Legal Aid Funding - Divorce

[trout]

Hi,

I went through a messy divorce which took approximately two and a half years to complete.

My solicitor informed me that I was only be liable for £500 of the £3500ish that they were charging.

I was told that this would be the amount that the Legal Services Commission would be charging against my home.

I have now found out that the charge against my home is for the whole £3500ish plus interest.

Can I make a claim against the solicitors for inaccurate advice ?

All advice appreciated

cheers,

trout

[MissFM]

Re: Legal Aid Funding

If you have this documented (even if not) then you should definitely make a formal complaint, initially to the managing partner of the firm that gave you the misleading advice. If the complaint is not dealt with to your satisfaction within, I believe, 8 weeks you can then escalate it to the SRA/LOS.

[trout]

Re: Legal Aid Funding

I do indeed have it documented.

Thanks for the advice.

trout

[jami Mullen]

Re: Legal Aid Funding

documentation is the right option.

[trout]

Re: Legal Aid Funding - Divorce

Update, the Solicitors have looked into my complaint and say that my complaint should be with the Legal Aid Agency.

In a chronological nutshell -

Sols inform me in 2008 that legal aid expenses of approx 3.5 k are owed by myself to be paid now or when my house is sold, but in the latter case the Legal Aid Agency will put a charge on my
house upon which interest will accrue.

Sols inform me in 2008 that my total liability towards the legal expenses is restricted to £500

Legal Aid Agency inform me, once in 2009 and once in 2010 that my liability is £500

Legal Aid Agency inform me once in 2009,once in 2011 and once in 2013 that my liability is £3500+

2014 Legal Aid Agency say the letters they sent me saying that my total liability was £500 were due both to a computer system error and a clerical oversight
and were to be disregarded.They also state that my sols letter of 2008 stating that I only owed £500 was misleading and ' it appears that the author of this
letter was not up to date with their regulations.'

2014 my sols advise me that they were advised back in 2008 by the Legal Aid Agency that my total liability was £500 and that they assumed that
I could rely on this assessment and as said above that my complaint should be addressed to the Legal Aid Agency and if I wished for them to take
it up on my behalf to contact them.

Any thoughts on where to go from here please.

Mine are that my complaint is against the Sols who should have realised the Legal Aid Agency had made a mistake,and that the sols have a case
against the Legal Aid Agency.

Cheers,

trout