According to the SRA there has to be a pattern of dishonesty before considering a claim. 

The SRA are not interested in a complaint unless it is of “public opinion” & even when there is the strongest evidence provided to them, regarding a law firm they do not investigate unless it is of public interest. 

The SRA on their website say that we investigate all claims of dishonesty, integrity and discrimination- THIS IS NOT TRUE 

In 2018 I was a victim of domestic violence. Because of the Domestic violence, I was advised to get an injunction and later a divorce.

The first engagement with the solicitors was a brief consultation with the director of the firm. I was advised by that solicitor (based in Southport) - this advice given -(seeing no evidence of assets or income whatsoever)  that my now ex husband would be paying for any of my legal bills, I wasn’t advised to receive “legal aid”  as I should have been and was instead told to go private to protect myself from abuse. 

the injunction was dealt as an emergency hearing that same day at no point on that day was any costs explained to me and there was no client care letter provided. I was simply told not to worry about any bill as your husband will be paying. 

I am a carer of small children one of my eldest children is disabled. My now ex husband was always the sole breadwinner and I relied on him for everything.

At the end of the divorce I was sent a statement of account for the first time ever for £82,000, this was just for (the divorce bill.) They also wanted Payments relating to the  injunction. 

Up until 2 weeks after the divorce and financial relief proceedings had ended I was never sent any other statement of accounts throughout either of the cases so I didn’t know what was being charged for or what had been paid for on account etc. I have never been provided with the account ledger detailing what payments was made on account either-by myself or my ex husband

To this day the solicitors are still holding a lien on my files and refuse to send a ledger of account. 

A solicitor in the weeks after the divorce had ended decided to send Me that statement of account out of the blue via email and also sent a further email with an attachment demanding me to take out a litigant loan in order that I now pay for that statement of account knowing I had no money. 

It was stated that I must sign those loan papers that same day with another solicitor present who could be witness to that signature.

I attended another solicitors firm  regarding this that day and gave them a copy of the paperwork as well as all the emails and paperwork that I had received from the start of the cases. I was told she would kept these over night and that I’ve to return to see her the following day. She empathised the information within the loan was far too important to just to sign it off there and then and stated the acting solicitors had wrongly pressured me with this loan by suggesting that it must be signed that day. This solicitor is very good. 

The following day I attended to see that same solicitor to be advised DO NOT SIGN this loan under any circumstance. It would cost you another 20,000 on top of the amount owed in interest, You should have had legal aid,  this loan should have been taken out at the start of a case & not the end of the case, your home will be secured against the loan “which you will be forced to sell” and the loan is only for 50,000 and not the amount claimed, she was worried that not only would I have a large loan with interest but I’d also be left with other payments being demanded. She asked me from her office to question this on an email. 

I went back to the divorce solicitor and asked for a breakdown multiple times which I never received.  I then complained about the bill and said that I wanted to go to the legal ombudsman. We also put it in writing that we wanted the files to see why the bill was so ridiculously high and told them in writing that we intended to go to the legal ombudsman. This was ignored by the acting divorce solicitors. 

I was only ever sent one response to my complaint and then I was  sued before I even had a chance to take it to the legal ombudsman. The solicitors had delivered a pre action protocol letter the same day that they had sent there only response to the complaint. 

The solicitors had failed to follow the legal services act of 112 

There is a process that must be followed before the ombudsman will even look at a complaint) only at 8 weeks after a complaint can the client complain and the client has to have been sent a letter stating that it is a final response with the address on how to take a complaint to the legal ombudsman.

The solicitors did not follow the complaints procedure and once it’s in court your complaint will not be investigated and although I did complain to them after they started proceedings against me. I was then left on a waiting list for 2 + years to be told we can’t investigate because it’s in court. 

The solicitors when suing me also wrongly included a statement of account for the injunction this was for money they said I owed on that case. Up until there was an issue with the firm no statement for the the injunction or bill in that case was ever delivered but to my horror I would later be provided with evidence that the bill for the injunction was settled (paid in full) in 2019.  I believe My ex husband was ordered to pay that bill.

what is worse is I have found out that a 3rd debt party order was secured against my ex husband and that they had applied for those proceedings by signing documents on my behalf then attended Court without informing me. 

I believe the solicitors knowingly sent me that bill at the time of my complaint to pressure me further by trying to recharge me thousands for an amount already paid for that injunction. That bill was paid in full and they had never even disclosed that information. 

Be aware that I have been in court proceedings starting from domestic violence in 2018. That’s enough for anyone but ……

Since 2019 I’ve been in civil court proceedings which was initiated By the divorce solicitors when it should have been simply dealt with by a free service which is the legal ombudsman. instead I’ve been left with significant costs which has left me no choice to go it as a litigant in person.

I have been treated terribly by those who are supposed to be officers of law. They said they wanted to  protect me from Harm at the time but as soon as that was over they have destroyed me in order to line their own pockets. 

I should have received legal aid and was misled from he start of those proceedings.

I believe I’ve been victimised by those with in this firm

They were supposed to help me not take advantage of my vulnerability   

I was advised to go to Southport solicitors by my ex husband’s accountant of 20 years befriended me saying he didn’t like my ex and was on my side. 

The solicitors knew that I have no way of paying any ridiculous bill and that the only asset I have is my home which houses my 4 children. 

This is exactly why people don’t report domestic violence because there is no help or support from the system. Now it’s a civil matter and civil Matters are not covered by legal aid but the solicitors have insurance and are defended by queens counsel and senior lawyers. 

I have made a complaint to the SRA but because they say it’s not affecting the wider public ( meaning you people) they are not interested in me because I not the wider public. I’m just me. They say In order for them to investigate it has to be of public interest.  

Please support me in changing this situation. 

I AM CALLING FOR AN URGENT GOVERNMENT REFORM

WHEN THERE ARE CLAIMS OF DISHONESTY THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED ESPECIALLY WHEN LEGAL FIRM HOLDS A LIEN ON YOUR FILES. 

Civil and family law protection with legal aid provided to all vulnerable victims “especially” those domestic violence -

protection from solicitors that gain from vulnerable victims “especially” those who have gone through or going through domestic violence.

The government must as a Matter of urgency reform the SRA and the legal ombudsman

We the people say there is no longer confidence in offers of law- solicitors are not being governed properly.