i for one would like to say i think it very wrong of you to single out divorcelawyer.she is on here most days (and nights)giving FREE help and advice to people who need it.how many people do you know who are willing to do that?

Actually Sealion,

Of all the lawyers I have come across, DL is definitely the LAST person you should be criticising.

She is as unhappy as many of us are about the way we have been treated by our legal representatives - and is doing her level best to help as many of us as she can - and on a largely voluntary basis.

At the end of the day it is not the solicitors or barristers who have the power - it is the judiciary and ultimately Parliament which makes the laws. We all have the democratic right to do something about this - we all have a vote - but change through Parliamentary means can be a slow process. People power - which is what Wiki is all about - can be a far more effective way of getting things done. DL and the rest of the legal profession do not make the laws - but what they do is try to interpret them and help us to put our case as effectively as possible - using both statute and the precedent of previous cases to support their arguments.
If we want things to change - and in Family Law they certainly need to in many areas, we need to support the efforts of Wiki and of lawyers like DL ... and if you want to do more than you can start a parliamentary lobbying campaign. Try looking on this site http://divorce-solicitor-trap.co.uk/divorce-solicitors-and-costs.html

When we are dealing with professionals, we are working with people who have spent many years training to be able to work in this field. As a professional myself I do some work for free but ultimately I have a mortgage to pay and three kids to feed. I would not expect to do everything for nothing and it is right and proper that we should pay appropriate rates for professional services. It is also right and proper that we should expect a high standard of service when we are paying these rates.

Solicitors are regulated see tp://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/consumers.page

That the regulations do not always appear to be followed is unfortunate and like many regulatory bodies there are always concerns that they have few teeth when it comes to dealing with bad apples. That is not DL's fault - she is doing what she can to change things from within.

As paying clients when we engage a solicitor, we have the choice to stay with them or to change - or even to rep ourselves. It is not an ideal situation as the system is so complex - and remember that any of us going through divorce are not likely to be as rational as we may be normally because there is so much emotion tied up in all this. Because of this we are vulnerable - and no-one knows this better than Wiki. That is why this site is here; that is why DL is here and I, for one, have reason to be extremely grateful to her for her words of wisdom and her understanding as a human being for me as a person and for the situation I find myself in.

We cannot just get rid of solicitors, barristers et al. We can work to change the way things are and make it better for those who follow us into this mire of divorce.

You clearly feel angry. Use that anger postively and direct it towards changing the system not attacking those who are doing their very best to help.

Wiki without DL and the other professionals who come on to this site because they care about getting a fair deal for people who need it would be a much poorer place.

My life has changed for the better since I found Wiki.I have seen so many others benefit from the wisdom and support that is offered here - by all members not just those who work within the legal system. By all means question the system .. and exercise your democratic rights as a citizen to do something about it (start with your MP?).. but don't alienate the very people who really are trying to help.

Hadenoughnow

peterc wrote:
sealion - i think you are targeting the wrong person.

im not a solicitor - but i can answer these q's (it is a democracy of course!!!)

1. i have my own power in that i am able to articulate what i want - i believe that most ppl who goto the sol's dont really have a clue what they want or how to get it - and then this is when you start to get issues with sol's
2. I discovered it in myself - i am a fairly intelligent, logical person, and was able to come up with solutions o the problems at hand
3. I exercise my power so as to get a fair settlement from this shitty divorce and that i get to be a daddy to my 3 lovely kids
4. I am accountable to only myself - and by association - my 3 lovely kids - and my stbx
5. only wiki can delete my account


now sealion - can you answer these questions???

I think it is really bad that people try to tar all of a profession bcs of a few bad eggs - do you slag off all doctors bcs of a bad one - no ... so try to be rational and look at what happened in your case with a clear mind - rather than being clouded!

Thank you for replying PeterC , and everyone who did (including Divorcelawyer , who gave honest answers . I respect her for that ).

You asked the question , and I will answer

1 I have no power . I exist by selling my Labour to an emplyer ,who pays me accordingly .
2 I have no power , so I cannot have got it from anywhere
3 as above
4 Ultimatly I am accountable to myself ,and ,like you to my children . I want to do the best for thenm , but am being prevented from doing so by the legal profesion and establishment
5 my employer can get rid of me at any time . as can my landlord .

Mike,

Very good point and thank you for raising it.

I would say that this won't be the last post on Wiki that makes sweeeping generalisations against the legal profession and I would argue that it does make a significant contribution to the majority of people going through a divorce.

A lot of people use solicitors in this very turbulent period in their lives when they may question everything around them.

Is the legal profession to be trusted? Are they all on the make? By giving board members information on expected service levels and taking serious questions seriously, I think such a thread can be reassuring.

A thread devoted solely to criticism of one board member is not acceptable, but I don't think this is what Sealion is after. I am sure he will correct me if I am wrong but I think he is asking these questions of Amanda as a pereceived and available representative of her profession.

Sealion, I hope you are happy with your answers. In your post you suggested that you have a right to answers. This is a novel idea! On this site we are individuals who participate or do not as our individual fancy and goodwill takes us; each of us according to our means and needs.

YA

This wasn't meant as an attack on amanda personally (tho she did make ,what I regard as a sarcastic comment to me ,recently ) , but it was a way of pointing out that the legal "proffesion" has far too much power . It is totally unregualted ,even if there are bodies that aggrieved clients can turn to ,we know that it is a waste of time , bit like turkeys voting for Christmas . If you are fortunate in having a complaint upheld , then all the aggrieved solicitor has to do is to "put the word out" , and then see what happens ! His /her "friends" on the outside can make sure that you have a very hard time indeed . I know this because ,ex's solicitor has been in touch with his friends at the bank to make sure I cannot be removed from the mortgage debt (even tho the bank said it would be ok originally )
My solicitor ,and ex's solicitor have dragged this whole thing out for 18 months . It could have been solved in less than 3 .
They have taken over a year out of my life , I can never forgive them for that . I want justice ,and am determined to get it !!!

smoker wrote:
i for one would like to say i think it very wrong of you to single out divorcelawyer.she is on here most days (and nights)giving FREE help and advice to people who need it.how many people do you know who are willing to do that?

Actually , smoker ,
I was a shop steward ( I had to stand down ,because of the stress of the divorce) ,and gave my freely for the benefit of my members . I had no financial motive , no "career" to pursue ,only a belief in what was right .
Believe it or not ,the real working class have princibles too (despite what you read in the capitalist press)

Hiya sealion,

Well, well.
You want justice ? Don't we all ? The difference from what I have read about your posts so far is that most of us go about it in a different way.
Hadenoughnow pointed out to you in her post that it would be much more positive if you directed your clearly felt and justified anger at redressing the system and not attacking people of goodwill who are on this site to help.

Because help they do. However, help tends to be withheld if it is asked for accompanied by criticism.
I am also astonished at the 'class' angle which pervades your posts.
Now correct me if I am wrong, but when you registered, surely you were not asked about your background - I certainly wasn't.
I came here to ask questions, to help others where I can and now that I have
learnt quite a bit about the legal process itself, to point people who are hurt, bewildered and lost in the right direction.
It doesn't matter to me who that person is - they need advice, guidance, solace. Period.
Wiki is free to all, but without the contribution of people like me who "pay their dues" in this manner, it wouldn't exist.

You mention that you are/were a shop steward. You are used to representing people and helping them - you could translate the experience you have by helping people here. Now THAT would be a positive step, not only for people in need, but it would make you feel better about yourself.

If my comments have upset you, you must forgive me - I am merely pointing out a way forward for you which would make you rise above the confusion and anger you feel.
Upwards comrade
Red XX