister.co.uk/carter_brown-en1700180...
I understand you do not want to put too much out there but there is a lot of background info missing
So for me who has been through this similar situation over 5 years worth I cannot figure out where you are on the timeline.
Feel free if you want to PM me.
As a Mackenzie friend you could do this. Here are a couple of points
(1) There is no real cross examination. The judge hears one side and then the other.
(2) Evidence that cannot be corroborated is no evidence at all.
(3) Expert witnesses usually are top trumps so something like a clinical child psychologist.
see this as an example
https://www.emagister.co.uk/carter_brown-en1700180...
I understand you do not want to put too much out there but there is a lot of background info missing
So for me who has been through this similar situation over 5 years worth I cannot figure out where you are on the timeline.
Feel free if you want to PM me.
Breadvan72 said:
RUBBISH. OP, ignore this poster. He/she no doubt means well. He/she is offering incorrect advice. He/she is not accountable for that advice. Contact Advocate, or hire a lawyer.
Thank you for your kind reply, Breadvan I was just looking at the Advocate site, thank you for the earlier link.
I am a touch confused because the website says email applications only, whereas the Application form (dated 2019) says paper applications only, but I'm assuming things have changed since the form was drafted!
Also, the form says "All applications must be made through a referrer such as a lawyer, MP or advice agency (Citizens Advice Bureau or Law Centre)." - Is that still the case?!
(I have not contacted them yet so should probably just ask them direct rather than bother you, haha.)
Thank you again!
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