Has anyone had success with a complaint regarding a lawyer lodged with the Victorian Legal Board and Commissioner?
Lodgement of Complaint about a Lawyer
aocal on 05/07/2022 - 11:52
Comments
Not until you’ve brushed your teeth and put your jammies on
I had an issue with NSW and I was successful, it's a long process and you should have an open mind, ie you should have a reason why you feel it's overcharged and what you think is reasonable. If they think you have given a reasonable offer then you will achieve sucess.
OP needs to share more details, when a post lacks details and vague, there is something juicy is missing in the post.
Or OP is afraid the lawyer reads the boards of OZB
First lawyer quit firm after starting the family law case. Next Lawyer was fired by the firm a few months in and a 3rd lawyer from the same firm was incompetent, filing incorrect consent orders that were not accepted. Quote was between $6000-$8000, but has exceeded this by $4000 because of changes in representation and errors.
Would have been cheaper to just give her the car and house :P
They do it on purpose. The most difficult task they have is extracting as much money as possible whilst not coming off as completely incompetent. I had a lawyer drag things out for so long, only to suddenly produce the result once he sensed my patience was gone. And what do you know, I've managed to spend over 10k and far too many hours going round in circles with emails/meeting to produce what should have taken any competent person no more than 2-3 hours work cutting and pasting.
They do it on purpose. The most difficult task they have is extracting as much money as possible whilst not coming off as completely incompetent.
That wasn't my experience. I was quoted $6k-$8k for consent orders if both parties negotiated fairly. The bill was within that range.
Was it a fair negotiation?..
@elgrande: We both came to an agreement eventually. Neither of us needed lawyers letters.
Both of us ended up with somewhere to live. We kept our super and some savings/assets. Neither of us needed to take out a loan.
Both of us walked away feeling we'd been done over so the split must have been fairly equitable.I got an 8 page letter from my solicitor stating that he had given advice regarding the expected percentage range of my portion of the assets and that I'd chosen to accept less than the minimum he expected I would get as I had treated the negotiation as a commercial contract settlement and I had decided that I would concede assets to expedite a settlement. Basically "I told you x and you chose to do different."
yeah I'm sure they don't all do it - but this guy pissed me off clearly stringing me along. I probably spent 5k with him going a certain direction (that he recommended), only to change his mind and recommend something else (with no additional information presented to him that should result in a direction change). Attempted to claim he did it because I directed him to - which wasn't the case. He agreed to refund me for that part of the work after about 2 mins discussion… but of course what was directly attributed to that task was only a small component of the spend. Reality was so simple. He made the process so complex.
Sounds like what local councils do on a daily basis!
Ok fair enough
They should be able to produce an itemised invoice with a breakdown of hours and that may be your starting point.
Then i guess it's up to the ombudsman to check if the quantities check out with the services provided.
But yeah as previously said, unfortunately lawyers can act incompetent 99% of the time and when they get it right 1% of the time they get to charge for the whole thing.
What was the fee estimate in the costs agreement you signed?
Did they provide you with a fee update or similar during the matter once the initial quote was exceeded?
$6000-$8000. No fee update was given but now have paid $12000 and it’s not finalised
Have you discussed the issue with the firm?
Why not get a good lawyer and sue them.
Wow JV I didn't know you had moved to the USA…
Born down in a dead man's town
And the first kick I took was when I hit the ground…You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
What did the firm say when you made a complaint about the service?
I was given lip-service or ignored.
given lip-service
So now they are blackmailing you with the photos?
Did you make a formal complaint or just ask why it cost $4K more?
At this stage have just asked why to the director with no response. Should I put in a formal complaint to the firm?
Someone may have had success, but it may be subject to a NDA.
OP, look at the tax invoice. It will tell you exactly what your options are. In Victoria you have 2 main options. If your invoice doesn't even have that information then that's a further serious issue.
Storytime - I have once lodged a complaint against a lawyer to the VLSB. I did get some occasional emails but nothing really progressed. Then a magistrate lodged a similar complaint about the lawyer's conduct and boom, the lawyer lost their practicing certificate pretty promptly. As far as I can see they haven't been able to obtain it back since.
was your lawyer an aussie? or really old?
They're weren't my lawyer.
ah my bad misread, the lawyer you filed the complaint against?
What sort of “success” are you seeking?
To only have to pay within the quoted amount.
Have you paid the bill? Just dont pay the $4000, point out why and let the law firm take the running
Of course, many times the client says 'you overcharged due to incompetence' and the lawyer says 'we charged more because the client was unreasonable and didnt follow our advice and dragged things out'
Bill has been paid or interest can be charged and it has to be paid before lodging a complaint.
This calls for a storytime!