Solicitor quote of the day - funnies

[Propertunity]

One of Propertunity's BAs in Sydney sent me this:

I called the conveyancer to check the progress of the file:
Solicitor: "who are you?"
Jason: "I'm a buyer's agent"
Solicitor: "What? What's a buyer?s agent?"
Jason: "I buy houses for people"
Solicitor: "who pays you?"
Jason: "the buyer"
Solicitor: "people have more money than sense"

Priceless!

 

[EN710]

Solicitor: "people have more money than sense"

If this is true, it balances out quite well

 

[Truly Exotic]

 

[Scott No Mates]

and I thought it was because we love the job.

 

[joeExpat]

I'd never heard of a buyers agent before this forum. One of those new property occupations, like mortgage broker.

 

[BayView]

Lawyers.....

One of my employees is currently going through a very ugly domestic upheaval.

The bill for a lawyer?

Twenty big ones.

Twenty grand to sort out someone's problem...who has that in spare change?

So, legal aid here we come.

And guess what's happened?

The two parties have been pitted against each other in a fight to the death it would seem.

Well done.

Thanks law fraternity.

Pfffffffffft.

 

[wylie]

Lawyers.....

One of my employees is currently going through a very ugly domestic upheaval.

The bill for a lawyer?

Twenty big ones.

Twenty grand to sort out someone's problem...who has that in spare change?

So, legal aid here we come.

And guess what's happened?

The two parties have been pitted against each other in a fight to the death it would seem.

Well done.

Thanks law fraternity.

Pfffffffffft.

Twenty grand... pffftttt!!! Small beer. And if you have money or assets, legal aid won't help you AFAIK.

By the time we received our first letter from our brother's lawyer/barrister contesting our late father's will, his bill was $22K . One letter (and of course all his waffle that preceded that letter). Our lawyer told us that lawyers are honour bound to minimise the cost, but to run up an account of $22K to get to the postage of the first letter... well his lawyer must have missed that lecture .

I don't want to think what the final account will be, and then there is our lawyer, and our barrister to pay, and the brother's son's lawyer, and the judge to stamp it. And that was the cheap way to finish the debacle. Fighting on would have meant more costs.

We had a choice though. We could pay it, or risk losing way more. When someone starts something, it must be finished and either way we were going to lose a lot, or decide to fight for what is moral and right, and lose a whole lot more....

 

[Tulamalula]

Company I once worked with and I were joint plaintiffs in a legal case - we challenged a legal bill, it went to a mediator (they have a proper title, can't remember what it is) and we came out on top to the tune of $11,000.

 

[thatbum]

Company I once worked with and I were joint plaintiffs in a legal case - we challenged a legal bill, it went to a mediator (they have a proper title, can't remember what it is) and we came out on top to the tune of $11,000.

Bill was taxed by the Registrar?

 

[MaggieMcT]

As an ex-lawyer, I can't help but comment ... I would agree that some lawyers are greedy, and some are unethical. However the subject that seem to bring up most complaints about over-charging or aggressive behaviour etc are to do with estate disputes (wills) or divorce/child custody issues. Whatever responsibility a dodgy lawyer bears in these awful situations ..it is the clients who are by far and away most at fault. People do the most outrageously awful things e.g. making a will that provides for children of a marriage but excludes "natural children" = guaranteed court battle and $$$$ on fees. Or contesting a will motivated only by greed/wish to hurt or punish a sibling. Or making false claims about your ex to win a custody battle etc. It's hard for a lawyer to know if their client is lying. Also, a lawyer can't refuse to take an action on grounds that they consider it is morally unattractive as long as it is legal. Once you are on a case, you can only get off the case if you apply to the court to be released from it, and you will not be released because you don't like your client and you think that they are unnecessarily aggressive. You can refuse to follow your client's instructions in extreme circumstances but otherwise it is difficult. Lawyer's are not empowered to be the arbiters of appropriate and reasonable behaviour in disputes.

Important to remember, I think, that behind every nasty lawyer is a nasty client....

And some lawyers do try to rip people off. No doubt about it. But there are plenty of others who get abuse for fees that are completely reasonable if all the circumstances were known...

 

[wylie]

Also, a lawyer can't refuse to take an action on grounds that they consider it is morally unattractive as long as it is legal. Once you are on a case, you can only get off the case if you apply to the court to be released from it, and you will not be released because you don't like your client and you think that they are unnecessarily aggressive.

Important to remember, I think, that behind every nasty lawyer is a nasty client....

Totally agree with this.

In our case, the "threat" to challenge things even further would have been won by us, but at what cost to our pockets and to our mental health. We chose to make a commercial decision.

Honestly, I don't know how the lawyers can stand being in the same room as some of their clients. It is not a job I would ever do. I'd want to come home and scrub myself.

 

[MaggieMcT]

Definitely agree Wylie. Reason I am no longer a lawyer!

And you made the right call. I never saw any party to litigation come out truly ahead .....the system just doesn't work that way ....

 

[Terry_w]

And you made the right call. I never saw any party to litigation come out truly ahead ..... ...

What about the lawyer?

 

[D.T.]

What about the lawyer?

lawyers are the only victors in every transaction

 

[Terry_w]

lawyers are the only victors in every transaction

As a lawyer I agree.