[Moosey]

Originally Posted by NotYouAgain

We always get paid even if you don't. And if the case looks as if its going to be fought, contested or dragged out - then we'll settle.

I'm happy to discuss this with you if you like.

I ran a case for a client only last week, all the way to trial on Friday. Sadly, the Judge found against me. I won't get paid. At all. I also have to pay for my barrister (£3000), my medical reports (£1200) and a few bits and pieces. Those come out of my firm. No one else.

If clients claims aren't taken on, we don't charge them. Never have. That work, often several hours work, will get written off. Work for nothing.

We settle claims if we think there is a litigation risk. We CANNOT undersettle. We're open to be sued for professional negligence if we do.

Rule 2 : We are not running a public service if we did 'then our chances of buying an £650 000 Mansion, a yacht, or several holidays every year could be diminished.

Translation - we don't like throwing money away. Do any businesses?

PS I probably earn less than you. I earn less than my friend who is the manager at Carphone Warehouse. Don't confuse the masses with the few. If your daughter is in PI, she can tell you that too.

PS: My daughters a Solicitor, she was so ashamed of some of her firms bills that she quit. They keep asking her back but she wants nothing to do with the law, or Solicitors.

I don't dispute there are some people who bill highly, or do things in dodgy ways, but that goes for every single job going. You think architects or accountants or police don't do a few things they shouldn't? Is your daughter in PI by the way, as business law is very, very different to civil and criminal.

Lets have a discussion of Lawyers Ping-Pong Letters....whats amusing is when it goes to court [if it ever does] only 4 letters at most will be of interest to the judge and read by him?

Yep there's often a fair bit of correspondence, but very little of it goes before a Judge in a civil trial, if any. Mainly because most of it is without prejudice, or its simply not important. Why waste the Judges time with a letter saying "here's a report from x". What's the point?

Your next question? I'll keep doing this until all these myths are cleared up if you like!

[NotYouAgain]

Quote from Friend Moosey defence of the Legal Trade Reply:

[I said] Lets have a discussion of Lawyers Ping-Pong Letters....the reply was. Yep there's often a fair bit of correspondence, but very little of it goes before a Judge in a civil trial, if any. Mainly because most of it is without prejudice, or its simply not important. Why waste the Judges time with a letter saying "here's a report from x". What's the point? Agreed: But why then enter into frivolous correspondence with the other side with the sole intention of charging for it at extortionate UK Solicitors rates? In the USA its call bill padding. One wonders how many people have lost thier homes or whose marriages broke down paying Solicitors excessive bills - meaning bills that have been beefed up by lawyers. Question is any Solicitors fee in excess of £5000.00 justified, I mean litigation fee/s for routine Civil Courts cases, not High Court hearings. Roll on the day we have paper trials??? [Agreed]

My daughter was a Probate Solicitor. PS2; Are you a Solicitor or firms lawyers, Legal Exec, or McKenzie Friend.

[Moosey]

Originally Posted by NotYouAgain

Quote from Friend Moosey defence of the Legal Trade Reply:

[I said] Lets have a discussion of Lawyers Ping-Pong Letters....the reply was. Yep there's often a fair bit of correspondence, but very little of it goes before a Judge in a civil trial, if any. Mainly because most of it is without prejudice, or its simply not important. Why waste the Judges time with a letter saying "here's a report from x". What's the point? Agreed: But why then enter into frivolous correspondence with the other side with the sole intention of charging for it at extortionate UK Solicitors rates? In the USA its call bill padding. One wonders how many people have lost thier homes or whose marriages broke down paying Solicitors excessive bills - meaning bills that have been beefed up by lawyers. Question is any Solicitors fee in excess of £5000.00 justified, I mean litigation fee/s for routine Civil Courts cases, not High Court hearings. Roll on the day we have paper trials??? [Agreed]

My daughter was a Probate Solicitor. PS2; Are you a Solicitor or firms lawyers, Legal Exec, or McKenzie Friend.

I'm a solicitor, to answer your last question first. 15 years nearly in PI, in very large firms.

Anyway, to answer the question I think you have there;

I can't speak for every firm obviously, but we certainly don't send excessive letters, simply because we don't have time to do that. I wish we did have that much free time! I have 220 clients. I couldn't find time to waste writing letters that weren't essential. I'd love you to come see my team and tell me where we could find the time to do that.

Plus, what would be the point? You can't charge for non-progressive letters, so they'd effectively be working for free. I think you'd soon see a partner asking questions if people were wasting time like that. The only person who gets written to regularly is the client, because our guidelines say we have to update our client every 28 days without fail.

Finally, as I've said three million times, no one is charging the client anything, so they're not going to lose their homes or anything that dramatic. It simply doesn't happen. We charge insurance companies. No one takes any money from clients.

So in summary, we don't send excessive letters because we simply don't have the time. If we did, we'd soon see more work landing on our desks.

Next question?

(By the way probate is very, very different to PI. There's a massive difference between private client work such as probate, and litigation.)